Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 15cm Snowfall at base this season 731cm Posted on Sunday 18th January 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Greetings from Hirafu on this Sunday morning. I have just been updating the official snow depths numbers for the resorts (below) and they are largely unchanged - in fact the only change I had to make was the base number curiously going down for Niseko Grand Hirafu - but believe me there's definitely new snow here this morning. Maybe not quite as exciting a number as I was hoping for, but still a good solid 15cm-20cm. I think the strong winds that we had blowing everything about yesterday probably make it difficult to put a meaningful number on it this morning. Indeed if you take a look at the Avalanche Report below, we have 'Niseko base 6am: -8C, 25cm snowfall in 12 hours, 60cm snowdrifts'. So we can expect differing amounts of fresh snow in places on mountain this morning. It's a cold start to the morning but thankfully the wind is behaving but it seems gates will be closed this morning. The Early Morning Gondola was unfortunately cancelled this morning due to the lingering weather conditions, but other than that all the resorts seem to be opening as planned. Check for any changes with the resorts during the day. The sun is shining down on us right now with an increasing amount of blue sky on view up there now amongst the clouds that are still hanging around. Very fine conditions for the first part of the day even if snowfall is still expected today and tomorrow. So the sunshine might be short lived and those clouds are moving pretty fast. So the forecast remains snow falling at times over the next few days with temperatures remaining low. It's going to be busy out there today. I always promise myself to get out especially when the sun comes out, so perhaps see you out there. --- Resort specific news at time of writing - subject to change during the day Niseko Grand Hirafu: Looks set to be open as planned this morning. 'Early Morning' lift available daily until 1st February (for 500 yen, Ace Quad Number 2 lift from 8am until 8:20am). Niseko Hanazono: Looks set to be open as planned this morning. Niseko Village: Looks set to be open as planned this morning. 'Early Morning Gondola' available Saturdays and Sundays until February 8th (for 1300 yen, Gondola open from 7:30am until 8:30am). Niseko Annupuri: Gondola was set for perhaps a later start but as of 8:30am seems to be moving; looks set to be open as planned this morning. --- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: -8C, 25cm snowfall in 12 hours, 60cm snowdrifts. Moiwa 800m: N20m/s at 5am, -12C, large development of snowdrift and bad visibility. Annupuri 1150m: wind calmed down to N8m/s at 7am, -14C, large development of snowdrifts. Hirafu 1000m: NE15m/s at 6am, -15C, large development of snowdrifts. Coastal data: Benkei cape NNW18m/s at 5am, NNW12m/s at 6:30, Kamui cape NNE7m/s at 6am, 1010hPa, 2.1m waves. The atmospheric pressure gradient is large, a strong storm with heavy snowfall persisted until dawn, generating large development of snowdrifts and cornices. The wind has started to settle down, however the avalanche risk in the leeward snowdrift slopes is extremely high. Gates will be kept closed regardless of chair-lift operations. Please follow the ski patrol’s instructions. Accidents often happen just after storms. Many of the avalanche accidents in the out of bounds area happened in easily accessible hazardous slopes around the ski resorts. Gates opening/closing are managed in order to minimize the risks of accidents. The snow might be good, but it is still too risky to open the gates at this stage. DO NOT duck ropes and traverse to Osawa cornice slopes or Higashi-One area. Large crown & fast running surface slab slides are to be expected in leeward steep slopes & valleys. Be extremely careful. --- Official snow depth numbers and any notes at time of writing: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 330cm Base - 130cm Niseko Village: Top - 270cm Base - 170cm Niseko Annupuri: Top - 230cm Base - 180cm Niseko Now 2014-2015 season Data as of Sunday 18th January 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 731cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 44 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th and 26th December) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 182cm reported on 14 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in 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 758cm Posted on Tuesday 20th January 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here A cold start to the morning here in Hirafu. 15cm of fresh on the ground but it's not snowing just right now. In fact, once again there's a bit of sun peeping through the clouds from time to time. There's a general heavy snow warning out for the area though, so the clouds coming in from the north are expected to bring some more snow with them... especially later on today. Stronger winds are expected as well later on, so get wrapped up and fingers crossed that they don't mess with the lifts. Forecasts says a good chance of some sunshine tomorrow but a return to snowy conditions sometime on Thursday. --- Time for a quick look at some numbers and how January is stacking up. Last season as of the end of January this is what I observed in my reports: 461cm snowfall in January 2014 859cm snowfall since the beginning of the season Today, the same numbers are: 209cm snowfall in January 2015 (up until 20th) 758cm snowfall since the beginning of the season (up until 20th) Still got over 10 days left, so let's see how that goes. Of course, while these are my observations and from the same place, it's not meant to be a scientific study! Just my humble and honest observations. JMA recorded 317cm in the month of January 2014 in Kutchan town; today that number is on 162cm. We'll revist all of those at the end of the month. --- Resort specific news at time of writing - subject to change during the day Niseko Grand Hirafu: Looks set to be open as planned this morning. 