Independent snow and weather reporting from the Hakuba region of Nagano New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 0cm Posted on Thursday 10th November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Hakuba Now report can be found here . Good morning and a cheery hello from Hakuba. It has been 6 months since my last Hakuba Now report at the end of the 15-16 season, and here we are now with the 16-17 season just ahead of us. Everyone in Hakuba, and everyone who loves Hakuba of course, are excitedly looking forward to what 16-17 has in store. We are all hoping that it will be a lot of consistent snowfall and excellent conditions. I'll take you through the season with my daily reports, so let's see! It was snowing yesterday. I was over at the base of Hakuba 47 and while it the snow was not sticking down to village level, it felt good to have snow falling on my head once again. This morning it is cloudy but we may get some sunshine later on, though it is going to remain chilly. Overnight it will probably be raining down here but more snow is forecast for up on the mountains. After that slightly warmer conditions are forecast (10 degrees and slightly above) as well as a decent chance of sunny conditions again into at least early next week. Here are the official planned season opening dates as I have been able to find. Of course, they are all subject to change depending on what happens weather-wise: Hakuba Happo-one: from 19th November Hakuba 47: from late November Hakuba Goryu: from late November Tsugaike Kogen: from 28th November Hakuba Cortina: from 10th December Hakuba Norikura Onsen: from mid December Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field: from 16th December Hakuba Sanosaka: from mid December I will post more reports if and when it snows before the season starts, and then the reports will be daily throughout the season. Hakuba Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Thursday 10th November 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 0cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 0 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 0cm November 2016 snowfall 0cm 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 Myoko region of Niigata New snowfall at base 5cm Snowfall at base this season 5cm Posted on Wednesday 9th November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Myoko Now report can be found here . It's still more than a month until the ski areas have their scheduled openings (and all you people making early-season reservations: it's iffy until around Christmas, and often not so great even then), but it is snowing, so I have to make a report! We're got about 5cm on the ground of good, heavy, wet, early-season snow, and it's coming down pretty steadily at the moment. The forecast is for up to about 10cm, which looks about right. The roads are pretty wet, so all of us who haven't put on our snow tires are still OK (although I did see some tire tracks for someone who couldn't make it up the long slope up to the ski area, and decided to turn around). Does it really predict the season ahead? Probably not, but there's something special about that snow smell, and the first minus temperature on the car's display (hey, it's the first "on the ground" data I get every day). It's also amazing to see the jungle of sasa — the grass bamboo — getting flattened down almost immediately. If you visit here in the summer, you know how green and lush it is. Then we all forget when everything is under meters of snow )and the reverse, too. We forget how green it gets when everything is white for a long time). Not a lot of changes to report locally. The lift ticket prices were released, and there's only a tiny increase in the rates. So we remain a true bargain; great value for your snow dollar. Or yen. I suspect it will be a few weeks before I'm back with any snow news, but you never know. But, yes, that first snowfall does make things exciting.... Myoko Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Wednesday 9th November 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 5cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 1 day Most snowfall observed in 1 day 5cm (9th November) November 2016 snowfall 5cm reported on 1 day 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 Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 8cm Snowfall at base this season 26cm Posted on Wednesday 9th November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here More snow! This is very nice. Another 8cm of lovely snow on the ground at my measuring point this morning and very cold this morning. Feels like the coldest so far this season. The snow quality looks pretty good too, even down here at base, so I can imagine some good things happening up there higher up. As I think I mentioned in my last report, we do expect things to get less cold and maybe sunny tomorrow and there's not much snow on the forecast over the coming week after tomorrow morning. Though early season forecasts have certainly been known to not be right before. --- Just 2 weeks now from the first ski lifts (planned) opening in Niseko. Below are the planned dates for the four main resorts: Niseko Grand Hirafu: Wednesday 23rd November 2016 until Sunday 7th May 2017 Niseko Annupuri: Saturday 26th November 2016 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 