Independent snow and weather reporting from the Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 833cm Posted on Friday 18th April 2014 This is an archived report. The latest Yuzawa Now report can be found here . We actually have something different this morning. Well yesterday was hazier than it has been but still sunny. This morning I can't see the mountains - is that fog? Whatever it is, it's raining as well early on this morning - even up at GALA Yuzawa and Kagura according to the resorts. It is forecast to clear up fairly quickly though and by lunchtime it should just be cloudy. Not as high temperatures expected today, but maybe up to around 14 degrees. Tomorrow Naeba will be part open again for the weekend and of course GALA Yuzawa (North and Central areas) and all the Kagura areas will be open. Cloud/sun is the forecast for tomorrow as it stands now. --- Current planned resort operations: Weekends only; then 26th-29th April and 3rd-6th May: Naeba Daily until 6th May: GALA Yuzawa (Central and North Areas) Kagura (Tashiro area) Daily until 25th May: Kagura (Mitsumata and main Kagura area) All other resorts in the region are now closed for the season. --- Official resort snow depths @ Friday 18th April 2014, AM: Kagura (Tashiro): 280cm Kagura (Mitsumata): 330cm Gala Yuzawa: 220cm Yuzawa Now 2013-2014 season Data as of Friday 18th April 2014 Total snowfall at base so far 833cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 64 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (11th, 13th January and 7th March) November 2013 snowfall 5cm reported on 1 day December 2013 snowfall 131cm reported on 14 days January 2014 snowfall 297cm reported on 19 days February 2014 snowfall 204cm reported on 17 days March 2014 snowfall 191cm reported on 12 days April 2014 snowfall 5cm reported on 1 day 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 Yuzawa. 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 128cm Posted on Sunday 1st December 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here So we are now into December and the second day of the season here. To recap, looking at our reports (the info can always be found on the bottom of the report pages), we observed 123cm of snowfall during the month of November. That's here in the base Hirafu area. As those who have followed our Niseko Now reports before will know, we also keep an eye on the official snowfall statistics coming from Kutchan town, and for November 2013 they had reported 99cm. It's expected that the base area will get more than the Kutchan reading, and of course that there will be more up on the slopes too. Anyway, it was great to get out there yesterday. There's still some sasa still poking through on the runs. Some of the usual characters turned up for opening and there was a bit of a party feel going on, with limited operations not dampening spirits. I'm seeing 5cm of snow since my last report this morning. Snow depth numbers at the resorts don't seem to have changed apart from 10cm being added to the upper slopes at Annupuri, and I am this morning hearing of 10cm or so fresh. It's just cloudy at the moment and no wind. All calm. From today Niseko Grand Hirafu are operating the Ace Family lift as well as the two lifts they had open yesterday. As planned the Community Chair and Banzai Chair lifts at Niseko Village are moving this morning. And Niseko Annupuri are also opening the Gondola at 10am this morning and the Jumbo Number 3 lift at 10:15am. Still very limited operations, but good to see more open up. Another look at the forecast and a few sprinklings aside it's looking quite dry up through the end of the coming week. We'll keep an eye on that. Official snow depth numbers: Grand Hirafu: Top - 100cm Bottom - 60cm Niseko Village: Top - 60cm Bottom - 30cm Annupuri: Top - 60cm Bottom - 48cm Niseko Now 2013-2014 season Data as of Sunday 1st December 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 128cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 10 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 30cm (12th November) November 2013 snowfall 123cm reported on 9 days December 2013 snowfall 5cm reported on 1 day 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 133cm Posted on Monday 2nd December 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Just over 5cm of fresh snow since my report yesterday. Yesterday it was a mix of light snow falling and strong winds at times during the daytime. This morning light snow falling once again with complete cloud cover. As of 9am it is 1C here in the Hirafu village area. Less wind than yesterday here at base, with winds up to 7m/s reported by Niseko Grand Hirafu. It looks like ongoing light snowfall is the most we can expect over the coming few days. We'll just have to see whether the resorts continue to open up more gradually or wait until there's a considerable snowfall. For the moment, operations remain unchanged this morning. In this very early part of the season I'll keep a note of which lifts are moving in the reports below --- Lift operations (at time of writing): Grand Hirafu: Ace Family Pair Ace Number 2 Quad (Center Four) Ace Number 3 Pair Niseko Village: Community Chair Banzai Chair Annupuri: Gondola Jumbo Number 3 --- Official snow depth