'Early Morning' lift available daily until 1st February (for 500 yen, Ace Quad Number 2 lift from 8am until 8:20am). Niseko Hanazono: Looks set to be open as planned this morning. Niseko Village: Looks set to be open as planned this morning. 'Early Morning Gondola' available Saturdays and Sundays until February 8th (for 1300 yen, Gondola open from 7:30am until 8:30am). Niseko Annupuri: Looks set to be open as planned this morning. --- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: -7C, 20cm of crushed crystal snow in 12 hours. Moiwa 800m: WNW15m/s, -13C, 30cm of snowfall with development of snowdrifts. Annupuri 1150m: NW20m/s, -13C, large development of snowdrifts. Hirafu peak ridge: NNW20m/s, -15C, extensive development of snowdrifts. Coastal data: Benkei cape NNW20m/s, Kamui cape W11m/s, 1012hPa, 2.3m waves. The wind & snowfall picked up from 3am and made snowdrifts develop drastically around cornice slopes and open steep slopes above 800m. The avalanche risk is rising accordingly and the peak gates will be closed. Please follow the ski patrol’s instructions. Many accidents occur in poor weather. Niseko community respects the freedom of skiers/snowboarders, but is also concerned about their safety. The Niseko Rules have been determined based on numerous past accidents and it is all locals’ and visitors’ duty to follow those Rules; regardless of race, nationality, religion, gender, experience or knowledge level. Wouldn’t it be foolish prejudice to be respecting western Rules but disregarding Local Rules? The resort welcomes all visitors, but will take a firm stand against violators. Accommodations should also be more concerned about the situation, as it would lead to the detriment of their reputation. The snow in the trees is in good shape. Be respectful and ride with good sense to the local community. --- Official snow depth numbers and any notes at time of writing: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 360cm Base - 150cm Niseko Village: Top - 270cm Base - 180cm Niseko Annupuri: Top - 240cm Base - 180cm Niseko Now 2014-2015 season Data as of Tuesday 20th January 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 758cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 46 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th and 26th December) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 209cm reported on 16 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in 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 773cm Posted on Wednesday 21st January 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Hello from Niseko, and good morning to you all. Another 15cm this morning. It seems to the fashionable number of late! There was some snow falling earlier on but it's not now and I can see more blue sky once again over the mountain. Looking over towards Mt Yotei, that lovely mountain has a big dark grey cloud over it's summit at the moment but the sun is managing to shine through to the side making for some dramatic scenery. It's a cold morning. Bit of sun, bit of blue sky, cloud, flurries of snow at times. Mixed bunch of conditions expected this morning. More snow clouds moving in tomorrow. --- Excite resort news! The King Pair Number 1 lift started operating yesterday. Welcome to the season, lazy bones! Here's what Niseko Grand Hirafu says - 'we’re very sorry that lift operation has started late this year due to a delay in the system required for safe operation'. Still seems a bit odd to me (and it still leaves the King Number 2 not moving), but there you go... I'm happy that it's moving. Perhaps they can get working on the system required for the safe operation of King Number 2 too! ;) The King Pair Number 1 lift will be doing it's thing from 10am until 4pm every day until 22nd March. --- Resort specific news at time of writing - subject to change during the day Niseko Grand Hirafu: Looks set to be open as planned this morning. 'Early Morning' lift available daily until 1st February (for 500 yen, Ace Quad Number 2 lift from 8am until 8:20am). Niseko Hanazono: Looks set to be open as planned this morning. Niseko Village: Looks set to be open as planned this morning. 'Early Morning Gondola' available Saturdays and Sundays until February 8th (for 1300 yen, Gondola open from 7:30am until 8:30am). Niseko Annupuri: Looks set to be open as planned this morning. --- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: -6C, 20cm snowfall in 12 hours, calm. Moiwa 800m: NE breeze, -7C, 20cm snowfall. Annupuri 1150m: N8m/s, -10C, 20cm snowfall. Hirafu ridge: mild wind, 20cm snowfall. Coastal data: Benkei cape NW12m/s, Kamui cape SW10m/s, 1026hPa, 1.5m waves. A high-pressure system is flowing over the western Sea of Japan and the weather is ameliorating. According to observations and snowfall transition, the snowpack is settling down and the general avalanche risk is lowering. Peak gates are scheduled to open. Please follow the ski patrol’s instruction and step out of the gates. Wind-affected steep slopes, such as 1100m Kozan no sawa (Backbowl) sidewalls, Osawa cornice slopes and Higashi-One, are still unstable and should be avoided during the morning. Riding stimulation could lead to failure of deeper weak layers and trigger an avalanche. Relatively high risks also remain in Mikaeri bowl during the morning. Slides in tight gullies would easily bury a person deep down at the bottom. Consequences can be big. Avoid staying put at the bottom of the valleys and carefully choose your touring route. Better start from slopes close to the gates. Have you switched your avalanche transceiver