Independent snow and weather reporting from the Nozawa Onsen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 1cm Snowfall at base this season 78cm Posted on Sunday 18th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Nozawa Now report can be found here . Good morning from Nozawa and it's a beauty of a morning. Blue skies and sunshine. It's going to be beautiful up on the mountain this morning. The resort isn't reporting any fresh snow but there was a bit more since my report yesterday so I'm adding that this morning. There's more of the mountain open as well now with those details added below. Taking a look at the forecast - we're expecting fine, mild and dry weather over the next few days (today expected to rise to around +5c) and from mid week it's looking likely that rain will be falling - perhaps even at upper levels as the freezing point makes it's way up to close on 3000m. Please no! Hopefully by the time the weekend rolls around it will start getting colder once more and snow will be falling over Christmas. Lifts that are planned to be operating: All lifts are now operating except for: - Kandahar pair - Hikage Four - Nagasaka Quad - Nagasaka pair - Karasawa pair Courses that are planned to be open: - Yamabiko A course - Yamabiko B course - Yamabiko C course - Yamabiko D course - Yamabiko E course - Kokenashi course - Uenotaira course - Paradise course - Mizunashi A - Mizunashi B - Bunabayashi course - Yunomine B course - Rinkan course - Utopia - Challenge - Ushikubi - Nagasaka link Official snow depths: - Yamabiko: 120cm - Uenotaira: 80cm - Hikage: 55cm - Nagasaka: 45cm - Karasawa: 40cm Fresh snow reported by resort since yesterday morning: - Yamabiko: 0cm - Uenotaira: 0cm - Hikage: 0cm - Nagasaka: 0cm - Karasawa: 0cm Nozawa Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Sunday 18th December 2016 Total snowfall at base 78cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 10 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 24cm (11th December) November 2016 snowfall 2cm reported on 2 days December 2016 snowfall 76cm reported on 8 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 Hakuba region of Nagano New snowfall at base 3cm Snowfall at base this season 41cm Posted on Sunday 18th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Hakuba Now report can be found here . Good morning from Hakuba. And it's one of those really stunning mornings that Hakuba is so good at. There's new snow since last night but some since my report in the morning yesterday, so that is what is on the report today. Yesterday the snow generally started easing off from the early afternoon and visibility improved though there was still a lot of cloud around (and I am hearing some more light snow falling in places at higher elevations). None of the ski resorts around the valley are reporting any fresh snowfall overnight. We are expecting fine, sunny and clear skies today and after a cold start to the morning temperatures will probably rise to about 6-7C later at village base level. So rather mild... The forecast shows us sun over the next few days, and then rain around Wednesday-Thursday - even at higher elevations. It's going to be warming up much more than we would like. But there are good signs that come Friday we should be looking at a return to colder conditions and fresh snow too. So we can hope for snowfall over the Christmas weekend. In the meantime today should be a beautiful day to be out on the mountains. And that's where I am heading now. Until tomorrow! Hakuba 47: Hakuba 47 is currently part open. The resort is reporting 0cm of fresh snowfall. Gondola downloading required. Upper course connection with Goryu is now open. Lift & course info: The Gondola, Line A.B and Line C lifts are operating. The following courses are open: - Route 1 (Upper) - Route 2 - Route 3 - Route 4 - Route 5 - Route 6 - Route 8 Official snow depth Line C Upper: 110cm Base: 15cm Hakuba Goryu: Hakuba Goryu is currently part open. The resort is reporting 0cm of fresh snowfall. Upper course connection with Hakuba 47 is now open. Lift & course info: The Gondola, Alps Number 1 and 3, Toomi Sky Four, Toomi Number 1 pair lift and the Milky Four lift in the Iimori area are operating. The following courses are open: - Grand Prix - Panorama - Toomi - Soft Cream Official snow depth Alps: 90cm Toomi: 30cm Iimori: 20cm Hakuba Happo-one: Hakuba Happo-one is currently part open. Lift & course info: The Adam Gondola, Alpen Quad, Panorama pair, Kokusai Number 1 and 3 pair lifts, and Kurobishi