numbers: Grand Hirafu: Top - 100cm Bottom - 70cm Niseko Village: Top - 60cm Bottom - 30cm Annupuri: Top - 65cm Bottom - 55cm Niseko Now 2013-2014 season Data as of Monday 2nd December 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 133cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 11 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 30cm (12th November) November 2013 snowfall 123cm reported on 9 days December 2013 snowfall 10cm 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 1cm Snowfall at base this season 172cm Posted on Wednesday 11th December 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here So yesterday wasn't a particularly nice day. Lots of rain which has obviously not helped the snow out there and washed a fair bit away - base of Hirafu now on 30cm. Oh well, at least it will have compacted. As if by magic though, in these circumstances, Annupuri are going to be starting up the Jumbo Number 1 quad lift over there. Niseko Village are doing some checking on the course by the Gondola and so that lift isn't moving early on. Happily this morning it is colder - though not mad cold - and a light cover of snow welcoming us this morning. It is snowing lightly, cloudy and a bit of a wind as I write this report. It's still looking positive ahead though starting tomorrow, though I must say that some forecasts do seem to have downgraded the forecast somewhat (ie. less snow forecast than before). We'll just have to wait and see, and I will of course let you know how it pans out. Planned lift operations: Grand Hirafu: Ace Family Pair Ace Number 3 Pair Ace Number 2 Quad Center Four King Number 3 Triple Swinging Monkey Hirafu Gondola Holiday Number 1 Pair Hanazono: Hanazono Number 1 Quad Hanazono Number 2 Quad Hanazono Number 3 Quad Niseko Village: Gondola (testing and closed early on) Community Chair Banzai Chair Annupuri: Gondola Jumbo Number 1 quad Jumbo Number 3 --- Official snow depth numbers: Grand Hirafu: Top - 130cm Base - 30cm Hanazono: Top - 145cm Base - 75cm Niseko Village: Top - 80cm Base - 40cm Annupuri: Top - 90cm Base - 60cm Niseko Now 2013-2014 season Data as of Wednesday 11th December 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 172cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 16 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 30cm (12th November) November 2013 snowfall 123cm reported on 9 days December 2013 snowfall 49cm reported on 7 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in 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 196cm Posted on Friday 13th December 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here This is something more like it. Some decent snowfall yesterday afternoon and last night particularly and this morning there is 20cm of fresh snowfall to report from Hirafu. Remember, that means more up there on those mountains. Grand Hirafu have changed their official snow depths to 60cm at base and 160cm at peak. Nice and cold -3C as well. Snow conditions were actually pretty decent yesterday considering the weather we had before it, but with this new delivery of fine powdery snow the conditions should be great today. Light snow still coming down as I write this report and hopefully it should be falling right the way through for at least two more of my morning reports. I would expect further terrain to be open for the weekend, but there's no details on that to share right at the moment. For now, I'll just enjoy watching the snow come down for a while before getting out there. Get wrapped up well it should be a cold and snowy weekend. --- Planned lift operations: Grand Hirafu: Ace Family Pair Ace Number 3 Pair Ace Number 2 Quad Center Four King Number 3 Triple Swinging Monkey Hirafu Gondola Holiday Number 1 Pair Hanazono: Hanazono Number 1 Quad Hanazono Number 2 Quad Hanazono Number 3 Quad Niseko Village: Gondola Community Chair Banzai Chair Annupuri: Gondola Jumbo Number 1 quad Jumbo Number 3 --- Official snow depth numbers: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 160cm Base - 60cm Niseko Village: Top - 90cm Base - 50cm Annupuri: Top - 95cm Base - 60cm Niseko Now 2013-2014 season Data as of Friday 13th December 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 196cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 18 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 30cm (12th November) November 2013 snowfall 123cm reported on 9 days December 2013 snowfall 73cm reported on 9 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Kutchan/Niseko. