Independent snow and weather reporting from the Furano region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 1cm Snowfall at base this season 290cm Posted on Monday 2nd January 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . Good morning to the second day of 2017! We have cloud and foggy covering the resort this morning so I would expect there to be areas of low light at the least, if not reduced visibility due to fog. So take care out there and ski to the conditions as bumps and variable snow conditions may not be easy to spot. On the temperature front it is pretty mild with the resort recording -4c at base earlier this morning. As I write this now the temperature has already risen and is sitting just below freezing. There is some light snow coming down and 1cm has accumulated overnight and snow flurries are expected through out the day. The snow coming down today will be the last we may see through until next Saturday according to the forecast. That seems like quite a dry spell to have thrown at us give all the snow we have had so far this season. Let's hope that the weather system can deliver something else between now and Saturday. Furano Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Monday 2nd January 2017 Total snowfall at base 290cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 41 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (8th November) November 2016 snowfall 110cm reported on 19 days December 2016 snowfall 178cm reported on 20 days January 2017 snowfall 2cm reported on 2 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Furano. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Naeba region of Niigata New snowfall at base 1cm Snowfall at base this season 168cm Posted on Sunday 1st January 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Naeba Now report can be found here . Happy new year from Naeba everybody and apologies for the late update today. Since yesterday we have received a small amount of snow in fits and starts however it is difficult to tell exactly how much has fallen. As a result conditions are fresh on the slopes but not powdery. From today most of the resort is now open. The only runs not open are: The Takenokoyama Course, The Takenokoyama Skyline Course, The Men`s Riesen Slalom Trail, The Men's Slalom Trail, The Women's Riesen Slalom Trail. From tomorrow we are meant to see the start of a two or three day snow storm which should help to get the final remaining runs to open. Lifts running today are: -Beginner lift No.4 08:00-20:30 -High Speed lift No.5 08:30-20:30 -Prince Gondola No.2 08:30-16:00 (last ride up 15:30) -Takenokodaira Romance Lift 08:45-15:45 -High Speed Lift No.4 09:00-16:30 -High Speed Lift No.3 08:00-17:00 -Prince Gondola No.1 09:00-16:00 -Huichi Pair Lift No.1 09:00-16:00 -The Dragondola 09:00-15:30 (last ascending lift 15:00) Naeba Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Sunday 1st January 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 168cm Number of days snowfall observed 19 days Most snowfall observed on 1 day 27cm (30th December) November 2016 snowfall 17cm observed on 4 days December 2016 snowfall 150cm observed on 14 days January 2017 snowfall 1cm observed on 1 day Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Naeba. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Hakuba region of Nagano New snowfall at base 2cm Snowfall at base this season 67cm Posted on Sunday 1st January 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Hakuba Now report can be found here . Happy New Year from Hakuba. It was a good-looking mix of cloud and blue sky through the day yesterday. And then on to the last night of the year. Lots of celebrating going on as you might expect. I hope everyone behaved! :) This morning light snow was falling and there's a bit on the ground. Not much and resorts are also reporting just a cm or two, up to 5cm. We are expecting sunshine today so the clouds are expected to clear up and for mild conditions this afternoon. And tomorrow too. Can't someone just push those temperatures down a bit somehow? Answers on a postcard please. Everyone is of course anxiously wanting to hear about decent fresh snowfall; it looks like it'll be Tuesday when we can expect that. And hopefully it will be decent. Let it be, as they say. Hakuba 47: The resort is reporting 5cm of fresh snowfall. The top connection with Hakuba Goryu is open. Operating lifts and course info: - All lifts operating. - All courses now open apart from Route 7. - The Tree Riding Zones are not yet open. Official snow depth Upper: 110cm Base: 20cm Hakuba Goryu: The resort is reporting 1-2cm of fresh snowfall. The top connection with Hakuba 47 is open. Operating lifts and course info: - All lifts apart from the Iimori Number 1 lift and the Cosmo quad lift are operating. The following courses are open: - Grand Prix - Panorama - Super - Toomi - Soft Cream - Powder Snow (part) Official snow depth Alps: 125cm Toomi: 35cm Iimori: 20cm Hakuba Happo-one: The upper areas of Hakuba Happo-one are open. You can now ski or board back down to base via the Riesen Slalom and Nakiyama courses. Downloading via Gondola or lift required in the other areas. The resort is reporting 1cm of fresh snowfall. Operating lifts and course info: - Most lifts are now operating with just a number of base area lifts still to get moving. The following courses are open: - Kurobishi - Usagidaira - Skyline - Riesen (part) - Panorama - Nakiyama South (part) - Kita-one 3 Official snow depth: Usagidaira: 90cm Kurobishi: 110cm Lower: 25cm Tsugaike Kogen: Tsugaike Kogen is now mostly open. Operating lifts and course info: - Most lifts are now operating. The following courses are open: - Most areas of Tsugaike Kogen are now open apart from Uma-no-se and Champion areas. Official snow depth: Tsuga-no-mori: 110cm Han-no-ki: 100cm Oya-no-hara: 30cm Maruyama: 30cm Kane-no-naru-oka: 15cm Hakuba Cortina: The resort is reporting up to 0cm of fresh snowfall. Operating lifts and course info: - Hakuba Cortina is now mostly open. Official snow depth: Top: 117cm Base: 80cm Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field: Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field is currently part open. Operating lifts and course info: - Gondola - Paradise triple - 3-sen North lift - 4-sen East lift The following courses are at least part open: - View C (part) - East - North - Downhill (part) - Paradise (part) - by1 Official snow depth: Top: 55cm Base: 30cm Kashimayari: Kashimayari is currently part open. Operating lifts: - Number 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 lifts. Official snow depth: Top: 30cm Hakuba Norikura Onsen: Hakuba Norikura Onsen is currently part open. Lift info: - Most lifts are now operating with most courses planned to be available today. Official snow depth: Top: 85cm Hakuba Sanosaka: Hakuba Sanosaka is now part open. Official snow depth: Top: 20cm Hakuba Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Sunday 1st January 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 67cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 13 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 12cm (8th December) November 2016 snowfall 1cm reported on 1 day December 2016 snowfall 64cm reported on 11 days January 2017 snowfall 2cm reported on 1 day Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Hakuba. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Shiga Kogen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 1cm Snowfall at base this season 243cm Posted on Sunday 1st January 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Shiga Kogen Now report can be found here . Happy New Year from Shiga Kogen. It has been a cloudy start to the day here, but with the sun peeking through gaps in the clouds at times and in some places. We're expecting calm and relatively mild conditions today and tomorrow before a return to fresh snowfall from later on Tuesday and the forecast showing a few days of snow beyond that. So hope you can enjoy this first day of the year. Expect tomorrow to also be busy before starting to quieten down from Tuesday. Shiga Kogen Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Sunday 1st January 2017 Total snowfall at base 243cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 24 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (24th December) November 2016 snowfall 27cm reported on 5 days December 2016 snowfall 215cm reported on 18 days January 2017 snowfall 1cm reported on 1 day Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Shiga Kogen. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 291cm Posted on Sunday 1st January 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning and a very happy new year to you all. May it be a good one for you and yours. And may it be full of fresh, fluffy, dry and light snow. Alas, I do not have any fresh snowfall to report to you this morning. After a rather boisterous and noisy New Years Eve (well, if you wanted it to be), it is a fairly calm and cloudy start to the day. Last night the weather was good for the fireworks and the torch-lit skiing display thingy, and the drinking and eating places were very lively with people celebrating. I suspect there might be one or two few sore heads this morning. As I said, it is a calm morning here and generally cloudy conditions. We may get a light dusting over the next few days but the forecasts seem to be telling us to expect the next proper snowfall from Wednesday. Gates are gradually opening with 4, 5 and 6 already open and 2 and 3 scheduled to open from today. There's more on that in the Avalanche Report below. Snow-wise, the month of December ended up with me observing 181cm of snowfall. Better than most of the other reports posted on the site I notice, but definitely less than each of the previous (at least) four seasons... and in a few cases much less. Hmmmm. Anyway, you can see the numbers for yourself below and on the 'Snowfall Analysis' page (big blue tab button at the top of the page), but I'll do a little mini-review sometime in the next few days. I observed 303cm of snowfall in January 2016. Let's beat that shall we... --- Niseko Avalanche Report: Niseko base 6am: -5℃, no snowfall. Moiwa 800m: -7℃, mild wind and no snowfall. Annupuri 1150m: -9℃, no snowfall, foggy. Hirafu1200m: -9℃, mild wind, no snowfall, foggy and poor visibility. Coastal data: Kamui cape SW12m/s, 1019hPa, 1.0m waves. Happy New Year. The weather is calm under a high-pressure system. There are no snowfall or snowdrifts development and the general avalanche risk is low. Gates 6, 4 & 5 have opened, and Gate 2 (Annupuri peak) and 3 (Hirafu peak) are scheduled to open today. Gate 4 will open a while after the peak opens. Area above 1100m is foggy and visibility is very bad. Although the