Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 9cm Snowfall at base this season 100cm Posted on Tuesday 29th November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here It's a nice and cold morning here and I measured 9cm of fresh snowfall a short while ago. It was snowing more when I first got up this morning but as I write this it is snowing lightly and that seems to be what is forecast for the morning, with the snow easing off later on leaving us with a generally cloudy end to the day. Look for a return to snowfall later on Thursday. Niseko Grand Hirafu and Niseko Annupuri are updating their official snow depth numbers so I have added those to the report here. (The numbers on the right hand side of the report will begin updating some time in the first half of December. And that's about it for today really. The same lifts and courses should be open again today, same as since opening. We could do with some big dumps of snowfall to really get things kicking off but at the same time must remember that is it still November! Have fun. --- What should be open today? (Weather permitting) Niseko Grand Hirafu plans to be part open from 8:30am with the Ace Number 2 Center Four quad lift taking folk up to the Ace Number 3 pair lift and the open Center Course. The last lift servicing the open run will be at 3:30pm and the last quad lift coming back down to base at 4pm. Lift tickets for 1 day are 2,000 yen for adults and 1,000 yen for children and seniors, and those charges are valid until 30th November. Niseko Annupuri also plans to be part open. The Annupuri Gondola starts moving at 8:30am, taking people up to the Jumbo Number 3 pair lift which is open from 8:45am until 3:15pm. The last Gondola down is at 3:30pm. 1 day lift tickets for this limited Niseko Annupuri opening are 2,100 yen for adults and seniors, and 1,300 yen for elementary school age children. --- Official resort snow depths as of Tuesday 29th November 2016: Niseko Grand Hirafu Top - 95cm Base - 55cm Niseko Annupuri Top - 50cm Base - 30cm --- Planned season dates for the four main Niseko United ski resorts: Niseko Grand Hirafu: partly open already, until Sunday 7th May 2017 Niseko Annupuri: partly open already, until Sunday 7th May 2017 Niseko Hanazono: Saturday 3rd December 2016 until Sunday 2nd April 2017 Niseko Village: Thursday 1st December 2016 until Sunday 2nd April 2017 Night skiing is planned from Saturday 10th December until Monday 20th March 2017 at the Annupuri, Grand Hirafu and Village resort areas. Niseko Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Tuesday 29th November 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 100cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 13 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 25cm (25th November) November 2016 snowfall 100cm 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 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 99cm Posted on Tuesday 29th November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . There was a couple of centimetres of new snow on the ground this morning and it has continued snowing since but not as much as the forecast predicted. There is a reasonably significant wind blowing around at the moment but other than that it is a great day and the slopes that are open are in great condition. Later in the week the winds will increase to very strong levels and heavy rain is forecast at village level, but this is likely to be a significant snowfall on the mountain itself - fingers crossed for that one. Furano Zone is partially open with Furano Ropeway operating to upload and download skiers to and from the upper mountain. It is not possible to ski from the top to bottom of the mountain yet. The skiable lift is Downhill Romance no.2 chair and the skiable courses are the upper part of Sailer and Spies Course, and Shirakaba Course. Restaurant Downhill is open. Kitanomine Zone is closed. Furano Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Tuesday 29th November 2016 Total snowfall at base 99cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 18 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (8th November) November 2016 snowfall 99cm reported on 18 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 Shiga Kogen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 4cm Snowfall at base this season 27cm Posted on Tuesday 29th November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Shiga Kogen Now report can be found here . Hello from Shiga Kogen and it is a snowy morning here. Yesterday it was snowing pretty good in the morning but it eased off and left us with some really blowing winds for lots of the day. There has been about 4cm on the ground since my last report and it is currently snowing lightly, but it doesn't look like we can expect much more once the clouds clear. Yakebitaiyama have their opening day as 3rd December... but... looking at the same official information this morning, it looks like they are opening their Number 4 pair lift today with (part of) the 960m long South Course open. Yes, I'm unclear on that too, will have to go check... In the meantime, Kumanoyu remains open as it has been the last few days. Areas of Shiga Kogen currently open: A 600m long run at Kumanoyu area, serviced by one pair lift. Part of the 960m long South Course at Yakebitaiyama (apparently). Shiga Kogen Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Tuesday 29th November 2016 Total snowfall at base 27cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 5 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 11cm (24th November) November 2016 snowfall 27cm 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 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 2cm Snowfall at base this season 9cm Posted on Tuesday 29th November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here . Hello again from Zao, and there's another dusting of snow to report - well actually 2cm outside my place. It is continuing to snow now so fingers crossed there might be a bit more to come, especially as there doesn't look to be much beyond today in the coming week. I'll post my next report when there is any more fresh snowfall or any news. Zao Onsen will open as soon as there is