on? Avalanche safety equipments aren’t fashion accessories, it’s good to have them, but need to be familiar with their functions as the time will come without warning. Pretty good conditions today. Be safe and have a nice day. Niseko Now 2014-2015 season Data as of Wednesday 21st January 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 773cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 47 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th and 26th December) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 224cm reported on 17 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in 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 2cm Snowfall at base this season 775cm Posted on Friday 23rd January 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here It's another wild ride today. One of those days when it's going to be a difficult to give a measure on snow - I'm going with a few cm though for now. Luckily (for those purposes) not much yet. Naughty strong northerly winds on mountain are enjoying blowing things around and disrupting top lifts - along with all of the lifts at Annupuri - at the beginning of the day unfortunately. With strong winds expected to continue for the day and very possibly get worse, we can expect more disruptions I'm afraid. For resort status as of the start of the day, check below - I do updated that every day in case you didn't know. So it's either take a break from the skiing and boarding and take a dip in an onsen, or brave the conditions and make the most of the very possibly less crowded slopes (I suppose that will depend on how many people decide to take a rest, and how many lifts remain open). Snow is expected to continue into tomorrow but hopefully wind will ease off at least somewhat. Sunday is currently looking set to be much calmer and we might get some clearer skies as well. Snow back with us from around Tuesday. Have a good day, if you do venture out... be safe. Of course. --- Resort specific news at time of writing - subject to change during the day Niseko Grand Hirafu: Top King Number 3, Ace Number 4, King Number 4 and Swinging Monkey lifts on hold early on due to the weather conditions. 'Early Morning' lift available daily until 1st February (for 500 yen, Ace Quad Number 2 lift from 8am until 8:20am). Niseko Hanazono: Hanazono Number 3 lift on hold due to weather. Niseko Village: Niseko Gondola and top Wonderland chair on hold at the start of the day due to weather conditions. 'Early Morning Gondola' available Saturdays and Sundays until February 8th (for 1300 yen, Gondola open from 7:30am until 8:30am). Niseko Annupuri: All lifts on hold at the beginning of the day at Annupuri. --- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: -3C, north-easterly storm for the last 12 hours has made snowdrifts develop in leeward area. Moiwa 800m: NE20m/s, -5C, large development of snowdrifts. Annupuri 1150m NE20m/s with drastic development of snowdrifts. Hirafu peak ridge NE25m/s, -7C. Coastal data: Benkei cape NE13m/s, Kamui cape ESE4m/s, 1007hPa, 1.8m waves. A strong NE storm is persisting, making snowdrifts drastically develop on top of Jan 22nd layer. The avalanche risk is extremely high today. Highly wind-affected dense snow is also present in the treeruns. All gates above 800m will be closed today. Today is not a day to go out of bounds. Similar hazardous conditions in Nito, Chise, Shiribetsu and other surrounding areas. Carefully plan your tour route. The wind will calm down tomorrow, better not push it too far today. Many accidents occur during a storm. Have a nice day. Travel insurances may not cover accidents in out of bounds areas, it is strongly suggested to have an insurance that covers mountaineering accidents. Niseko Now 2014-2015 season Data as of Friday 23rd January 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 775cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 48 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th and 26th December) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 226cm reported on 18 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in 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 12cm Snowfall at base this season 743cm Posted on Monday 19th January 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning from my base here in Hirafu and there's another 10-15cm of fresh snow this morning an up to 20cm being reported higher up. Earlier on when I got up it was just overcast and cloudy, later on snowing quite heavily for a short while, but currently it is snowing lightly. There's even a hint of light blue sky behind thin clouds over there by Hanazono and a brief bit of sunshine here and there. Forecast is for moderate snowfall later on today, later this afternoon or tonight and then into tomorrow. For the moment it's fairly calm but stronger winds may also prevail later. It does look like all of the gates are going to be open this morning. Yey! Take care and have fun. --- Resort specific news at time of writing - subject to change during the day Niseko Grand Hirafu: Looks set to be open as planned this morning. 'Early Morning' lift available daily until 1st February (for 500 yen, Ace Quad Number 2 lift from 8am until 8:20am). Niseko Hanazono: Looks set to be open as planned this morning. Niseko Village: Looks set to be open as planned this morning. 'Early Morning Gondola' available Saturdays and Sundays until February 8th (for 1300 yen, Gondola open from 7:30am until 8:30am). Niseko Annupuri: Looks set to be open as planned this morning. --- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: -7C, mild wind, 15cm snowfall in 12 hours. Moiwa 800m: -7C, light breeze, 20cm snowfall with development of snowdrifts. Annupuri 1150m: S5m/s, 20cm snowfall. Hirafu peak ridge: -13C, mild wind, 20cm snowfall. Benkei cape S4m/s, Kamui cape NNW2m/s, 1009hPa, 0.5m waves. The atmospheric pressure gradient is small. The ocean and the mountains are in calm conditions. 