Independent snow and weather reporting from the Zao region of Yamagata New snowfall at base 11cm Snowfall at base this season 55cm Posted on Wednesday 14th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here . Hello from Zao and there's fresh snowfall to report. It's not feeling particularly cold, and the thermometer says +1 at the moment, but poor visibility and snow falling with just over 10cm of fresh at base. A bit wet rather than the light powder that we love so much - but it's good all the same, we need the numbers! The forecast for the next few days is looking pretty good and hopefully we'll be on the receiving end of a decent amount of snowfall. It will be getting colder too. Lifts that are planned to be operating today at Zao Onsen: Zao Ropeway Chuo Ropeway Sky Cable Mikaeri pair Chuo Number 1 pair AB Onsen Number 1 pair Utopia Number 2 pair Official snow depths: Chuo - 40cm Utopia - 40cm Uwanodai - 35cm Paradise - 40cm Zao Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Wednesday 14th December 2016 Total snowfall at base 55cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 13 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 13cm (on 12th December) November 2016 snowfall 11cm observed on 6 days December 2016 snowfall 44cm observed 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 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 Naeba region of Niigata New snowfall at base 1cm Snowfall at base this season 63cm Posted on Wednesday 14th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Naeba Now report can be found here . Good morning from Naeba everybody. Today's conditions are not amazing unfortunately with yesterdays rain having come through at around 10 pm last night. The good news however is that this rain turned to snow some time around 4 am this morning and is still going albeit lightly. Conditions on piste today therefore are mostly damp with a little powder. Today's lift operation includes: Beginner lift No.4 High Speed Lift No.5 Lift operation is expected to remain limited until the 17th Dec. The Dragondola is scheduled to open on the 23rd Dec. Naeba Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Wednesday 14th December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 63cm Number of days snowfall observed 9 days Most snowfall observed on 1 day 17cm (11th December) November 2016 snowfall 17cm observed on 4 days December 2016 snowfall 46cm observed on 5 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 2cm Snowfall at base this season 185cm Posted on Tuesday 13th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Hello from Niseko base here and after that run of much colder temperatures, it is a much warmer start to the day this morning. Having said that it is still only hovering around 0 degrees as of 8am and probably won't venture much more than a few degrees into positive numbers during the day, so it's nothing to get startled about. After clouds clearing and leaving us with a fine day yesterday with blue skies, we did actually get a limited delivery of fresh snow overnight. I measured 2cm, and as you might expect it is not as light and fluffy as we had previously, but light snow does continues to fall early on. It is expected to ease off soon. Hopefully it will be snowing once again by the end of tomorrow and continue through the weekend. In the meantime, pesky southerly winds might well affect higher lifts in particular today so be wary of that. The Free Ride Park at Niseko Grand Hirafu is now open. (Well, open from 10am-4pm!) --- Niseko Avalanche Report: Niseko base 6am: -4℃, mild wind and 4cm snowfall in 12 hours. Coastal data: Kamui cape ENE8m/s, 1012hPa, 0.7m waves. A southerly storm is picking up above 800m as the next low-pressure system is approaching. Typical pre-low pressure snowfall crystals are observed below 600m elevation, however the snowfall amount is small. Bushes and bamboos are not buried and the out of bounds areas are not suitable for riding yet. Still many hollow space lurking under the bamboo. Try to bootpack and you will sink to your chest and have a very hard time walking out. Better not carelessly drop into the valleys. The storm is forecasted to pick up as the wind swings westerly. Beware of sudden weather changes. The light is weak and the visibility is poor. Ride carefully. The general avalanche risk is low. An Avalanche Institute member’s son has been caught ducking ropes in Hirafu yesterday. Both father and son are deeply reflecting on this matter and we made sure it would never happen again. Sincere apologies to the Hirafu Ski Patrollers for the troubles caused. --- 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. The King Number 3 and Swinging Monkey lifts at Niseko Grand Hirafu might be affected by winds this morning. 