Number 2 quad lifts are operating. Gondola downloading required. The following courses are open: - Kurobishi (part) - Usagidaira - Panorama Official snow depth: Usagidaira: 80cm Nakiyama: -cm Sakka: -cm Tsugaike Kogen: Tsugaike Kogen is currently part open. Lift info: The Eve Gondola and the top Han-no-ki and Tsuga Number 2 pair lifts are operating. The following courses are open: - Han-no-ki - Tsuga-no-mori Official snow depth: Tsuga-no-mori: 78cm Han-no-ki: 78cm Oya-no-hara: 20cm Kane-no-naru-oka: -cm Hakuba Cortina: Hakuba Cortina is currently part open. The resort is reporting 0cm of fresh snowfall. Lift info: The Number 1 quad, Number 2 quad and Number 4 pair lifts are operating. The following courses are at least part open: - Ikenoda - Ipponmatsu - Mt Hieda Rinkan - Mt Hieda 1 - Itadaria Official snow depth: Top: 110cm Base: 60cm Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field: Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field is currently part open. Lift info: The Gondola, 3-sen North and 4-sen East lifts are operating. The following courses are at least part open: - North - East Official snow depth: Top: 40cm Base: -cm Kashimayari: Kashimayari is currently part open. Lift info: The Number 1 quad, Number 2 pair, Number 3 and 6 quad lifts are operating. Official snow depth: Top: 30cm Hakuba Norikura Onsen: Hakuba Norikura Onsen is currently part open Lift info: The Alps Number 1 and 4 pair lifts are operating. Official snow depth: Top: 25cm Hakuba Sanosaka: Hakuba Sanosaka planned to open today but has delayed opening. Please note that Yanaba ski hill will not be opening for the 2016-2017 season. Hakuba Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Sunday 18th December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 41cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 9 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 12cm (8th December) November 2016 snowfall 1cm reported on 1 day December 2016 snowfall 40cm reported on 8 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 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 Naeba region of Niigata New snowfall at base 2cm Snowfall at base this season 83cm Posted on Sunday 18th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Naeba Now report can be found here . Ohayo! Its going to be a stunning day here in Naeba with a near perfect bluebird day! The conditions under skis are good with a small amount of patchy ice, there is not much fresh snow as it fell mostly during the day yesterday and has been compacted down. There are 5 lifts open again today with high speed 5 staying open for night skiing until 08:00. Come and hit the slopes with us on this beautiful day! Open lifts are: -Beginner lift No.4 08:00-17:00 -High Speed lift No.3 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 Naeba Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Sunday 18th December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 83cm Number of days snowfall observed 13 days Most snowfall observed on 1 day 17cm (11th December) November 2016 snowfall 17cm observed on 4 days December 2016 snowfall 66cm observed on 9 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

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 24cm Snowfall at base this season 245cm Posted on Saturday 17th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here A very good, cold and snowy morning to you from Niseko. Yesterday was excellent. And today is looking like it's going to be excellent too. 24cm of fresh snowfall on the ground is a sure sign and as I write this it is snowing quite heavily. And with that much falling down here at base, it's pretty certain that there's that much more higher up. For those of you who came to Niseko for a (some may say risky) mid-Christmas early season fix - congratulations! So yes, we have lots more fresh snowfall on the ground but it has me wondering when the remaining lifts and courses will be opened. Surely there's enough snow now - but it still looks like the top lifts are on stand-by. As of yesterday, Niseko Grand Hirafu were saying that they planned to have the King Number 4 lift operating from Saturday (today), but it has been delayed due to there being not enough snow. Interesting. I don't have any other news on that score this morning but it would surprise me if they kept them closed for much longer. Before we get carried away with too much excitement, it is worth taking a look at the forecast which unfortunately is looking rather dry after today. There's