15-30cm of light crystal snow has fallen in the last 12 hours. The snowdrifts that developed in the last couple of days have mostly stabilized and the general avalanche risk is relatively low. All gates are scheduled to open from the morning. Bear in mind that the stabilization of the slabs in 1100m areas is delayed due to lower temperature. Human triggered avalanche are still likely to occur in cornice/knoll/gully terrain of steep faces. Be aware that the out of bounds area is not a resort no more. Consequences can be serious, better not make light of the risk you’re taking. Ride carefully, don’t loose your skis. The snow in the trees has been mostly reset and in good condition. Don’t duck ropes to step out of bounds. Do you know there are official Rules for out of bounds riding in Niseko? --- Official snow depth numbers and any notes at time of writing: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 355cm Base - 155cm Niseko Village: Top - 270cm Base - 170cm Niseko Annupuri: Top - 240cm Base - 180cm Niseko Now 2014-2015 season Data as of Monday 19th January 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 743cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 45 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th and 26th December) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 194cm reported on 15 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in 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 790cm Posted on Sunday 25th January 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Hello and good morning from Niseko. It's a busy Sunday morning out there already, but weather-wise a calm start to the day. Up above it's a mix of cloud and blue sky, and I can see the sun too just now but it's playing a bit of hide and seek behind the clouds. Just a bit of new snowfall to add this morning, around 5cm with up to 15cm on mountain being reported. Don't know about you, but I'm all for a bumper 40-50cm of beautiful dry light new snowfall kind of day. Next one of those please... this week would be great! Onegai shimasu. All resorts and lifts are open as planned and it looks like all the gates should be open this morning as well. Let's Sunday! On a more serious note, please be sure to check out the Avalanche report this morning (below)... found a few things mentioned in there interesting. --- One change to the report that I want to make a note of. Until now, for the 'official snow depth' number on the report, we have been making a note of the 'lower' number from Hirafu (I mean the 'Current snow' number that you can see towards the top right of this page). It's not actually really that important as within every single report that I put up here I do make a clear note of all of the upper/lower snow depth numbers for each resort area, but we do think that it is probably better to change it to the upper number. The upper number is also the number that is shown on the resort pages of our site, so it will now tie in with that. So from today that is what we'll be using - the official 'upper' snow depth number at Niseko Grand Hirafu. A few people mentioned this to us in comments sent in during the Prize Draw (thank you), so I hope this will meet with general approval. Sorry for the mid-season change. * Sadly the jump from 145cm to 360cm does not mean that we have suddenly got 215cm of fresh snowfall overnight. I might even dust off the word 'epic' (with a capital 'E') if that happened! --- Resort specific news at time of writing - subject to change during the day Niseko Grand Hirafu: Looks set to open as planned this morning. 'Early Morning' lift available daily until 1st February (for 500 yen, Ace Quad Number 2 lift from 8am until 8:20am). Niseko Hanazono: Looks set to open as planned this morning. Niseko Village: Looks set to open as planned this morning. 'Early Morning Gondola' available Saturdays and Sundays until February 8th (for 1300 yen, Gondola open from 7:30am until 8:30am). Niseko Annupuri: Looks set to open as planned this morning. --- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: -5C, light dusts in the last 12 hours. Moiwa 800m: mild wind and 10cm of new snow. Annupuri 1150m: mild wind, 15cm of snowfall. 1000m snowpack 250cm. Hirafu ridge: mild wind, light snowfall, -11C. Coastal data: Benkei cape NW6m/s, Kamui cape WNW3m/s, 1026hPa, 0.6m waves. A calm morning as a high-pressure system is dominating the area. The snowdrifts are stable and the avalanche risk is low. Beware of collapsing cornices. All gates will open from the morning. The snow is in pretty good shape. Intruders to Haru-no-Taki off-limits area never seem to decrease. Everyone should realize that the freedom to ride out of bounds in Niseko is protected in exchange of having those strictly off-limits areas closed at all time. The gate system would fail if people cannot respect the Rules and end up in closure of all gates and restriction of all out of bounds riding. Whoever violating the off-limits areas will be banned from using all resort facilities. Haru-no-Taki may eventually open in the future, but we strongly demand everybody to respect the Rules until then. This area is a ski resort and the Rules exist to protect the freedom of out of bounds riding and the minimum safety of all resort users. Niseko Now 2014-2015 season Data as of Sunday 25th January 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 790cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 50 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th and 26th December) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 241cm 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 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 785cm Posted on Saturday 24th January 