Independent snow and weather reporting from the Furano region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 5cm Snowfall at base this season 359cm Weather overview Cloudy, light snow Wind Moderate+ Temperature - Visibility Fair Posted at 10:25am on Sunday 27th January 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . The snows picked back up last night and have continued into the morning. Winds were a bit blustery over the late night hours, but things have calmed back down to a reasonable pitch now. We received around 5cm of new snow, but all that wind blowing around means that the sides of the runs are going to be the prime places for powder this morning. The forecast doesn't call for any significant storm totals, but there might be a surprise snow shower or two that leave us with a few more centimeters before the day is out. Temperature-wise, daytime highs are looking to peak in the mid-minus single digits (around -5), and it should be clear and cold tonight once all this cloud-cover moves out of the way. Furano Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Sunday 27th January 2012 Total snowfall at base so far 359cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 50 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 20cm (6th January) November 2012 snowfall 69cm reported on 10 days December 2012 snowfall 162cm reported on 21 days January 2013 snowfall 128cm reported on 19 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 0cm Snowfall at base this season 361cm Weather overview Cloud Wind Light wind Temperature - Visibility OK Posted at 1:20pm on Thursday 31st January 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . Clouds have hung around the tops for most of the day so far leading to flat light conditions at times depending on how much sunlight is able to penetrate. Temperatures are certainly warmer than they have been recently and around the village the higher temperatures and sunshine have led to melting taking place on roofs and the roads, but the cloud hovering over the mountain itself has done a good job of protecting the slopes. The pistes are well groomed and most of the side powder has now been skied out. Tomorrow is also looking to be quite warm but the good news is there is some snow heading this way over the weekend. Furano Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Thursday 31st January 2012 Total snowfall at base so far 361cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 51 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 20cm (6th January) November 2012 snowfall 69cm reported on 10 days December 2012 snowfall 162cm reported on 21 days January 2013 snowfall 130cm reported on 20 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Furano. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Furano region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 359cm Weather overview Sunny Wind Calm Temperature - Visibility Good Posted at 10:55am on Monday 28th January 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . There was a decent amount of fresh snow over the weekend which provided some really good conditions throughout the resort. The new week has started with perfectly clear skies and sunshine with stunning views across the valley to Tokachidake. The next new snow is forecast for Tuesday evening. Furano Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Monday 28th January 2012 Total snowfall at base so far 359cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 50 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 20cm (6th January) November 2012 snowfall 69cm reported on 10 days December 2012 snowfall 162cm reported on 21 days January 2013 snowfall 128cm reported on 19 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 30cm Snowfall at base this season 493cm Weather overview Cloud, light snow Wind Windy Temperature -9C base / -15C top Visibility Generally poor Posted at 9:26am on Wednesday 26th December 2012 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Another 30cm of fresh snow to report this morning from Niseko and another extremely cold morning. -10C out there... actually slightly colder than it was earlier on! The snow started falling in style in the evening yesterday and it is still coming down now though has been easing off. Wind, cold and poor visibility do not make this the friendliest of days conditions-wise, but the snow should be very fine. Just take care out there. The wind blowing about on the mountain is affecting resort operations on the mountain this morning with all of the resorts reporting that their top lifts are not operating early on. Similar weather conditions forecast for tomorrow as well before the snow perhaps easing up Friday and then a relatively mild weekend. Just one point I'd like to explain that someone asked us about. The 'official snow depth' numbers shown in the table above and information below are the snow depth numbers coming from the resort. It doesn't necessarily mean that when we have 30cm of snow fall here overnight that those official numbers will jump by the same 30cm. More often than not they won't for a number of reasons (snow gets compacted, melts, etc.) The 'new snowfall' that I am reporting is the new snowfall observed in the village to give you an idea of how much snow has actually fallen. Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Wednesday 26th December 2012 Total snowfall at base so far 493cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 34 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (10th, 11th, 19th December) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 375cm reported on 23 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 0cm Snowfall at base this season 463cm Weather overview Cloud with blue sky Wind Light Temperature -9C base / -13C top Visibility Excellent Posted at 8:13am on Tuesday 25th December 2012 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Happy Christmas from Niseko. There may well be a few sore heads out there early on this morning, but the cold conditions might help snap some people out of it and the the ski lifts will be going about their job as normal. We have just a slight dusting of snow overnight after that lovely day that we had yesterday with clear blue skies all day. Overnight it was very cold indeed with temperatures closing in on -20C. There's a few more clouds around this morning but lots of blue sky again as well, so it should be another fine morning here at least. Snow is never going to be far away though and the forecast is telling us to expect it to be falling before the day is over with no let up in the cold temperatures as well. If anything it is going to dip further before getting milder once again around the weekend. Strong winds likely tomorrow but for today it's a calm start and lifts at the resorts should be operating as normal. Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Tuesday 25th December 2012 Total snowfall at base so far 463cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 33 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (10th, 11th, 19th December) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 345cm reported on 22 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Kutchan/Niseko. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 533cm Weather overview Cloud with light rain/sleet Wind Strong Temperature 2C base / -2C top Visibility Fair Posted at 9:14am on Sunday 30th December 2012 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here No new snow to report. And light rain (sleet higher up). Not the best start to a report that, is it? Rewind a bit to yesterday though and we enjoyed some wonderfully clear skies and weather conditions. Anyway, it is a rather warm morning in Niseko. Earlier on when I first got up, +1C and now +2C in the village and a high of around +4C possible. As of 7:30am, Niseko Village was reporting a temperature of -7C on it's upper slopes. It's also windy and the winds are affecting lifts this morning. The top lift at Annupuri is closed early on and at Niseko Village the Niseko Gondola, Country Road and top Wonderland lifts are waiting on conditions. At the time of writing the lifts operating at Niseko Grand Hirafu are the Ace Family, Ace Number 1, Holiday Number 1 pair and King Number 2 lifts. Hopefully the Ace Number 2 Center Four will soon be moving. The gondola and other lifts are not open (yet) due to the windy conditions on mountain. Probably best to check the resorts most recent lift information before heading out, though I think today some people may well decide to do other things and wait for the coming fresh snow. Tomorrow I should hopefully have colder temperatures and some fresh snowfall to report, but there is a good chance that the strong winds will still be with us. Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Sunday 30th December 2012 Total snowfall at base so far 533cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 37 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (10th, 11th, 19th December) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 415cm reported on 26 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 536cm Weather overview Cloud with light snow Wind Varied Temperature -2C base / -7C top Visibility Fair Posted at 10:14am on Monday 31st December 2012 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Yesterday didn't turn out to be much fun at all. The rain ended up being pretty bad and dampening spirits with it. But the good news is that it is colder this morning and we have a few cm of fresh snow in the village. Not enough to cover up the rain damage on the slopes, and so extra care is needed out there this morning - it may still be Niseko, but conditions aren't the deep fluffy kind we know so well here today. 3-4cm of snow this morning and light snow falling as I write this. It's very windy again, affecting lift operations which are limited this morning - basically only the lower lifts are open across the mountain resorts. The Hirafu Gondola is the only Gondola managing to move early on. With stronger winds forecast for later on, I suspect that some of the New Year parties will be starting a little early today! It should be lively evening and look out for the New Year fireworks as well, if the weather conditions allow of course. We do have decent snowfall lined up and so hopefully we'll be back to Niseko-like conditions pretty soon. In the meantime, hope you have fun wherever you are in the world tonight - have a safe one and see you in 2013. Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Monday 31st December 2012 Total snowfall at base so far 536cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 38 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (10th, 11th, 19th December) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 418cm reported on 27 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 5cm Snowfall at base this season 533cm Weather overview Clear and sunny blue sky Wind Varied Temperature -6C base / -11C top Visibility Excellent Posted at 9:18am on Saturday 29th December 2012 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here It's not quite as cold this morning and only 5cm or so of snow to report since my last report. The sun is out. Yes, it's one of those days in Niseko. The skies have cleared and we are being treated to beautiful views of the surroundings and a lovely contrast of the blue on the white. Time to get out there and enjoy those things for a change. All operations on the lift open as normal. It looks like the Country Road lift at Niseko Village will be moving today from 10am (first time this season?) no doubt helping out with more and more people on the mountain. New Year is just around the corner now and so it's going to be another very lively few days. Hope you got your reservations in the restauraunts sorted out otherwise you will be out of luck. Actually, that applies for lots of days now here in Niseko! Luckily there's a good choice of fine places to dine and so it's usually worth it. Just going back to the forecast for the next few days. Tomorrow is going to be a mild one. Even a chance of rain (noooo!), but it should soon be snowing again and from Monday temperatures set to drop back to where they should be once again. Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Saturday 29th December 2012 Total snowfall at base so far 533cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 37 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (10th, 11th, 19th December) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 415cm reported on 26 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 15cm Snowfall at base this season 528cm Weather overview Cloud, snow easing off Wind Varied Temperature -8C base / -14C top Visibility Fair Posted at 9:20am on Friday 28th December 2012 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here I'll never get bored of reporting 15-20cm of new snow in a morning, so this morning I very happily once again report another 15-20cm of new snow in the village area of Niseko since my last report! So yesterday the winds did affect lift operations with a few closed, but this morning there is less wind and lifts seem to be operating as planned from the get go. Snow is still falling, but the forecast tells us to expect the snow to ease off and for us to end up seeing the sun today. That will make for a change! It is a cold -8C outside. Tomorrow we might even get to see more of the sun actually, though it should remain cold. After that, back to snow on Sunday. The JMA (Japan Meteorological Agency) snowfall statistics for Kutchan town in December 2012 so far is currently standing on 287cm. We are still just over 60cm off last years December numbers, but the current number is already more than the snowfall in the previous five Decembers. Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Friday 28th December 2012 Total snowfall at base so far 528cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 36 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (10th, 11th, 19th December) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 410cm reported on 25 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 20cm Snowfall at base this season 601cm Weather overview Cloud, light snow Wind OK Temperature -10C base / -16C top Visibility Fair Posted at 9:40am on Friday 4th January 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here It's a cold start to the day this morning, around -11C earlier on and outside it says -10C now. Expect temperatures down to -16C or even -18C as Annupuri are reporting this morning on upper areas of the mountain. Yesterday the winds messed around with lift operations on the mountain. Some lifts were open and closed a few times during the day. For example the King 4 and Ace 4 lifts at Niseko Grand Hirafu opened mid-morning but then closed again before noon due to the persistent winds. The Hirafu Gondola closed around 12:30pm only to open again an hour or so later - apparently 'mechanical adjustment' being the reason, not the need for a lunch break! This morning is much calmer in Niseko. The winds have eased off and just light snow is falling now allowing most lifts on the mountain to be moving as normal. Top lifts all operating this morning. There's still a moderate wind at times over on the Annupuri and Niseko Village areas, less so on the Grand Hirafu and Hanazono side. Visibility fair, poor in places as the mountain is covered in cloud, but much better out there without the wind. Should be some fine dry powder to find as well, though I doubt you'll need to go searching... The forecast is for maybe not so cold conditions tomorrow and an easing off of the snow clouds for a bit before returning in time for Sunday. It looks like in the coming week the snow is never going to be far away. Just how we like it, with perhaps a bit of sun every now and again for some bluebird photo opps. I forgot to mention in yesterdays report what the JMA snowfall 'target' for January 2013 is. Last season (January 2012) there was 290cm of snowfall in Kutchan town, and 420cm in January 2011. The 2011 number sounds like a good one to try and hope for, don't you think?! Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Friday 4th January 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 601cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 42 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (10th, 11th, 19th December) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 418cm reported on 27 days January 2013 snowfall 65cm 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 Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 20cm Snowfall at base this season 641cm Weather overview Cloud, light snow Wind Varied Temperature -7C base / -11C top Visibility Fair Posted at 9:03am on Sunday 6th January 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning from Niseko. The clouds cleared yesterday but returned again overnight and I have another 20cm of snow to report this morning. Always good to be able to share such news in a morning and don't you just love how consistent it is? Seems like very nice dry snow quality too so I think people will be in for another great day out on the slopes today. Wind is affecting some of the top lifts on the mountain this morning. At the time of writing, the Ace Number 4 and King Number 4 lifts are Grand Hirafu; the Wonderland Chair at Niseko Village; and the Jumbo Number 4 top lifts are not operating due to the wind. The three lifts at Hanazono seem to be moving, though the top two at reduced speed. Wind aside it's a familiar story with cloud and light snow falling at the moment and snow forecast for the day. Temperatures are unlikely to rise much during the day from the current -7C my thermometer is at now. Less wind and mostly just cloudy conditions likely tomorrow. Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Sunday 6th January 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 641cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 44 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (10th, 11th, 19th December) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 418cm reported on 27 days January 2013 snowfall 105cm reported 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 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 20cm Snowfall at base this season 621cm Weather overview Cloud, light snow Wind OK Temperature -7C base / -11C top Visibility Fair Posted at 9:03am on Saturday 5th January 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here It's another cold start to the day, but not quite as cold as yesterday morning. When it's down into near minus double digits though, sometimes it's hard to notice the difference - it's all just... cold! When you are in a place like Niseko though with the snow to compensate, it's all good. 20cm of new snowfall since yesterday, a good chunk of that falling mid-afternoon yesterday. It's a calm morning with some light snow lazily falling from the skies. The sun was out just a short while ago over in Hanazono, but it seems to have disappeared once again behind the clouds. The forecast for the day is mostly just cloudy, snow likely overnight into tomorrow. All resorts and lifts around the mountain look set to be operating as normal. Should be great conditions out on the slopes this morning. Have a great weekend. Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Saturday 5th January 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 621cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 43 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (10th, 11th, 19th December) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 418cm reported on 27 days January 2013 snowfall 85cm 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 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