going to be lots of sunshine and temperatures are going to be on the milder side (though not enough for us to be worrying about a melt!) I'm personally looking forward to a day in the sun with this current snow we have, though it would be nice to have a few top-ups of snow following on quickly after. As the forecast stands, it's not looking like there's much chance of snow through until at least the end of the week. Time to ski! --- Niseko Avalanche Report: Niseko base 6am: -8℃, 30cm of crystal snow and calm morning. Kamui cape data: W11m/s, 1010hPa, 2.0m waves. Moiwa peak 800m: -10℃, W10m/s, 40cm snowfall and moderate development of snowdrifts. The typical winter barometric chart is generating abundant snowfall. The wind remained around 10m/s westerly around 1000m elevation. The cornices and snowdrifts are developing slowly. The new snow layer above Dec 14th is reaching up to 80cm in leeward slopes at 800m. Looking a observations, the snowdrifts are stable and the general avalanche risk is low. Although we had a good dump, bushes, bamboos and streams are yet to be covered. Accidents in the out of bounds areas will be difficult to rescue. Gates are closed and out of bounds riding is yet to be permitted. Do not duck ropes to seek fresh lines. One track under the rope leads many others to do the same and easily increase the chances of accidents to happen. Niseko area is doing the best to respect the freedom to ride, however is also deeply concerned about their safety. Please respect the Rules and have a nice day. Wonderful conditions today. --- Resort specific opening news at time of writing (subject to change during the day): All four resort areas appear to be able to open as planned at the start of the day. Niseko Grand Hirafu Lifts planned to be operating: - Ace Family pair* - Ace Number 2 Center Four* - Ace Number 3 pair - Hirafu Gondola* - King Number 3 quad - Holiday Number 1 pair* - Swinging Monkey Courses that are not yet open: - Large - Miharashi - Dynamic Niseko HANAZONO Resort Lifts planned to be operating: - Hanazono 1 quad - Hanazono 2 quad - Hanazono 3 quad Courses planned to be open: - All open apart from Hanazono Park Niseko Village Lifts planned to be operating: - Niseko Gondola - Upper Village Gondola* - Village Express* - Community Chair* - Banzai Chair - Morino Chair Niseko Annupuri Lifts planned to be operating: - Jumbo Number 1 quad* (opening late this morning) - Jumbo Number 2 pair - Jumbo Number 3 pair - Annupuri Gondola Courses planned to be open: - Utopia - Shirakaba - Silver - Paradise - Junior - Family - Dynamic --- Official resort snow depths as of Saturday 17th December 2016: Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Top - 240cm Base - 110cm Niseko Village Top - 120cm Base - 100cm Niseko Annupuri Top - 100cm Base - 100cm Niseko Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 17th December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 245cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 26 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 36cm (16th December) November 2016 snowfall 110cm reported on 14 days December 2016 snowfall 135cm reported on 12 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 Shiga Kogen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 4cm Snowfall at base this season 126cm Posted on Saturday 17th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Shiga Kogen Now report can be found here . Good morning from Shiga Kogen. And this morning sees the Ichinose Diamond, Sun Valley and Maruike areas of Shiga Kogen opening; as well as expanded operations at some of the areas that were already open. I have updated the list of lifts that are operating below. There's 4cm of fresh snowfall on the ground this morning but it is snowing now so hopefully there'll be more to report tomorrow. As with it seems other regions, there's clearer skies and a bit of a warm up (not too much please) in the coming week. After that, more snow back in time for Christmas? For now though conditions should be fun this morning and I'm off out to try them. Where to go...!? Areas of Shiga Kogen currently open: Ichinose Family - Ichinose Quad - Ichinose Number 2 Pair A - Ichinose Number 2 Pair B Kumanoyu - Kumanoyu Number 1 Pair - Kumanoyu Number 2 Pair A - Kumanoyu Number 2 Pair B Maruike - Maruike Number 1 Triple Okushiga Kogen - Okushiga Gondola - Okushiga Number 2 Pair - Okushiga Number 3 Pair Sun Valley - Housaka Number 1 Quad - Housaka Number 3 Takamagahara Mammoth - Takamagahara Number 2 Triple - Takamagahara