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here So, something of a limited day yesterday. As of mid afternoon the other two lifts at Hanazono closed up for the day, with Annupuri looking like it was closed all day. The Hirafu Gondola closed mid morning and a few lifts were moving at reduced speed. Proceedings were generally limited to lower and central areas. I didn't get out myself, opting instead for a visit to Otaru to the north of the Niseko region. Recommended. Anyway, on to today and the start of another weekend. They come round quick don't they. There's a lot of people around early on this morning, as you might expect. Wind of course affected a lot of things yesterday, including the snow so it's another day when putting one number on it is difficult. Lots of drifts around this morning but I'm going to log 10-15cm as the new snowfall for the day in my report but expect double that in higher areas. Conditions are somewhat calmer this morning. Snow is falling as I am writing this and it's expected to ease off sometime later on today, maybe tonight and tomorrow is forecast to bring us some sun action. We're expecting a relatively mild few days with temperatures even threatening to bust through into low positive numbers. Beyond tomorrow, snow clouds due to move over the region again from Tuesday onwards. In the meantime have a fun and safe weekend. --- Resort specific news at time of writing - subject to change during the day Niseko Grand Hirafu: Looks set to open as planned this morning. 'Early Morning' lift available daily until 1st February (for 500 yen, Ace Quad Number 2 lift from 8am until 8:20am). Niseko Hanazono: Looks set to open as planned this morning. Niseko Village: Niseko Gondola and top Wonderland chair on hold at the start of the day due to weather conditions. 'Early Morning Gondola' available Saturdays and Sundays until February 8th (for 1300 yen, Gondola open from 7:30am until 8:30am). Niseko Annupuri: Looks set to open as planned this morning. --- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: -3C, 10cm of crystal snow in 12 hours. Moiwa 800m: WNW5m/s, 20cm snowfall, 50cm snowdrifts. Annupuri 1150m: N10m/s, -8C, development of dense snowdrifts. Hirafu 1150m: N15m/s, -12C, development of snowdrifts. Coastal data: Benkei cape NNW14m/s, Kamui cape ENE3m/s, 1019hPa, 1.9m waves. The slabs under 800m altitude are stabilizing and a 10cm layer of new, less wind-affected snow is blanketing on top. The soft-slab formed until the night are likely to fail at 45cm depth and would slide easily with riding stimulation in steep slopes. The stabilization of the slabs above 1200m is delayed and the avalanche risk in Osawa cornice slopes, Backbowl and Higashi-One cornice slopes remains high. The peak gates’ opening is still undecided. Please respect the ski patrol’s decision. Better not stimulate knolls and snowdrifts. Avalanche hazard is also very high in gullies above 1200m in Mt. Yotei. Better stick on ridges and treeruns. There is no 100% safety in the mountains. Always remain prudent. The snow in the trees is in excellent shape. --- Official snow depth numbers and any notes at time of writing: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 350cm Base - 145cm Niseko Village: Top - 270cm Base - 180cm Niseko Annupuri: Top - 250cm Base - 180cm Niseko Now 2014-2015 season Data as of Saturday 24th January 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 785cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 49 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th and 26th December) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 236cm 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 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 793cm Posted on Wednesday 28th January 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Hello and good morning... it's a better morning than yesterday, which wasn't very nice at all. It is most certainly much colder, with a return to winter like temperatures overnight and early on. We have some new snowfall as well, though not as much as we would like. Resorts reporting up to 15cm of fresh snow, just a few cm or so down here at base. But, snow is forecast for the day today so fingers crossed for a decent amount. All of the four resort areas look to open up as planned this morning, the only thing I notice early on is Annupuri Gondola operating at reduced speed. Stronger winds on the forecast for later in the day, so that situation could well change. Tomorrow cloudy skies are forecast, before a return to snow from later Friday. Once that gets going it should be snowing through into early next week at least so looking very positive still for a proper decent refresh over the weekend. --- Let's update ourselves on some numbers for a bit of excite fun. In January last season I observed 461cm of snowfall; this month so far my observations in the same place are on 244cm. Hmmm. The Japan Meteorological Agency snowfall January readings for Kutchan Town: January 2011: 420cm January 2012: 290cm January 2013: 268cm January 2014: 317cm January 2015: 214cm (up until now) So come on, let's fill out those numbers out for January! --- Resort specific news at time of writing - subject to change during the day Niseko Grand Hirafu: Looks set to open as planned this morning. 'Early Morning' lift available daily until 1st February (for 500 yen, Ace Quad Number 2 lift from 8am until 8:20am). Niseko Hanazono: Looks set to open as planned this morning. Niseko Village: Looks set to open as planned this morning. 