enough snow. Zao Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Tuesday 29th November 2016 Total snowfall at base 9cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 5 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 2cm (on 10th, 24th, 25th and 29th November) November 2016 snowfall 9cm 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 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 Nozawa Onsen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 1cm Snowfall at base this season 2cm Posted on Tuesday 29th November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Nozawa Now report can be found here . It's snowing again this morning. The resort have reported 10cm of fresh snowfall since yesterday afternoon on the top Yamabiko area, and here by base there is right now a modest speckled-like covering of white, though the snow that is falling is of the very wet variety. Still, it is better than being rained on and we have to start somewhere. Unfortunately the forecast isn't currently showing much in terms of snow to expect over the coming few days and if anything falls it will more than likely be rain rather than snow. Nozawa Onsen will open as soon as there is enough snow. Nozawa Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Tuesday 29th November 2016 Total snowfall at base 2cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 2 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 1cm (9th and 29th November) November 2016 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 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 Myoko region of Niigata New snowfall at base 1cm Snowfall at base this season 7cm Posted on Tuesday 29th November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Myoko Now report can be found here . Just a quick note here, as the snow is slowly drifting down. Just a nice white dusting, but enough to give that tingle to the spine and that snow smell for the nose (why does snow smell different than rain?). It's that kind of snowy day that hints that we might really be in winter now, and that snow just might keep on coming (although the weather forecast courtesy of SnowJapan shows that the freezing line is going to be moving up the hill over the coming days - oh well). Just as a hint, check out the freezing level section of the weather report; precipitation can be hard to predict up here on the hill, but the freezing line prediction is pretty accurate and really helpful. Back when we get more accumulation! Myoko Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Tuesday 29th November 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 7cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 3 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 5cm (9th November) November 2016 snowfall 7cm reported on 3 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 Furano region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 1cm Snowfall at base this season 97cm Posted on Monday 28th November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . The snow outlook is good for today and tomorrow with heavy snow predicted on the ski area from this evening. At the moment it is snow lightly with just a dusting to report right at the moment. The warm temperatures of yesterday have passed but have left roads and footpaths extremely slippery under the light layer of fresh snow. Furano Zone is partially open with Furano Ropeway operating to upload and download skiers to and from the upper mountain. It is not possible to ski from the top to bottom of the mountain yet. The skiable lift is Downhill Romance no.2 chair and the skiable courses are the upper part of Sailer and Spies Course, and Shirakaba Course. Restaurant Downhill is open. Furano Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Monday 28th November 2016 Total snowfall at base 97cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 17 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (8th November) November 2016 snowfall 97cm reported on 17 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 Shiga Kogen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 1cm Snowfall at base this season 23cm Posted on Monday 28th November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Shiga Kogen Now report can be found here . Morning from Shiga Kogen and while it is still raining down below, it is snowing here. We had to suffer the rain up here as well yesterday and it remained quite mild but happily it is colder this morning and hopefully will remain that way. Blowy winds too. The forecast shows a bit of snow and quite strong winds at times today but not that much after that over the coming week. It looks like we might need to wait a little longer for winter to properly arrive. In the meantime... Areas of Shiga Kogen currently open: A 600m long run at Kumanoyu area, serviced by one pair lift. Shiga Kogen Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Monday 28th November 2016 Total snowfall at base 23cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 4 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 11cm (24th November) November 2016 snowfall 23cm reported 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 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 Furano region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 1cm Snowfall at base this season 96cm Posted on Sunday 27th November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . It has turned out to be a warm Sunday here in Furano. The temperature in town is +3c and this has turned the roads into rivers as the snow on the roads melts back to the tar seal. There is a light layer of cloud, so the sun is breaking through and hitting the slopes as well. The good news is there was another dusting if snow overnight and the top of the mountain is sitting just below freezing so the snow up there is safe from the warm temperatures. Furano Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Sunday 27th November 2016 Total snowfall at base 96cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 16 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (8th November) November 2016 snowfall 96cm reported 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 