Number 3 Pair - Takamagahara Quad Yakebitaiyama - Yakebitaiyama Number 1 Gondola - Yakebitaiyama Number 2 Gondola - Yakebitaiyama Number 2 Rapid - Yakebitaiyama Number 4 Romance Yokoteyama - Yokoteyama Number 1 Sky B - Yokoteyama Number 2 Sky - Yokoteyama Number 3 Sky - Yokoteyama Number 5 Shiga Kogen Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 17th December 2016 Total snowfall at base 126cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 16 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 28cm (11th December) November 2016 snowfall 27cm reported on 5 days December 2016 snowfall 99cm reported on 11 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 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 Zao region of Yamagata New snowfall at base 17cm Snowfall at base this season 88cm Posted on Saturday 17th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here . An early report this morning as I need to get myself down to the city. But it's a good start to the day with 17cm of fresh snow on the ground here at base and snow falling early on too. Looks like more of the resort will be open this morning - including the top Zange-zaka Juhyo course, the Paradise area and more of the lower slopes too. More may well change today (some places not reporting yet at time of my writing this) and I'll update you on the latest in my report tomorrow. It should be a good day! Lifts that are planned to be operating today at Zao Onsen: Zao Ropeway Chuo Ropeway Sky Cable Mikaeri pair Chuo Number 1 pair AB Chuo Number 2 pair AB Onsen Number 1 pair Onsen Number 2 quad Zao Paradise Pair AB Shobunuma Number 2 pair Katakai triple Utopia Number 2 pair Official snow depths: Chuo - 50cm Utopia - 50cm Uwanodai - 35cm Paradise - 50cm Zao Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 17th December 2016 Total snowfall at base 88cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 16 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 17cm (on 17th December) November 2016 snowfall 11cm observed on 6 days December 2016 snowfall 77cm observed on 10 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 5cm Snowfall at base this season 214cm Posted on Saturday 17th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . The big news of the day is that Kitanomine is now open, although just a partial opening for now. The Kitanomine Swift Lift 1, Kitanomine Romance Lift 2 and Link Lift started operation today. The front face of Kitanomine is not skiable but the Link Run is open and so is the Rinkan Course which takes you back to the Kitanomine quad lift. People staying in Kitanomine can now use the lift system to get over to the Furano Zone, as well as ski the Rinkan course in Kitanomine. The following courses are expected to be open today: Technical Panorama Spies Sailer Prince Todomatsu Link Course Rinkan Course Opening, lift & other notes Furano Ropeway 8:30am-15:00pm. Furano Downhill Romance 2 chairlift 8:40am-15:00pm. Furano Downhill Romance 3 chairlift 9:00am-15:00pm. Prince Romance chairlift 9:00am-19:30pm. Kitanomine Swift Lift 1 Kitanomine Romance Lift 2 Link Lift Furano Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 17th December 2016 Total snowfall at base 214cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 32 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (8th November) November 2016 snowfall 110cm reported on 19 days December 2016 snowfall 104cm 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 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 Madarao region of Nagano New snowfall at base 11cm Snowfall at base this season 108cm Weather overview Snow Wind Light Temperature - Visibility Decent Posted on Saturday 17th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Madarao Now report can be found here . A good morning to everyone reading from here in Madarao Kogen, where it is officially the first day of the season. Always an exciting time and happily this year we have had decent snowfall over the last few weeks enabling the resort to open as planned. Light snow is falling at the moment and conditions are looking good. I'll be out there myself in a short while to test it all out. For the moment, here is what is open on this first day of the season: - Number 1 lift - Number 2 quad lift Lift tickets will be available at the special price of 2000 yen for adults and 1000 yen for children (elementary school age). Those lower prices will be available until Thursday 22nd December. It looks like the snow clouds are going to ease off