'Early Morning Gondola' available Saturdays and Sundays until February 8th (for 1300 yen, Gondola open from 7:30am until 8:30am). Niseko Annupuri: Looks set to open as planned this morning. Annupuri Gondola running at reduced speed. --- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: -9C, 5cm of new snow in 12 hours. Moiwa 800m: W10m/s, -12C, 10cm of new snow with some 40cm snowdrifts. Annupuri snowpack 255cm. Hirafu 1000m: mild wind, -12C, light snowfall. Coastal data: Benkei cape NW19m/s, Kamui cape WSW11m/s, 1011hPa, 2.6m waves. The winter-pressure pattern dropped some new snowfall starting at 1am. Some snowdrifts started to develop. Yesterday’s low-pressure snowfall is re-crystalizing due to cold temperatures. 40cm thick slides are to be expected in some areas around 700m. New snowfall is still insufficient and old tracks catches the skis/board. Visibility is also pretty bad up high. Beware not to loose control and hit trees. Gates 2 & 3 will be closed. Others are scheduled to open, however situation may change, please respect the ski patrol’s instructions. Be aware that the area outside the gate is not within the resort before you step out of the gates. Niseko respects people’s freedom to ski out of bounds areas, however is also deeply concerned about everyone’s safety. Be safe and have nice day. The conditions will turn better tomorrow. --- Official resort snow depths: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 360cm Base - 130cm Niseko Village: Top - 270cm Base - 180cm Niseko Annupuri: Top - 265cm Base - 180cm Niseko Now 2014-2015 season Data as of Wednesday 28th January 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 793cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 51 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th and 26th December) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 244cm reported on 21 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 803cm Posted on Thursday 29th January 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Morning friends, and it's snowing outside this cold morning. There's around 10cm outside my place here, with 15cm of fresh being reported from upper resort areas. Nice and cold, the snow should be of the fine kind. As the Avalanche report says this morning, the snowfall has 'moderately reset' the mountain, which is of course great - but I think it's fair to say that most of us want more. Snowfall today will probably ease this morning (though as I type this report it's coming down quite nicely actually), leaving us with mostly cloudy conditions for later today and tomorrow with perhaps some sunshine at times. To be followed by decent snowfall going into Saturday which is still forecast to continue into early next week. It's looking promising. All the resorts plan to be open as normal this morning and peak gates are scheduled to be open. Have a good Friday. --- Resort specific news at time of writing - subject to change during the day Niseko Grand Hirafu: Looks set to open as planned this morning. 'Early Morning' lift available daily until 1st February (for 500 yen, Ace Quad Number 2 lift from 8am until 8:20am). Niseko Hanazono: Looks set to open as planned this morning. Niseko Village: Looks set to open as planned this morning. 'Early Morning Gondola' available Saturdays and Sundays until February 8th (for 1300 yen, Gondola open from 7:30am until 8:30am). Niseko Annupuri: Looks set to open as planned this morning. --- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: -9C, 15cm of crystal snowfall in 12 hours. Moiwa 800m: NW8m/s, 20cm snowfall, small development of snowdrifts. Annupuri 1150m: N8m/s, -13C, 20cm snowfall. Hirafu 1000m: N5m/s, -13C, 10cm snowfall. Coastal data: Benkei cape NNW14m/s, Kamui cape WSW8m/s, 1022hPa, 1.7m waves. The isobars are spaced out and the weather is calm. Light snowfall has moderately reset the mountain. Good & fast snow can be found. Peak gates are scheduled to open, listen to the ski patrol’s advice before stepping out of the gates. January 27th low-pressure snowfall layer has become a notable weak layer in the snowpack. Avalanches of up to 40cm thickness are to be expected in leeward snowdrift loaded slopes around 1000m. The general risk is low, however unexpected incidents can happen in the mountain. Be prudent and be safe. 99% of the people seem to respect the Niseko Rules, but it is very disappointing to see a handful of disrespectful people that seems to deliberately disregard the Rules and enter Haru no Taki and/or Yu no Sawa off-limits areas. Beware of cracks, falls and hitting trees. Have a nice day. Using a leash is recommended to people using delicate lightweight bindings. --- Official resort snow depths: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 370cm Base - 140cm Niseko Village: Top - 280cm Base - 180cm Niseko Annupuri: Top - 265cm Base - 180cm Niseko Now 2014-2015 season Data as of Thursday 29th January 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 803cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 52 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th and 26th December) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 254cm 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 3cm Snowfall at base this season 806cm Posted on Friday 30th January 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here It's a cloudy morning here in Niseko, as the forecast told us to expect really. A small amount of snow during the day yesterday and there's a chance of light snow during the day today but it won't be anything major at all. Limited visibility up on the mountain is preventing top lifts from opening first thing this morning, hopefully that situation might change during the morning with gates looking like they are expected to be open today. That snowfall that we have all been eyeing up the last few days is still due to be with us from tomorrow. I so much want to get back to writing reports of large volumes of fresh snow. (Though I could do without strong winds!) Whatever, such conditions do seem likely over the weekend so be ready. --- Resort specific news as of 8:30am - subject to change during the day Niseko Grand Hirafu: Top King Number 4 and Ace Number 4 lifts on hold due to poor visibility. 