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 Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 3cm Snowfall at base this season 91cm Posted on Saturday 26th November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here The day is here! Yes, today is officially the first day of the ski and snowboard season here in Niseko with Niseko Grand Hirafu and Niseko Annupuri resort areas opening for the first time. It is a limited opening, with just a few lifts moving. Here’s the details (weather stuff below): Niseko Grand Hirafu is open from 8:30am this morning with the Ace Number 2 Center Four quad lift taking folk up to the Ace Number 3 pair lift and the open Center Course. The last lift servicing the open run will be at 3:30pm and the last quad lift coming back down to base at 4pm. Just in time for tea! Lift tickets for the privileged are 2,000 yen for adults and 1,000 yen for children and seniors, and those charges are valid until 30th November. Niseko Annupuri is also opening this morning. The Annupuri Gondola will also start moving at 8:30am, taking people up to the Jumbo Number 3 pair lift which is open from 8:45am until 3:15pm. The last Gondola down will be at 3:30pm. Lift tickets for this limited Niseko Annupuri opening are 2,100 yen for adults and seniors, and 1,300 yen for elementary school age children. So there you have it... 2016-2017 is a go! --- Oh yes, small detail - the weather. Yesterday we got another 3cm of snowfall and a further slight dusting overnight, leaving us with a cloudy and kind of overcast start to the day today. It is currently -2C and the forecast is for temps to hover around the freezing mark for the day. Next snow is due around Monday. Hopefully we will get to fairly quickly see more lifts and terrain open. I am putting this report together and nearly ready to post it at just after 8am, and already I can see a few people starting to wait for the lift at Niseko Grand Hirafu. Come on, give us a wave! If you are already out there this morning for those first tracks of the season, have fun. --- For the record, I measured 90cm of snowfall up until my report yesterday. That is in contrast with the 29cm that I recorded up until my 25th November report last year. So, all in all it seems to be a pretty good start. What’s more important of course is how things go from now, so fingers crossed for lots of regular and heavy - but dry and light! - snowfall. By the way, you check out the archive report for 25th November 2015 here. Take a look lower down the page at the ‘Monthly and annual accumulation’ data table, and notice that it shows you the “snowfall up until that day”. You can do that for any of the reports over the last few seasons. Pretty nifty, hey?! --- The planned dates for the four main Niseko United ski resorts. Dates may vary depending on snowfall: Niseko Grand Hirafu: from today (limited opening) until Sunday 7th May 2017 Niseko Annupuri: from today (limited opening) until Sunday 7th May 2017 Niseko Hanazono: Saturday 3rd December 2016 until Sunday 2nd April 2017 Niseko Village: Thursday 1st December 2016 until Sunday 2nd April 2017 Night skiing is planned from Saturday 10th December until Monday 20th March 2017 at the Annupuri, Grand Hirafu and Village resort areas. Niseko Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 26th November 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 91cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 12 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 25cm (25th November) November 2016 snowfall 91cm 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 Furano region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 11cm Snowfall at base this season 95cm Posted on Saturday 26th November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . With 11cm of new snow in the village this morning conditions on the mountain are absolutely superb with light powder snow in abundance. The mountain itself received around 20cm. It feels much warmer today and will continue to warm up during the day. Tomorrow will also be mild and the mild temperatures will bring some light rain at village level but the upper mountain should see snow instead. Furano Zone is partially open with Furano Ropeway operating to upload and download skiers to and from the upper mountain. It is not possible to ski from the top to bottom of the mountain yet. The skiable lift is Downhill Romance no.2 chair and the skiable courses are the upper part of Sailer and Spies Course, and Shirakaba Course. Restaurant Downhill is open. Kitanomine Zone is closed. Furano Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 26th November 2016 Total snowfall at base 95cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 15 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (8th November) November 2016 snowfall 95cm reported on 15 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 Furano region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 1cm Snowfall at base this season 84cm Posted on Friday 25th November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . It is a nice day in Furano with mostly clear skies and the sun coming down onto the slopes. The temperatures continue to be very cold for this time of year with -10c recorded at the top of the resort and the village only a couple of degrees warmer. Although we are getting light snow it is not accumulating to much at village level as it is more of a snow flurry. On the mountain itself where the skiing is there is a few centimetres of accumulation. Furano Zone is partially open with Furano Ropeway operating to upload and download skiers to and from the upper mountain. It is not possible to ski from the top to bottom of the mountain yet. The skiable lift is Downhill Romance no.2 chair and the skiable courses are the upper part of Sailer and Spies Course, and Shirakaba Course. Restaurant Downhill is open. Furano Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Friday 25th November 2016 Total snowfall at base 84cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 14 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (8th November) November 2016 snowfall 84cm 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 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