later today and tomorrow we might see sunshine in the region. In fact, it's looking like there's going to be a run of a few days of fine weather - along with some generally milder conditions mid to late week. Got to keep an eye on that as we obviously want things to remain cold and more snow. But anyway, it should be a fine first weekend of the season. Here's to a long and snowy season. Hope to see you here. Madarao Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 17th December 2016 Total snowfall at base 108cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 11 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 24cm (on 11th December) November 2016 snowfall 9cm reported on 4 days December 2016 snowfall 99cm reported on 7 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 Nozawa Onsen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 12cm Snowfall at base this season 77cm Posted on Saturday 17th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Nozawa Now report can be found here . Good morning from Nozawa and more things going on this morning. First of all, fresh snow. By mid afternoon yesterday, the resort was reporting 10-15cm of fresh on the mountain and this morning and other 5cm or so on the upper slopes, so there should be up to 20cm of fresh up there to play in. And there's more of the resort opening this morning too with more lifts and courses available. And the Snow Park too up there on Uenotaira (though as of yesterday just a 4m rail and mini kicker to be played with). It's the 'Grand Opening' today as well as I mentioned in a previous report, with an event being held near the top Nagasaka Gondola station from 11am. While it's feeling good and wintery just at the moment there's a spell of clearer and milder conditions ahead of us. Let's hope the forecast on that score changes as we could of course be doing with more snow to build on what we have rather than a mild spell. In the meantime though, today should be a lot of fun. I'm off up to meet Nasuki, and perhaps even enjoy some jan-ken with him. Lifts that are planned to be operating: All lifts now operating except for: - Kandahar pair - Hikage Four - Nagasaka Quad - Nagasaka pair - Karasawa pair Courses that are planned to be open: - Yamabiko A course - Yamabiko B course - Yamabiko C course - Yamabiko D course - Yamabiko E course - Kokenashi course - Uenotaira course - Paradise course - Bunabayashi course - Yunomine B course - Rinkan course - Nagasaka link Official snow depths: - Yamabiko: 115cm - Uenotaira: 90cm - Hikage: 55cm - Nagasaka: 45cm - Karasawa: 40cm Fresh snow reported by resort since yesterday morning - Yamabiko: 20cm - Uenotaira: 15cm - Hikage: 12cm - Nagasaka: 12cm - Karasawa: 10cm Nozawa Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 17th December 2016 Total snowfall at base 77cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 9 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 24cm (11th December) November 2016 snowfall 2cm reported on 2 days December 2016 snowfall 75cm reported on 7 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 Hakuba region of Nagano New snowfall at base 7cm Snowfall at base this season 38cm Posted on Saturday 17th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Hakuba Now report can be found here . It's snowing this morning in Hakuba. Good snow is falling right now and about 7cm of fresh (and counting) on the ground. Earlier on resorts around the village were generally reporting around 5cm of snowfall. Let's hope for some decent snowfall during the day today - come tomorrow we are expecting sunshine and a bit of a dry spell (and milder conditions), so it's important we get a decent amount. More terrain is opening up from this morning. Hakuba Goryu and Hakuba 47 are now course-connected so you can get from one to the other at the top. You still need to get the Gondola back down at Hakuba 47 though. Happo-one is now operating it's Kokusai Number 1 lift and that (as well as the Gondola) can be used to get back down to base. Hakuba Sanosaka were planning on opening from this morning but have delayed that due to not enough snow. Oh well, I'm going to get wrapped up and get out there. Should be fun. Until tomorrow. Hakuba 47: Hakuba 47 is currently part open. The resort is reporting 10-15cm of fresh snowfall. Gondola downloading required. Upper course connection with Goryu is now open. Lift & course info: The Gondola, Line A.B and Line C lifts are operating. The following courses are open: - Route 1 (Upper) - Route 2 - Route 