'Early Morning' lift available daily until 1st February (for 500 yen, Ace Quad Number 2 lift from 8am until 8:20am). Niseko Hanazono: Looks set to open as planned this morning. Niseko Village: Top Wonderland lift on hold due to poor weather conditions. 'Early Morning Gondola' available Saturdays and Sundays until February 8th (for 1300 yen, Gondola open from 7:30am until 8:30am). Niseko Annupuri: Top Jumbo Number 4 lift on hold due to poor visibility. --- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: -5C, 5cm new crystal snow in the last 12hrs, calm. Moiwa 800m: -7C, wind SW 5m/s, trace of new snow. Annupuri 1150m: -7C, wind SW8m/s, trace of new snow, poor visibility at times. Hirafu Peak Ridge light winds, -10C, trace of new snow, minor snowdrift development. Cape Benkei: SW5m/s, Cape Kamui: S6m/s, wave 0..8m, pressure 1020hPa. The pressure gradient is low and the mountain conditions are calm. From observation 10cm of new light crystal snow above 600m, snow pack is stable and the general avalanche risk is low. Yesterdays tracks still remain but the snow is good. Peak gates are expected to be open. Please respect the patrols advice when using the gates. Always be aware and take care on open steep slopes and cornice slopes around 1000m. When you cause an avalanche people below will be in danger. There has been increase in lost people out of bounds. The gates are there for everyone to use, but if you blindly follow someone else's tracks you may not come back. Niseko respects peoples right to ride out of bounds and also tries to maintain a certain level of safety, however the mountain has many dangers still. Take care , have a safe day. --- Official resort snow depths: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 370cm Base - 140cm Niseko Village: Top - 280cm Base - 180cm Niseko Annupuri: Top - 270cm Base - 160cm Niseko Now 2014-2015 season Data as of Friday 30th January 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 806cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 53 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th and 26th December) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 257cm 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 10cm Snowfall at base this season 831cm Posted on Monday 2nd February 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here The wind had a hold on the top areas of the mountain through the day yesterday. At Hirafu and Hanazono, the lift situation remained the same through the day (ie. top lifts closed), but over at Niseko Village their gondola did start moving around 1pm, and the Niseko Annupuri gondola also finally got moving before 2pm. I have just a bit of snowfall to report overnight and adding to that what we got during the day yesterday I'm calling 10cm for the purposes of the report. It looks like we are on for some mixed weather conditions today and tomorrow - cloud, light snow at times, clearings at times. I can see a bit of blue up there now actually. Wind is unfortunately affecting top lifts at Hirafu, Hanazono and Annupuri (but not at Village looking at the latest info) at the start of the day... hopefully it will be less of an issue during the day today. --- As we are now into February I thought it would be a good time to take a look at some statistics from January 2015 and the season so far. First of all, my observed snowfall data here in the Hirafu base area. December 2014 (519cm) easily beat out December 2013 (275cm) in terms of snowfall, but January this year (257cm) was behind the previous January (461cm)…by a fair bit actually (204cm). Season so far totals at the end of January: Last season: 859cm This season: 806cm Over to the Japan Meteorological Agency numbers. Remember, this data is taken in Kutchan town so lower down than the resort areas - more up here in Hirafu and more still on mountain. January 2011: 420cm January 2012: 290cm January 2013: 268cm January 2014: 317cm January 2015: 230cm The season so far at the end of January: 10/11 season: 661cm (63%) 11/12 season: 721cm (69%) 12/13 season: 672cm (64%) 13/14 season: 674cm (71%) 14/15 season: 658cm They actually look fairly consistent, don’t they. See those numbers in brackets - they show the percentage of the total snowfall for that season had fallen by the end of January. So basically last season in Kutchan, by the end of January 71% of the total snowfall for the season had fallen, with 39% left to look forward to. Doing the same calculation with my observations from here at base in Hirafu last season, the 859cm up until the end of January 2014 represented about 74% of the total observed 1163cm of snowfall for the season. So basically at this point of the season, we had another 3m or so of snowfall to look forward to here in the village area. It goes without saying of course that we’d like more this season. All very interesting... well, I think so, I hope you do too! --- Resort specific news as of 8:30am - subject to change during the day Niseko Grand Hirafu: The top King Number 3, King Number 4 and Ace Number 4 lifts on hold due to wind situation. The early morning lift operation at Hirafu has now ended. Niseko Hanazono: Top Hanazono Number 3 lift on hold due to wind situation. Niseko Village: Looks set to be open as planned. 'Early Morning Gondola' on Saturday (7th) and Sunday (8th) for 1300 yen, Gondola open from 7:30am until 8:30am. Niseko Annupuri: Top Jumbo Number 4 lift on hold due to wind. --- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: -6C, 10cm of snowfall in 12 hours, calm. Moiwa 800m: N10m/s, -10C, 15cm snowfall and snowdrift development up to 100cm in some places. Annupuri 1000m snowpack 280cm, N12m/s, 20cm of new snow on the course with development of snowdrifts. Hirafu peak ridge: -13C, 20cm snow on the course with snowdrifts development. Peak anemometer: NNW17m/s, -13.2C. Coastal data: Benkei cape N10m/s, Kamui cape NNE9m/s, 1019hPa, 2.2m waves. Similar atmospheric pressure pattern remains with strong northerly wind above 800m. The snowfall is small, however a lot of snow got carried to the valleys by the wind. Looking at the snowfall transition and observations, 60-100cm of drifted snow has deposited in leeward slopes. 