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: - Sennoki - Onsenzawa - Super - Large - Kogen - Ni-kabe - Konayuki - 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 --- Official resort snow depths as of Tuesday 13th December 2016: Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Top - 200cm Base - 70cm Niseko Village Top - 80cm Base - 60cm Niseko Annupuri Top - 70cm Base - 60cm --- 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 Tuesday 13th December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 185cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 24 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 25cm (25th November) November 2016 snowfall 110cm reported on 14 days December 2016 snowfall 75cm reported 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 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 Furano region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 2cm Snowfall at base this season 197cm Posted on Tuesday 13th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . There is a moderate breeze around the base and at the top of Furano Ropeway it is fairly strong. Needless to say with a temperature of -9c and a strong wind it feels extremely chilly when exposed to the elements. There is a light trickle of snow coming down which overnight has given us another dusting of 2cm. For the rest of the week light snow should continue to fall and the temperatures are going to stay very chilly. There is no large dump on the radar at the moment so it will be more of a light top up each night. The following courses are expected to be open today: Technical Panorama Spies Sailer Prince 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. Furano Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Tuesday 13th December 2016 Total snowfall at base 197cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 29 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (8th November) November 2016 snowfall 110cm reported on 19 days December 2016 snowfall 87cm reported 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 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 18cm Snowfall at base this season 59cm Posted on Monday 12th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Nozawa Now report can be found here . Good morning from Nozawa and it looks like it is going to be a beauty. Blue skies above the remaining low early morning clouds, and all of that snow that we had over the weekend as well. Once again the resort is reporting a good 50cm of snow on the upper slopes and a decent amount down below as well. All of a sudden the snow depth up on Yamabiko is 130cm. Excellent stuff and after the delay in opening things are now suddenly looking much more exciting. See how quickly things can change! Anyway today we are going to be treated to lovely conditions this morning with perhaps cloud moving in this afternoon. It should be keeping cold. Unfortunately there's a good chance that rain is going to spoil things a bit tomorrow - down at lower levels anyway - but the good news is that it should once again be snowing by the time I port my report on Wednesday. In the meantime today should be a lot of fun for those lucky enough to be able to try it out. Lifts that are planned to be operating: Nagasaka Gondola (8:30am-3:30pm) Yamabiko Four Lift (9:00am-3:30pm) Yamabiko Number 2 Four Lift (8:55am-3:40pm) Uenotaira Four Lift (9:00am-3:40pm) Courses that are planned to be open Yamabiko A course Yamabiko B course Yamabiko C course Yamabiko D course Yamabiko E course Uenotaira course Official snow depths Yamabiko: 130cm Uenotaira: 105cm Hikage: 60cm Nagasaka: 60cm Karasawa: 30cm Fresh snow reported by resort since yesterday morning Yamabiko: 55cm Uenotaira: 35cm Hikage: 20cm Nagasaka: 20cm Karasawa: 15cm Nozawa Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Monday 12th December 2016 Total snowfall at base 59cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 7 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 24cm (11th December) November 2016 snowfall 2cm reported on 2 days December 2016 snowfall 57cm reported on 5 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 Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 4cm Snowfall at base this season 183cm Posted on Monday 12th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Hello and a Happy Monday morning to you from here in Niseko, and it is a very cold one too. Coldest morning of the season so far, if I am not mistaken - nearly minus double digit temperatures even at base, brrrrr! If there wasn't all the lovely snow outside you might be tempted to wrap up in front of a log fire. But perhaps we should leave that until after nighta has closed as it would be silly to not get out and enjoy the snow. Conditions were really very good yesterday as I am sure people who were out there would agree, especially when you consider we are still in the first half of December. This morning I have 4cm of fresh snowfall to report since my previous report which brings my total observed snowfall for the season so far up to 185cm, compared with 137cm this time last season. (By the way if you hadn't noticed, it's really easy now to see this kind of thing - scroll down this page to near the bottom and the list of links