3 - Route 4 - Route 5 - Route 6 - Route 8 Official snow depth Line C Upper: 110cm Base: 15cm Hakuba Goryu: Hakuba Goryu is currently part open. The resort is reporting 2-5cm of fresh snowfall. Upper course connection with Hakuba 47 is now open. Lift & course info: The Gondola, Alps Number 1 and 3, Toomi Sky Four,Toomi Number 1 pair lift and Milky Four lift in the Iimori area. The following courses are open: - Grand Prix - Panorama - Toomi - Soft Cream Official snow depth Alps: 85cm Toomi: 20cm Iimori: 20cm Hakuba Happo-one: Hakuba Happo-one is currently part open. Lift & course info: The Adam Gondola, Alpen Quad, Panorama pair, Kokusai Number 1 and 3 pair lifts, and Kurobishi Number 2 quad lifts are operating. Gondola downloading required. The following courses are open: - Kurobishi (part) - Usagidaira - Panorama Official snow depth: Usagidaira: 80cm Nakiyama: -cm Sakka: -cm Tsugaike Kogen: Tsugaike Kogen is currently part open. Lift info: The Eve Gondola and the top Han-no-ki and Tsuga Number 2 pair lifts are operating. The following courses are open: - Han-no-ki - Tsuga-no-mori Official snow depth: Tsuga-no-mori: 80cm Han-no-ki: 80cm Oya-no-hara: 20cm Kane-no-naru-oka: -cm Hakuba Cortina: Hakuba Cortina is currently part open. The resort is reporting 3-5cm of fresh snowfall. Lift info: The Number 1 quad, Number 2 quad and Number 4 pair lifts are operating. The following courses are at least part open: - Ikenoda - Ipponmatsu - Mt Hieda Rinkan - Mt Hieda 1 - Itadaria Official snow depth: Top: 110cm Base: 60cm Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field: Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field is currently part open. Lift info: The Gondola, 3-sen North and 4-sen East lifts are operating. The following courses are at least part open: - North - East Official snow depth: Top: 35cm Base: -cm Kashimayari: Kashimayari is currently part open. Lift info: The Number 2 pair lift and Number 3 quad lift are operating. Official snow depth: Top: 30cm Hakuba Norikura Onsen: Hakuba Norikura Onsen is planning on being open this morning but no information available just now at time of writing. Hakuba Sanosaka: Hakuba Sanosaka planned to open today but has delayed opening. Please note that Yanaba ski hill will not be opening for the 2016-2017 season. Hakuba Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 17th December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 38cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 8 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 12cm (8th December) November 2016 snowfall 1cm reported on 1 day December 2016 snowfall 37cm reported on 7 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 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 Naeba region of Niigata New snowfall at base 9cm Snowfall at base this season 81cm Posted on Saturday 17th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Naeba Now report can be found here . Good morning from Naeba everyone! Well today has turned into an absolutely beautiful day for riding. We got a small amount of fresh powder overnight which has been groomed nicely in some areas and left to sit in others, meaning that today you can go both ways! Today is also the Grand Opening of Naeba meaning that way more terrain has been opened up! All in all today is definitely not one to miss! Open lifts are: -Beginner lift No.4 08:00-20:30 -High Speed lift No.3 08:30-20:30 -Prince Gondola No.2 08:30-16:00 -Takenokodaira Romance Lift 08:45-15:45 -High Speed Lift No.4 09:00-16:30 Naeba Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 17th December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 81cm Number of days snowfall observed 12 days Most snowfall observed on 1 day 17cm (11th December) November 2016 snowfall 17cm observed on 4 days December 2016 snowfall 64cm observed on 8 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