Wednesday 9th November 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 26cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 4 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 11cm (5th November) November 2016 snowfall 26cm 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 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 10cm Snowfall at base this season 55cm Posted on Wednesday 9th November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . Yesterday the village was pelted by a significant amount of rain, and temperatures rose up to +6c. Things cooled down in the evening and by this morning it was pretty cold again and temperatures have remain negative all through the day. There was 4cm of new snow on the ground in the morning and another 6cm has fallen during the day. The forecast is for the snow to continue through tomorrow, but ease off in the evening. Furano Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Wednesday 9th November 2016 Total snowfall at base 55cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 4 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (8th November) November 2016 snowfall 55cm 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 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 4cm Snowfall at base this season 4cm Weather overview Cloud, light snow Wind Light Temperature - Visibility Limited Posted on Wednesday 9th November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Madarao Now report can be found here . After a long break and a good re-charge, it is nearly winter time once again here in Nagano Prefecture - and time for me to get ready to post my snow reports. And how about this? Snow on the ground! I was actually down in Iiyama overnight and this morning driving up to Madarao was a bit dicey in my car. You see, I haven't changed to my snow tyres yet, something that I now regret. But the mountain is looking white and there was 4cm on the ground. It is still really early of course, and this snow will melt away and we'll see more autumn-like warmer days again. So winter surely hasn't set in properly just yet, but it is a good sign. Madarao Kogen is one of the resorts that usually waits for a decent base and a set opening date in mid December to open up for the season. The official opening date for Madarao Kogen this season is Saturday 17th December. So hopefully by then, hopefully there will be a really good base building up by then. Who knows, how about an early opening? (Just wishing). It's all looking positive though for a good start to the 16-17 season. 15-16 was disappointing in many regions of Japan... here's to a real bounce-back-to-form 16-17 season. I will post more Madarao Now reports when there is further snowfall, and then the reports will be updating daily once the ski lifts start moving. Madarao Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Wednesday 9th November 2016 Total snowfall at base 4cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 1 day Most snowfall observed in 1 day 4cm (on 9th November) November 2016 snowfall 4cm reported on 1 day 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 Furano region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 32cm Snowfall at base this season 45cm Posted on Tuesday 8th November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . Over the last few days Furano has been blessed with significant early season snowfalls. On Saturday 12cm was recorded in the Kitanomine village, followed by a further 15cm on Sunday morning. This morning a further 5cm accumulated on the ground. At the moment the snow has changed into light rain and this will persist until evening when the precipitation should revert back to snow. Wednesday looks like it will deliver moderate snowfalls again. The cooler temperatures combined with the early season snow has meant that the ski area has been able to retain and compound the early season snow. The upper mountain on the Furano Zone has been compacted and groomed and is looking fantastic. The resort had set an official opening date for Furano Ski Area of 26 November 2016. However with the current amount of snow on the resort, this date has been reviewed and the resort now plans to bring the opening date forward by one week to 19 November 2016, subject to snow and weather conditions permitting. Attached to this report are two photos taken yesterday. Furano Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Tuesday 8th November 2016 Total snowfall at base 45cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 3 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (8th November) November 2016 snowfall 45cm 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 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 4cm Snowfall at base this season 18cm Posted on Sunday 6th November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here I may have had a number of months off my daily Niseko reporting duties, but I was thinking that I would have a bit more time to re-charge in this first part of November - but the weather is thinking differently. I'm not complaining. So, yesterday we ended up being rained on. And quite heavily at times too. Boo! But, this morning I have woken to another 4cm of snow on the ground here at base. Hurray! Strong winds as well at the moment. They should calm down