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 4cm Snowfall at base this season 176cm Posted on Thursday 12th December 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Yesterday ended up with lovely blue skies above Niseko in the afternoon and this morning I just have another few cm to report. It's a bit colder again this morning and snowing now. Niseko Grand Hirafu have added 5cm to their base and peak snow depth numbers since yesterday. So decent snow is falling at the moment, so let's hope it continues throughout the day. There's a moderate to strong wind reported on upper slopes and it seems a few of the upper lifts (King Number 3, Hanazono Number 3) are running at slower speeds due to the wind. The forecasts have it snowing now through the weekend. Bring it on, I say. --- Planned lift operations: Grand Hirafu: Ace Family Pair Ace Number 3 Pair Ace Number 2 Quad Center Four King Number 3 Triple Swinging Monkey Hirafu Gondola Holiday Number 1 Pair Hanazono: Hanazono Number 1 Quad Hanazono Number 2 Quad Hanazono Number 3 Quad Niseko Village: Gondola (testing and closed early on) Community Chair Banzai Chair Annupuri: Gondola Jumbo Number 1 quad Jumbo Number 3 --- Official snow depth numbers: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 135cm Base - 35cm Niseko Village: Top - 80cm Base - 40cm Annupuri: Top - 90cm Base - 60cm Niseko Now 2013-2014 season Data as of Thursday 12th December 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 176cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 17 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 30cm (12th November) November 2013 snowfall 123cm reported on 9 days December 2013 snowfall 53cm 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

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 30cm Snowfall at base this season 50cm Posted on Tuesday 12th November 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here It is really almost feeling like mid season here with a really good amount of fresh snow since my last report just yesterday. A whopping 30+cm of snow has fallen since last report, taking us to already nearly 50cm or so - and it's only November 12th. Let's hope this is a sign of things to come this season. But lets not get too worked up just yet... (*easier to say than do!) Anyway, earlier on this morning there were clearer conditions and there are still a few patches of blue here and there with the sun making the odd appearance, but mostly cloudy with some light snow falling at times. The forecast for today is cloud/snow, with heavier snowfall likely tonight. It should be clearing up by tomorrow though, and then we will see temperatures rise a bit with clearer conditions due on Thursday. After this current snowfall clears up it does look like the next snow falling in the village might be into next week. The planned resort opening dates are as follows: Niseko Grand Hirafu - 23rd November Hanazono - 23rd November Niseko Annupuri - 23rd November Niseko Village - 1st December Niseko Now 2013-2014 season Data as of Tuesday 12th November 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 50cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 3 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 30cm (12th November) November 2013 snowfall 50cm 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 10cm Snowfall at base this season 60cm Posted on Wednesday 13th November 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning from Hirafu, and I have another 10cm or so of fresh snowfall to report since my last update yesterday. Very cold this morning, I woke up before 7am and it was down to -5 degrees according to the thermometer outside my place. There were clearer skies earlier on this morning but the moment it has clouded over again, though it is not snowing right at the moment. It is keeping though and should remain so throughout the day with light snow likely at times. As things are now, we're looking good for opening in 10 days time. It all depends on the weather of course, and there is a warmer spell forecast for starting tomorrow and going through the weekend. We might get to see quite a bit of sun as well, with rain currently forecast on Sunday. Hopefully it won't warm up too much and we can get back to snow next week and be ready for opening on 23rd. The planned resort opening dates are as follows: Niseko Grand Hirafu - 23rd November Hanazono - 23rd November Niseko Annupuri - 23rd November Niseko Village - 1st December Niseko Now 2013-2014 season Data as of Wednesday 13th November 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 60cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 4 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 30cm (12th November) November 2013 snowfall 60cm 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 10cm Snowfall at base this season 20cm Posted on Monday 11th November 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here We are enjoying a rather good start to the season. Well, pre-season I suppose - though some people have been spotted out and about with skis and boards on their backs climbing up the hillside. The mountain has been covered with snow and up to 20cm or so in places. Since that snowfall reported in my last post, the snow clouds moved back on into the region and deposited another 5-10cm of snow at village level. It was a cold -2 degrees C when I took a look a little earlier on this morning. Snow and cold conditions are forecast to continue for the next few days with clearer weather and milder conditions forecast for later on this week. The planned opening dates are as follows: Niseko Grand Hirafu - 23rd November Hanazono - 23rd November Niseko Annupuri - 23rd November Niseko Village - 1st December Niseko Now 2013-2014 season Data as of Monday 11th November 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 20cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 2 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 10cm (9th and 11th