that says 'Niseko Now reports from the same period last season'). Back to today and we're not expecting much in terms of new cm of snow, though it is snowing very lightly as I write this report. It will likely ease off, but the snow clouds should be back over Niseko by tomorrow morning and the forecast is still looking good with regular snow lined up at least into next weekend. This last weekend was noticeably busier out and about in Hirafu and on the slopes, I thought. Lift tickets are now in 'on season' (as they call it in Japanese - ie. regular prices) mode, and Christmas is less than two weeks away. Wow, I can hardly believe that... where does the time go... slow down please! With the forecast looking promising and an already good base, those early season nerves have passed now and we can all get stuck into just enjoying what nature provides. Take care out there and have fun. --- Niseko Avalanche Report: Niseko base 6am: -10℃, light dust in the last 12 hours. Coastal data: Kamui cape NW5m/s, 1025hPa, 1.8m waves. A high-pressure system is laying over Japan and the barometric gradient is flat. The ocean and mountains are in a clam condition. Some surface hoar is present on the surface as the temperature dropped with radiative cooling. The general avalanche risk is low today. The snow is good, but insufficient. The out of bounds areas are still not suitable for riding. Please be patient. The snow will come sooner or later. The weather is good this morning, however always be prepared for sudden weather changes. Undulations and bumps are hard to notice once the light goes weak. Beware of over speeding and crashing into trees or other skiers. Access gates are yet to be ready. Please refrain from ducking ropes. Today’s snow surface (Dec 12th) will remain as a notable layer in the future snowpack. --- 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, though the Jumbo Number 1 quad is going to be starting a bit late. 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: - Sennoki - Onsenzawa - Super - Large - Kogen - Ni-kabe - Konayuki - 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 --- Official resort snow depths as of Monday 12th December 2016: Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Top - 200cm Base - 70cm Niseko Village Top - 80cm Base - 60cm Niseko Annupuri Top - 70cm Base - 60cm Niseko Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Monday 12th December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 183cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 23 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 25cm (25th November) November 2016 snowfall 110cm reported on 14 days December 2016 snowfall 73cm reported 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 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 6cm Snowfall at base this season 99cm Posted on Monday 12th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Shiga Kogen Now report can be found here . Good morning from Shiga Kogen. It's blue skies and sunshine this morning after that snowy weekend. Keeping very cold though. This morning the big news is that the Okushiga Kogen area of Shiga Kogen is now part open - basically the part in front of the hotel base (not the Gondola side). I was thinking and hoping that there might be more open due to the snowfall over the weekend but other than Okushiga Kogen opening up, there are actually fewer lifts operating today - perhaps because it is a weekday. Still, it is a very fine day to be out there (wrap up well) and enjoy what is open. Next snow... tomorrow night into Wednesday? Fingers crossed. Shiga Kogen Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Monday 12th December 2016 Total snowfall at base 99cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 12 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 28cm (11th December) November 2016 snowfall 27cm reported on 5 days December 2016 snowfall 72cm 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 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 13cm Snowfall at base this season 44cm Posted on Monday 12th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here . Morning from Zao. I measured 13cm of fresh snowfall this morning since my report yesterday. Yesterday it was busy out there! Lots of people deciding to get their first turns of the season in by the looks of things, I was actually quite surprised at the number of people who turned up. There's no changes that I can see in terms of lifts and courses operating this morning. It is cloudy and a cold start to the day but we might get some sunshine that will warm things up a bit over the next day or two. A return to snowfall is forecast by Wednesday morning. Zao Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Monday 12th December 2016 Total snowfall at base 44cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 12 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 13cm (on 12th December) November 2016 snowfall 11cm observed on 6 days December 2016 snowfall 33cm observed on 