60cm thick surface slab avalanches are to be expected in 800m Mikaeri bowl area, Osawa cornice slopes. Peak gates opening is undecided, please follow the ski patrol’s decision. The wind is relatively calm this morning but is forecasted to pick up again during the day. Avalanche hazard will remain high in cornice slopes, knolls and open steep faces until the wind settles down. Many of the past avalanche accidents happened by stimulating developing snowdrift slabs during high wind weather. Better stay away from open steep slopes today. The snow in the trees is a bit heavy but in good shape. Always stay prudent when riding. --- Official resort snow depths: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 360cm Base - 130cm Niseko Village: Top - 280cm Base - 180cm Niseko Annupuri: Top - 280cm Base - 160cm Niseko Now 2014-2015 season Data as of Monday 2nd February 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 831cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 55 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th and 26th December) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 257cm reported on 23 days February 2015 snowfall 25cm 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 849cm Posted on Wednesday 4th February 2015 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Just a fairly thin layer of snow since yesterday - that early snowfall didn't really end up amounting to much in the end. Likely more higher up than down here of course. Light snowfall has been easing off this morning with clearer conditions now expected during the day today. So we might get some sunshine and clear skies today and tomorrow as well. Temperatures will hopefully remain in negative numbers. Looks like the wind isn't going to be a problem and there should be a calmer feel to proceedings over the next few days. That should be nice, but what about the snow? Well, look towards later in the day on Saturday for the start of what might potentially be a very decent snowfall coming out way. --- Anyone see the piece that NHK TV did last night after the 7pm news about the increase in popularity of backcountry in Japan? I didn’t know that it was going to be - would have mentioned in advance if I had, so sorry about that. With more people going out of bounds – and sadly in many cases without the knowledge and equipment needed to be safe - there has been an increase in unfortunate accidents, and even fatalities this season down in Nagano and Niigata. As well as giving some background to the situation and appeal of backcountry, they mentioned the Niseko Rules and gate system as a success story in avoiding fatalities since it started. They also showed Shinya-san up there at 5am in the morning checking on the snow and safety situation, making the decisions about gate openings, and him and his colleagues out there taking the time to communicate with folk venturing out of the gates. Otsukaresama deshita to all involved. --- Resort specific news as of 8:30am - subject to change during the day Niseko Grand Hirafu: Looks set to open as planned this morning. Niseko Hanazono: Looks set to open as planned this morning. Niseko Village: Looks set to open as planned this morning. 'Early Morning Gondola' on Saturday (7th) and Sunday (8th) for 1300 yen, Gondola open from 7:30am until 8:30am. Niseko Annupuri: Looks set to open as planned this morning. --- Niseko Avalanche Report Niseko base 6am: -6C, light snowfall in the past 12 hours. Moiwa 800m: NNW10m/s, 5cm snowfall with 40cm snowdrift development. Annupuri 1150m: N10m/s, -12C, large development of snowdrifts. Hirafu ridge: strong northerly wind, -13C, light development of snowdrifts. Coastal data: Benkei cape NE10m/s, Kamui cape E4m/s, 1022hPa, 1.3m waves. Intermittent northerly gusts continue above 800m. Cornices and snowdrifts are growing large in western areas above 800m. According to observation and snowfall transition, the snowpack is stabilizing, however avalanches are still likely to occur in heavy snowdrift loaded slopes such as 900m Osawa cornice slopes, Kozan no sawa (Backbowl). DO NOT traverse under cornices, it will trigger a slide. Hard-slabs slides triggered by collapsing crust layer are also to be expected in Higashi-One cornice slopes. A thin slide can easily carry a person all the way down to the bottom of the valley. Peak gates 2 & 3 are scheduled to open. Listen to the ski patrol’s instruction before stepping out of the gates. Avalanches are natural occurrences, they only become an accident when a human being is involved in it. Better not underestimate the consequences, always think safety first. Niseko respects the freedom to ride the out of bounds area, however is also deeply concerned about all users’ safety. The snow in the tree is mostly reset and in good condition. Have a nice day. --- Official resort snow depths: Grand Hirafu / Hanazono: Top - 370cm Base - 125cm Niseko Village: Top - 280cm Base - 180cm Niseko Annupuri: Top - 280cm Base - 170cm Niseko Now 2014-2015 season Data as of Wednesday 4th February 2015 Total snowfall at base so far 849cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 57 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 45cm (15th and 26th December) November 2014 snowfall 30cm reported on 5 days December 2014 snowfall 519cm reported on 25 days January 2015 snowfall 257cm reported on 23 days February 2015 snowfall 43cm 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