November) November 2013 snowfall 20cm 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 10cm Snowfall at base this season 10cm Posted on Saturday 9th November 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here The first snow of the season to report in the village this morning with up to 10cm or so in places. About 7-8cm outside my place here. It was very cold overnight down below zero though not quite as chilly now that I post this report and some much clearer skies and we have seen the sun this morning. Tomorrow we should see a return to more colder temperatures - perhaps rain in the village but definitely snow on the mountains along with some stronger winds. Two weeks to go until the first ski lifts officially open, so it's good to see winter kick in at this stage. Niseko Now 2013-2014 season Data as of Saturday 9th November 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 10cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 1 day Most snowfall observed in 1 day 10cm (9th November) November 2013 snowfall 10cm 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 Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 25cm Snowfall at base this season 108cm Posted on Friday 29th November 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here UPDATED AT 4PM: Niseko Annupuri have announced that they will not be opening tomorrow - not quite enough snow yet. BUT! Niseko Grand Hirafu will be opening tomorrow. They will be operating the Center Course, serviced by the Ace Number 3 Pair lift and the Ace Number 2 Center Four lift, which will be also used to come down the mountain with the resort saying you can't ski to base yet. Hirafu still reporting 50cm base / 90cm at top and we haven't had a great deal today really. Further update tomorrow morning - hopefully with news of more snow. ORIGINAL REPORT AT 9:43AM: Good morning from Niseko, and a good morning it is too with a very nice overnight delivery of snow in Niseko. There was 25cm of snow waiting outside of my door this morning, more in places. Nice and cold, currently around -3C, we are back into winter mode. Light snow is falling at the moment and snowy conditions should continue through the day and hopefully most days in the coming week. How much falls, well we'll just have to report that as it happens. Here's what the resorts are reporting this morning. Niseko Grand Hirafu - 50cm at base, 90cm up top (-6C at 9:30am) Niseko Annupuri - 40cm at base, 50cm up top (-7C as of 9:30am) Niseko Village - 20cm at base, 35cm up top I don't have the lowdown on lifts that will be open tomorrow at Niseko Grand Hirafu and Niseko Annupuri, but will update this report later today if that information becomes available. If not, in the report tomorrow. Planned resort opening dates: Niseko Grand Hirafu - tomorrow! Niseko Annupuri - tomorrow! Niseko Village - 1st December Hanazono - 7th December Niseko Now 2013-2014 season Data as of Friday 29th November 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 108cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 8 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 30cm (12th November) November 2013 snowfall 108cm 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

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 10cm Snowfall at base this season 171cm Posted on Monday 9th December 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Another 10cm or so of fresh snowfall here in the Hirafu area since the report yesterday with some nice snow coming down in the afternoon yesterday making for poor visibility on the mountain. But some very nice snow conditions to be found out there. It looks like it's going to be a milder day today, overnight and into tomorrow - we may even see some rain fall into tomorrow unfortunately. For now, it's just a cloudy morning with no snow falling. Temperatures are set to drop considerably in the second part of the week though and hopefully that will bring with it lots of fresh powder. As the snow continues to gradually build up, we are seeing more of the mountain open up. More of Niseko Grand Hirafu terrain is officially opening from today and it looks like the King area access, lower part of the Kokutai course, Kogen Course, Holiday Course and connecting course are opening up. For the record, Hirafu are now reporting 145cm at peak - which is a fair bit more than the other areas. --- Lift operations (at time of writing): Grand Hirafu: Ace Family Pair Ace Number 3 Pair Ace Number 2 Quad Center Four King Number 3 Triple Swinging Monkey Hirafu Gondola Hanazono: Hanazono Number 1 lift Hanazono Number 2 lift Hanazono Number 3 lift Niseko Village: Gondola Community Chair Banzai Chair Annupuri: Gondola Jumbo Number 3 --- Official snow depth numbers: Grand Hirafu: Top - 145cm Base - 75cm Hanazono: Top - 90cm Base - 50cm Niseko Village: Top - 80cm Base - 40cm Annupuri: Top - 90cm Base - 65cm Niseko Now 2013-2014 season Data as of Monday 9th December 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 171cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 15 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 30cm (12th November) November 2013 snowfall 123cm reported on 9 days December 2013 snowfall 48cm 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