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 36cm Snowfall at base this season 221cm Posted on Friday 16th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here A very good morning to you from here in the Niseko region, and what a morning it is. After the disappointment of yesterday, what do we have here? Only an impressive 36cm of fresh snow on the ground! And if you check the Avalanche Report below, they are mentioning up to 60cm of fresh out there on the mountain. Very nice. I almost didn't think it was going to happen but the snow started coming down in style later in the afternoon. And it really was snowing heavily for a while there - what a sight it was too! Strong winds joined in the mix and were blowing the snow around and so it's a case of more-or-less in different places. I think my 36cm is a representative amount to record in the report though and wherever you are taking readings from this morning, it's a lot. It is keeping very cold, less wind and the snow is still falling now, so conditions out on the slopes should be fantastic. I tend to avoid using cheesy variations on the words like 'deep' in my reports, but that word will apply this morning. Especially with the limited visibility conditions early on, remember to be careful where you go. Everyone gets excited on a day like today but we need to keep our thinking head on at the same time. Hopefully soon I'll be able to take down specific lift operation information and just be able to declare 'everywhere open', but it doesn't look like we're quite there just yet. This fresh snow will certainly help. Snow clouds are forecast to be over us today and tomorrow but after that there's a run of clearer skies lined up along with somewhat milder temperatures. Anyway time to post the report. I am officially excited and am going to wrap myself up, get the low visibility goggles on and go experience it all myself. I might not make it to the first lifts of the day - there's already people lining up for the first lifts as I write this about 30 minutes before they start moving - but there'll be more than enough for everyone to enjoy this morning. --- Just a quick look at some numbers: Last season, up until 16th December 2015 I had observed 137cm of snowfall. This season, up until 16th December 2016 I have observed 223cm of snowfall. Same me, same place. I like the sound of that. May it be the pattern for the season... --- Niseko Avalanche Report: Niseko base 6.00am: -8C, 50cm new light crystal snowfall in the last 12 hrs, light winds. Elevation 800m: light winds, 60cm new snow, no snowdrift development. Coastal data: Kamui Cape: W10m/s, 1008hPa, wave 1.1m. We are currently in the middle of a winter weather pattern and there has been 40cm of new snow fall at mountain base. The wind above 800m is expected to increase from the west, along with increasing development of cornices and snowdrifts above that altitude. The weak frost layer from 14th Dec persists, however above this layer there is no wind pack so general avalanche risk is considered low.. Leaving the ski runs today and riding into the valley bottoms is not recommended today, it will be difficult to impossible to make it back to the resort in this deep snow. The gates are not set up yet and riding out of bounds is not allowed yet. Don't duck ropes, passes will be confiscated. The snow is deep and good- winter is here! --- Resort specific opening news at time of writing (subject to change during the day): All four resort areas appear to be able to open as planned at the start of the day. Niseko Grand Hirafu Lifts planned to be operating: - Ace Family pair* - Ace Number 2 Center Four* - Ace Number 3 pair - Hirafu Gondola* - King Number 3 quad - Holiday Number 1 pair* - Swinging Monkey Courses that are not yet open: - Onsenzawa - Large - Miharashi - Dynamic Niseko HANAZONO Resort Lifts planned to be operating: - Hanazono 1 quad - Hanazono 2 quad - Hanazono 3 quad Courses planned to be open: - All open apart from Hanazono Park Niseko Village Lifts planned to be operating: - Niseko Gondola - Upper Village Gondola* - Village Express* - Community Chair* - Banzai Chair Niseko Annupuri Lifts planned to be operating: - Jumbo Number 1 quad* (opening late this morning) - Jumbo Number 2 pair - Jumbo Number 3 pair - Annupuri Gondola Courses planned to be open: - Utopia - Shirakaba - Silver - Paradise - Junior - Family - Dynamic --- Official resort snow depths as of Friday 16th December 2016: Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Top - 220cm Base - 100cm Niseko Village Top - 100cm Base - 80cm Niseko Annupuri Top - 100cm 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. The lifts marked with a * above are the lifts that are planned to be operating for nighta. Niseko Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Friday 16th December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 221cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 25 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 36cm (16th December) November 2016 snowfall 110cm reported on 14 days December 2016 snowfall 111cm reported on 11 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