6 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 2cm Snowfall at base this season 195cm Posted on Monday 12th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . As the temperatures below show it has been a cold start to the day with -13c at the top of the resort and not much warmer in the village at -10c. There was a layer of mist on the upper half of the resort but over the last hour that has lifted, so visibility is better now. There has been a couple of centimetres of new snow overnight to keep things topped up. While there is snow on the forecast for the rest of the week, only light falls are expected. More terrain on the Furano side has opened up and the following courses are expected to be open today: Technical Panorama Spies Sailer Prince 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. Furano Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Monday 12th December 2016 Total snowfall at base 195cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 28 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (8th November) November 2016 snowfall 110cm reported on 19 days December 2016 snowfall 85cm reported 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 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 Hakuba region of Nagano New snowfall at base 1cm Snowfall at base this season 30cm Posted on Monday 12th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Hakuba Now report can be found here . It is a beautiful morning in Hakuba. Just look at those mountains. I never get bored of being amazed at how beautiful the Hakuba setting is. Resorts are reporting just a few cm of fresh snow overnight; Hakuba Cortina are reporting the most with up to 5-10cm base-top. Resort lift operations around the valley appear to be unchanged since yesterday. Kashimayari was open over the weekend but is now closed again until their official opening on Saturday 17th. So it is all limited still as we wait for more snowfall. After the beautiful weather today - a cold start but probably much milder conditions by this afternoon - tomorrow should bring with it precipitation... in the form of rain in the village but hopefully snow from the start at higher elevations. There's snow on the forecast from Wednesday too. In the meantime, it's time to enjoy what we have today. Remember the cameras! Hakuba 47: Hakuba 47 is currently part open. Gondola downloading required. The resort is reporting 0cm of fresh snow since yesterday evening. 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 5 - Route 6 - Route 8 (Lower) Hakuba Goryu: Hakuba Goryu is currently part open. Gondola downloading required. The resort is reporting 2cm of fresh snow on the upper slopes. Lift & course info: The Gondola and the Alps Number 1 and 3 lifts are operating. The following courses are open: - Grand Prix - Panorama Official snow depth Alps: 65cm Toomi: -cm Iimori: -cm Hakuba Happo-one: Hakuba Happo-one is currently part open. Lift & course info: The Adam Gondola, Alpen Quad, Panorama pair, Kokusai Number 3 pair and Kurobishi Number 2 quad lifts are operating. Gondola downloading required. The following courses are at least part open: - Kurobishi - Usagidaira - Panorama Official snow depth: Usagidaira: 85cm 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 at least part 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 10-20cm of fresh snowfall. Lift info: The Number 2 quad lift and Number 4 pair lifts are operating. The following courses are at least part open: - Ikenoda - Mt Hieda Rinkan - Mt Hieda 1 - Itadaria Official snow depth: Top: 118cm Base: 70cm Kashmayari: Kashimayari plans to open from Saturday 17th December. Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field: Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field plans to open from Friday 16th December. Hakuba Norikura Onsen: Hakuba Norikura Onsen plans to open from Saturday 17th December. Hakuba Sanosaka: Hakuba Sanosaka plans to open from Saturday 17th December. Please note that Yanaba ski hill will not be opening for the 2016-2017 season Hakuba Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Monday 12th December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 30cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 6 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 12cm (8th December) November 2016 snowfall 1cm reported on 1 day December 2016 snowfall 29cm reported on 5 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 8cm Snowfall at base this season 62cm Posted on Monday 12th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Naeba Now report can be found here . Good morning from Naeba everybody. Well the snow storm that we have been experiencing over the last couple of days has finally passed and left us with a beautiful soft piste all over and a fantastic bluebird day in which to enjoy it. There is still not an awful lot of piste open on the mountain unfortunately as the ski resort is still in "early season mode". What piste we do have open should be absolutely wonderful to ride