snow is insufficient, slopes above 800m are relatively good. The lower you go, the thicker are the bushes and some streams aren’t filled in yet. Many holes are present in Annupuri Osawa valley’s bottom. Make sure to avoid the bottom of the valley and stick on the left bank (Annupuri resort side). Cornices can collapse anytime; do not stimulate them. People may be riding under it. Freedom to ride out of bounds is tolerated in Niseko, however safety of all users is also a great concern. The area outside the gates is not within the resort management. Many hazards are present in the backcountry, please be prudent. Wearing helmets and avalanche beacons are strongly recommended. Carrying a rope would be handy if you fall in a hole. Following unknown tracks can leave you astray. Know where you go and know where you are. People ducking ropes will have their liftpass confiscated. Have a nice day. --- Official resort snow depths as of Sunday 1st January 2017: Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Top - 240cm Base - 90cm Niseko Village Top - 140cm Base - 100cm Niseko Annupuri Top - 140cm Base - 90cm --- Night skiing is planned until Monday 20th March 2017 at the Niseko Annupuri, Niseko Grand Hirafu and Niseko Village resort areas. There is no nighta in the Hanazono area. Niseko Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Sunday 1st January 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 291cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 36 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 36cm (16th December) November 2016 snowfall 110cm reported on 14 days December 2016 snowfall 181cm reported on 22 days January 2017 snowfall 0cm Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Kutchan/Niseko. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Myoko region of Niigata New snowfall at base 5cm Snowfall at base this season 357cm Posted on Saturday 31st December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Myoko Now report can be found here . Good snowfall through the day yesterday; partly cloudy this morning and looks almost like more could fall. Akakura Kanko: 140cm, -4° Akakura Onsen: 160cm, -5° Ikenotaira Onsen: 90cm, -5° Myoko Suginohara: 80cm, -6° Seki Onsen: 150cm, -5° Myoko Ski Park: 110cm, -1° Kyukamura RunRun: 150cm, 2° Tangram Ski Circus: 120cm, -3° Madarao Kogen: 120m, -4° Myoko Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 31st December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 357cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 17 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 63cm (30th December) November 2016 snowfall 12cm reported on 4 days December 2016 snowfall 345cm reported on 13 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Myoko. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Zao region of Yamagata New snowfall at base 1cm Snowfall at base this season 109cm Posted on Saturday 31st December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here . Things cleared up during the day yesterday leaving us to enjoy some blue skies and fantastic scenery. The clouds are back this morning though and light snow is falling early on. The only main areas of Zao Onsen that remain closed now are Kurohime, Omori, Ryuzan, Kotan and Kokutai. But please remember that even on the areas that are open, snow is generally still thin on the ground and we could still do with a lot more. Special care needs to be taken out there until things get deep. Zao Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 31st December 2016 Total snowfall at base 109cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 22 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 17cm (on 17th December) November 2016 snowfall 11cm observed on 6 days December 2016 snowfall 98cm observed on 16 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Zao Onsen. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Furano region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 13cm Snowfall at base this season 288cm Posted on Saturday 31st December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . What a great day it is to farewell 2016. There was low light in the first part of the morning but the cloud has lifted to reveal mostly blue sky, and as a result the visibility is now perfect. We have had 13cm of new snow in the village and about 20cm at mid mountain level. The resort has left a lot of terrain ungroomed on the Kitanomine side, so there is plenty of opportunity to enjoy the powder today. There is wind on the mountain, not constantly, more the occasional gust. However when the wind does hit it makes things feel pretty cold. FURANO ZONE Furano Ropeway 8:30am-15:10pm. Furano Downhill Romance 2 chairlift 8:40am-15:10pm. Furano Downhill Romance 3 chairlift 9:00am-15:10pm. Prince Romance chairlift 8:30am-16:30pm. Downhill Swift Lift 1 9:00am-19:30pm KITANOMINE ZONE Kitanomine Gondola 9:00am-15:10pm Kitanomine Swift Lift 1 8:30am-19:30pm. Kitanomine Romance Lift 2 8:45am-15:10pm. Link Lift 9:00am-15:20pm Furano Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 31st December 2016 Total snowfall at base 288cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 39 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (8th November) November 2016 snowfall 110cm reported on 19 days December 2016 snowfall 178cm reported on 20 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Furano. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Nozawa Onsen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 4cm Snowfall at base this season 163cm Posted on Saturday 31st December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Nozawa Now report can be found here . Happy New Years Eve from Nozawa! And after that lovely snowfall that I reported on yesterday, here's what the resort reported on top of that: - Yamabiko: 25cm - Uenotaira: 18cm - Hikage: 10cm - Nagasaka: 10cm - Karasawa: 5cm So just a bit more during the day down at base and another 25cm up on Yamabiko... although they don't seem to be updating the snow depth for Yamabiko which seems odd. Anyway, this is what the resort is reporting. And as always, I feel compelled to get myself up there and make sure! :) It was a great day to be out on the skis or board yesterday and with clearer skies today, it should be another very good one. It was a cold night last night and the day has started cold too. Temperatures are forecast to rise to just one or two above zero later on in the day. Maybe a bit more snow overnight and then tomorrow for New Year we are expecting clearer and sunny skies. Floodlit night skiing (nighta) started last night here in Nozawa. It'll be open every day now until Tuesday 3rd January and then on every Saturday until 25th March. As well as 8th January and 19th March. Good fun especially when there's a lot of fresh snow to play in. (Less so when it's icy!) Lifts that are planned to be operating: All lifts appear to be operating except for: - Kandahar pair - Karasawa pair Most courses at Nozawa Onsen are now open. Courses not yet open are: - Kurokura - Grandprix - Jumping - Hachiman - Mukobayashi - Kandahar East - Kandahar West Official snow depths: - Yamabiko: 150cm - Uenotaira: 110cm - Hikage: 80cm - Nagasaka: 75cm - Karasawa: 50cm Fresh snow reported by resort since yesterday morning: - Yamabiko: 25cm - Uenotaira: 18cm - Hikage: 10cm - Nagasaka: 10cm - Karasawa: 5cm Nozawa Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 31st December 2016 Total snowfall at base 163cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 16 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 42cm (30th December) November 2016 snowfall 2cm reported on 2 days December 2016 snowfall 161cm reported on 14 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Nozawa Onsen. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Madarao region of Nagano New snowfall at base 4cm Snowfall at base this season 220cm Weather overview Some cloud Wind Light Temperature - Visibility Very good Posted on Saturday 31st December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Madarao Now report can be found here . I hope some of you were able to get out and enjoy the conditions yesterday. I enjoyed a good part of the day out there with snow continuing to fall in the day before easing off - and a bit more snow to report on the ground. It was a chilly start to the morning in Madarao. At the moment we have blue skies and just a bit of cloud over the mountain. The sun is shining down through my window. It should be another good day out on the slopes, if not busy... there's a lot of people around to enjoy it all, as you would expect as we are now in the new year holidays. The weather is expected to be clearer and a bit milder (hopefully not too much) over the next couple of days with the next snowfall probably going to fall sometime early week. Extended night skiing tonight - until 11:30pm - and a firework display to enjoy at midnight. Look out for the torch lit skiing display which I believe is scheduled to begin at 9pm. No doubt there will be some other New Year festivities going on as well. It is of course the last day of 2016 already. I hope you all have a good day/night and I'll see you again when we get into 2017. May 2017 be a year of very regular and outrageously heavy snowfalls. Preferably overnight, keeping cold but some sunshine during the daytime. Not much to ask for! Operating status for the day at Madarao Kogen (at time of report): - Number 1 lift - Number 2 quad lift - Number 3A lift - Number 5 - Super quad lift - Number 11 lift - Number 12 lift - Number 13 lift - Number 15 lift - Moving walkway - Kids Park - Snow Mobile Land - Free ride Park - Powder Wave II - River Line - Powder Theater - Adventure Aisle - Crystal Bowl - Ninja - Sawa - Rabbit - Kamoshika - Bear Official snow depth: - 120cm Lifts currently operating at Tangram Ski Circus: - Number 1 - Number 2 - Number 3 - Number 5 - Number 6. Madarao Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 31st December 2016 Total snowfall at base 220cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 18 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 48cm (on 30th December) November 2016 snowfall 9cm reported on 4 days December 2016 snowfall 211cm reported on 14 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Madarao. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 5cm Snowfall at base this season 291cm Posted on Saturday 31st December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning from Niseko on this New Years Eve morning. Yesterday I enjoyed a really good 4 hours out in the snow. I found some very nice conditions though it was getting pretty windy out there in the afternoon and unfortunately the wind stopped some of the lifts. Hopefully today wind will be less of an issue. Yesterday was my last ski of the year as well, as I need to get myself off to Sapporo city this morning once the report is done. So what is going on this morning? Light snow was falling again early on but that has now eased off and it is currently cloudy with more and more blue sky appearing and the sun starting to break through as well. We have had about 5cm of fresh snowfall overnight here at base. Again, it's good quality snow by the looks, but we could just do with more on the quantity side of things. A look at the forecast shows there's really not much sign of huge dumpage on the forecast so it feels like we are perhaps going to have to make do with smaller installments. As long as they are regular. There's a good crowd of folk lining up and waiting for the lifts to get going this morning. New Years Eve and all, there's a lot of people here now and there will no doubt be lots of celebrations going on tonight - including official fireworks, torch lit skiing and the like. Lots of people also means that tracks get filled in quicker so those regular top-ups are important. Early next week I'll take another look back at the season so far. All that remains for me this year is to thank everyone for reading these 'Niseko Now' reports, the good folk who run and develop SnowJapan.com - and let's all hope that 2017 proves to be a good one. For snow in Niseko, snow in Japan, and of course just generally. I'll see you then. Forgive me if my report tomorrow is a little later than usual... I can foresee some potential 'technical issues'. --- Niseko Avalanche Report: Niseko base 6am: -5℃, 5cm snowfall in 12hours. Mikaeri ridge 800m: -10℃, W8m/s, 20cm snowfall with snowdrifts development. Annupuri 1150m: -11℃, W10-15m/s, snowdrifts developing. Hirafu 1200m: -12℃, W15m/s, snowdrifts developing on the east side. Coastal data: Kamui cape NW8m/s, 1018hPa, 2.4m waves. Relatively strong westerly wind persists; cornices and snowdrifts are developing above 800m and are unstable during the morning. The avalanche risk in high elevation cornices slopes and knolls is high this morning. Gates 4 (Hirafu) & 5 (Hanazono) are opening today. Please listen to the ski patrols’ instructions before stepping out of the gates. The snow in the trees is good, but still shallow. Better not stimulate cornices and knolls, accidents mostly happen during and just after storms. Niseko area has been working on accident prevention in the out of bounds and surrounds backcountry areas. This practice started as a result of necessity, but eventually played a big role on the tourism promotion of Niseko snow season. The Rules respects the freedom to ride, but also values the safety of all resort users. Some of the Niseko mountain area is included in the quasi-national park area. The Japanese Park Law’s fundamental principles bases on the protection of the environment and the adequate use of the land. Niseko Rules obviously respects these principles too. We would like to point out that, when a private company borrows national/prefectural land to run a business, they should not make selfish interpretations and think they have exclusive rights to using a public land. If they did, they would be standing against the gist of the National Park Law. --- Official resort snow depths as of Saturday 31st December 2016: Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Top - 250cm Base - 100cm Niseko Village Top - 140cm Base - 100cm Niseko Annupuri Top - 140cm Base - 90cm --- Night skiing is planned until Monday 20th March 2017 at the Niseko Annupuri, Niseko Grand Hirafu and Niseko Village resort areas. There is no nighta in the Hanazono area. Niseko Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 31st December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 291cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 36 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 36cm (16th December) November 2016 snowfall 110cm reported on 14 days December 2016 snowfall 181cm reported on 22 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Kutchan/Niseko. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Naeba region of Niigata New snowfall at base 27cm Snowfall at base this season 167cm Posted on Friday 30th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Naeba Now report can be found here . Good morning from Naeba everybody! I think the technical term for the snow we are getting right now is "puking it down". The snow began to fall around 3pm yesterday and since then over 27cm has fallen! As things look right now there is no end in sight as well, for the day anyway. Conditions are fun and powdery out there today however I would still advise caution as it is probably still possible to hit bottom in certain places. As of 9am the Dragondola, Number 2 gondola and Takenokodaira lift are on standby due to stronger winds higher up. Looking on snow is predicted for every day this coming week! Despite a slow start the winter season seems to have finally woken up. Naeba Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Friday 30th December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 167cm Number of days snowfall observed 18 days Most snowfall observed on 1 day 27cm (30th December) November 2016 snowfall 17cm observed on 4 days December 2016 snowfall 150cm observed on 14 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Naeba. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com