as the day goes on and we might get to see some sunshine tomorrow, and a day or two of slightly warmer conditions. It's shaping up to be an interesting pre-season. --- We are now less than 3 weeks away from the first ski lifts opening in Niseko. Below are the planned dates for the four main resorts: Niseko Grand Hirafu: Wednesday 23rd November 2016 until Sunday 7th May 2017 Niseko Annupuri: Saturday 26th November 2016 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 Sunday 6th November 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 18cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 3 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 11cm (5th November) November 2016 snowfall 18cm 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 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 Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 11cm Snowfall at base this season 14cm Posted on Saturday 5th November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Hello everyone from here in Hirafu... and I'm actually quite excited this morning. Last night the snow started to fall once again and this morning there's 11cm of it outside my place with more snowy conditions forecast for the day today, with it easing off by early tomorrow morning. Without giving too much away, once the new SnowJapan updates go online it will be very easy for you to compare snowfall in recent seasons. Last season it looks like it was the later part of November before we got any proper numbers, so we are enjoying a positive start this season. Let's hope it continues that way. We are now less than 3 weeks away from the first ski lifts opening in Niseko. Below are the planned dates for the four main resorts: Niseko Grand Hirafu: Wednesday 23rd November 2016 until Sunday 7th May 2017 Niseko Annupuri: Saturday 26th November 2016 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 5th November 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 14cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 2 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 11cm (5th November) November 2016 snowfall 14cm 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 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 Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 3cm Snowfall at base this season 3cm Posted on Friday 4th November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning everyone, and I have some more snow to report this morning - 3cm of it in fact, down here at base. Things were looking green and brown once again during the day yesterday, but the snow started falling last night and this morning we're back to white once again. I wonder how much there is higher up there on the mountains... More snowfall is forecast on and off over the next few days along with some cold temperatures but it looks like it should get a bit warmer early next week. --- We are now less than 3 weeks away from the first ski lifts opening in Niseko. Below are the planned dates for the four main resorts: Niseko Grand Hirafu: Wednesday 23rd November 2016 until Sunday 7th May 2017 Niseko Annupuri: Saturday 26th November 2016 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. --- 'Where are those SnowJapan updates?', I hear you asking! Well, as far as I can tell they are going to be coming very soon as the guys make their final preparations. It's all very complex by the sounds of it, and I can believe it with the major changes being made. Hopefully the launch of the new content will go smoothly. Keep your eyes on the main site for the latest news. I will be back here with some more Niseko Now reports with news of snow as we approach the opening of the season. Niseko Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Friday 4th November 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 3cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 1 day Most snowfall observed in 1 day 3cm (4th November) November 2016 snowfall 3cm reported on 1 day 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 7cm Snowfall at base this season 13cm Posted on Friday 4th November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . Although we have had a taste of wintery weather on and off up until now it seems this time the real winter weather has arrived. Yesterday turned very cold and it started snowing midway through the day. The difference this time was that the ground temperatures have dropped and the snowfall settled on the road easily. By early evening there was an accumulation of 7cm in the village and reports of substantially more on the mountain itself. This morning the cold weather remains with us and a check of the thermometer reveals it is still a chilly 0c at 9am. The roads remain frozen from overnight and are very white and icy this morning. It continues to snow now and the forecast is for more snow throughout today, with a further 6cm expected and then on top of that a whopping 18cm predicted at mid mountain level throughout Saturday. The start to winter in Furano is looking very positive. Furano Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Friday 4th November 2016 Total snowfall at base 13cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 2 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 7cm (4th November) November 2016 snowfall 13cm reported on 2 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Furano. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Naeba region of Niigata New snowfall at base 1cm Snowfall at base this season 222cm Weather overview Cloud, light snow Wind Varied Temperature - Visibility Fair Posted on Monday 31st December 2012 This is an archived report. The latest Naeba Now report can be found here. Well, yesterday was one of the best-forgotten kind of day, and this morning we do have snow... but not a whole lot really. Just a sprinkling at base of Naeba with 5cm reported on the top of the resort and at Kagura. Heavier and wetter than the perfect kind of snow as well, but we'll take it. Snowfall is still forecast for the day, though as I am writing this I can actually see some patches of blue sky up there and the sun is trying to win through. Noooo! Snow please. That same forecast says snow for the next few days well into the week, so lets hope they get it right and we get a nice new delivery of the dry variety for new year. Have fun tonight and see you in 2013. Official resort snow depth: Naeba - 140cm Kagura - 270cm Naeba Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Monday 31st December 2012 Total snowfall at base so far 222cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 16 days Most snowfall observed on 1 day 60cm (10th December) November 2012 snowfall 3cm observed on 1 day December 2013 snowfall 219cm observed 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 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 18cm Snowfall at base this season 170cm Posted on Friday 18th December 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning and I have another 18cm of snow to report this morning from here in base. Feeling nice and cold and the snow condition is looking good. Nice and dry. A bit more of the mountain is opening up this morning with the resorts trying to open as many courses as they can. I would expect more still for the weekend especially if we get a bit more snow during the day today... and we expecting it today and tomorrow, with the snow clouds easing off from Sunday. Colder conditions are expected to continue over the next few days, so be sure to wrap up and go out prepared. It looks like things might get slightly warmer again early in the week but hopefully not like we saw in the period previous to this snowfall. More people are continuing to arrive in the Niseko area now and Christmas just one week away! It's a good job that more terrain is opening up. Hopefully not long now before it's all open. Anyway it should be a good weekend! --- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: -3℃, snowing. 20cm of fresh snow in 12 hours without notable development of snowdrifts. The wind is stagnating around 10-15m/s westerly at 1000m elevation. Coastal data: Benkei cape WNW12m/s, Kamui cape WSW10m/s, 1016hPa, 2.1m waves. A typical winter pressure pattern is generating snow. The pressure gradient is small ad wind remains light accordingly. The snowdrifts are developing but stabilizing quickly. However, 50cm slab slides from Dec 12th layer are still to be considered in south facing cliffs and off-limits areas. Do not duck ropes and stimulate these aspects. Most of the avalanche accidents occur in leeward steep slopes with heavy deposit of snowdrifts during storms. The conditions are getting better, but the snowpack is still shallow. Beware of stumps and bushes. Gates opening will take while. This information is released for the sake of all resort users. Always stay humble in the mountains and think safety first. --- Resort specific news as of 8:45am - subject to change during the day The lifts market with an asterix (*) below are planned to be open for night skiing Niseko Grand Hirafu Lifts planned to be running: - Ace Family pair* - Ace Number 2 Quad Center Four (for transport) - Ace Number 3 pair - Hirafu Gondola (for transport) - King Number 3 triple - Holiday Number 1 pair - Swinging Monkey Courses planned to be open: - Family - Beginners access - Center - Shirakaba - Green - Kokutai (upper part) - Alpen - Sennoki - Kogen - Boyo - Holiday - Rinkan (part) - Jumbo Niseko HANAZONO Resort Lifts planned to be running: - Hanazono Number 1 quad - Hanazono Number 2 quad - Hanazono Number 3 quad Courses planned to be open: - Connecting - Parallel - Silver Dream - Stairway to Heaven - Setsuzoku course - Crystal Garden - Yotei Sunset (ungroomed) Niseko Village Lifts planned to be operating: - Niseko Gondola - Community Chair* - Banzai Chair* Niseko Annupuri Lifts planned to be operating: - Annupuri Gondola - Jumbo Number 1 quad* - Jumbo Number 2 pair - Jumbo Number 3 pair Courses planned to be open: - Utopia - Shirakaba - Paradise - Junior - Family - Dynamic - Silver --- Official resort snow depths as of 18th December 2015: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 175cm Base - 60cm Niseko Village: Top - 70cm Base - 40cm Niseko Annupuri: Top - 70cm Base - 60cm Niseko Now 2015-2016 season Data as of Friday 18th December 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 170cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 12 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 20cm (30th November) November 2015 snowfall 61cm reported on 4 days December 2015 snowfall 109cm 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. 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