however so get up here and enjoy! Over the last two or three days a grand total of 45 cm of snow has fallen giving us some excellent start of season conditions. Today once again only beginner lift No.4 and High Speed Lift No. 5 are operating until 1700 this evening. Naeba Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Monday 12th December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 62cm Number of days snowfall observed 8 days Most snowfall observed on 1 day 17cm (11th December) November 2016 snowfall 17cm observed on 4 days December 2016 snowfall 45cm observed on 4 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 17cm Snowfall at base this season 179cm Posted on Sunday 11th December 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here It was on the national news last night so you might have seen it if you are in Japan, but lots of Hokkaido was enjoying (or not as the case may be for lots of people who don't actually want or need heavy snowfall) some mid-winter conditions with lots of snow falling. It looks like it was causing all sorts of problems for transportation and people who are just trying to get on with their lives - outside of a ski resort setting. Here in Niseko we want lots of snow all of the time of course, and since my last report there has been another 17cm of snow pile up on the ground here at base. Interestingly, that is actually quite a bit less than my friends over in Sapporo city were reporting. The official snow depth at the Niseko Grand Hirafu resort area has shot up to 200cm (on the upper slopes, 80cm at base) this morning which is good to see. As a quick comparison, this time last year that number was 140cm, so that sounds like a favourable comparison to me! The other resort areas don't appear to be as keen to get to bigger numbers as Niseko Grand Hirafu, so perhaps a pinch of salt should be on stand-by when looking at them. Always fun though, I like comparing. Let's comparing. So, looking at the forecast we can expect more snowfall over the coming week after perhaps a bit of a break in the snow clouds tomorrow. It actually looks like the snow is easing off at the moment, it is getting a bit brighter and I can even see a bit of blue sky as well. Yesterday I had an excellent few hours out on the slopes, conditions were really good. More courses are opening up now and for the Niseko Grand Hirafu listing below it is easier to mention what is not yet open rather than the other way round, so I have adjusted that. Anyone get out for some nighta last night? It looks like from tonight the Ace Number 2 Center Four lift will be also be joining in the fun for nighta. With conditions only looking likely to continue getting better over the coming week, I think you can officially call me excited! (Although that might also have something to do with meeting Santa the other night and him promising me some new skis...) --- Niseko Avalanche Report: Niseko base 6am: -8℃, mild wind & snow, 20cm snowfall in 12 hours. Coastal data: Kamui cape NNW11m/s, 1016hPa, 2.0m waves. The barometric gradient is lowering, however a weak storm persists above 600m elevation. 40cm of new snowdrift development can be observed in some places. Snowdrifts and cornices are still developing slowly in leeward cornice slopes above treeline (800m). Some snowdrifts have reached up 100cm thickness on top of Dec 9th layer and stabilizing as they grow. The general avalanche risk is low today. The snowpack is still shallow and bushes/bamboos remains unburied. Be patient. Wish we had yesterday’s Sapporo snow. The groomers are getting in better shape everyday, however the light is weak and visibility is low. Beware of the undulations and obstacles on the slopes. The fresh snow on the side is splendid, however beware of tree stumps lurking below the surface. --- 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: - Sennoki - Path to King - Onsenzawa - Super - Large - Kogen - Ni-kabe - Konayuki - 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* - Jumbo Number 2 pair - Jumbo Number 3 pair - Annupuri Gondola Courses planned to be open: - Utopia - Shirakaba - Silver - Paradise - Junior - Family --- Official resort snow depths as of Sunday 11th December 2016: Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono Top - 200cm Base - 80cm Niseko Village Top - 80cm Base - 60cm Niseko Annupuri Top - 70cm Base - 60cm --- 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 tonight.Grand Hirafu and Niseko Village resort areas. There is no nighta in the Hanazono area. Niseko Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Sunday 11th December 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 179cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 22 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 25cm (25th November) November 2016 snowfall 110cm reported on 14 days December 2016 snowfall 69cm 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 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. 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