Good morning and a very happy new year to you all. May it be a good one for you and yours. And may it be full of fresh, fluffy, dry and light snow.

Alas, I do not have any fresh snowfall to report to you this morning. After a rather boisterous and noisy New Years Eve (well, if you wanted it to be), it is a fairly calm and cloudy start to the day. Last night the weather was good for the fireworks and the torch-lit skiing display thingy, and the drinking and eating places were very lively with people celebrating. I suspect there might be one or two few sore heads this morning.

As I said, it is a calm morning here and generally cloudy conditions. We may get a light dusting over the next few days but the forecasts seem to be telling us to expect the next proper snowfall from Wednesday.

Gates are gradually opening with 4, 5 and 6 already open and 2 and 3 scheduled to open from today. There's more on that in the Avalanche Report below.

Snow-wise, the month of December ended up with me observing 181cm of snowfall. Better than most of the other reports posted on the site I notice, but definitely less than each of the previous (at least) four seasons... and in a few cases much less. Hmmmm. Anyway, you can see the numbers for yourself below and on the 'Snowfall Analysis' page (big blue tab button at the top of the page), but I'll do a little mini-review sometime in the next few days.

I observed 303cm of snowfall in January 2016. Let's beat that shall we...

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Niseko Avalanche Report:

Niseko base 6am: -5℃, no snowfall. Moiwa 800m: -7℃, mild wind and no snowfall. Annupuri 1150m: -9℃, no snowfall, foggy. Hirafu1200m: -9℃, mild wind, no snowfall, foggy and poor visibility. Coastal data: Kamui cape SW12m/s, 1019hPa, 1.0m waves.

Happy New Year.

The weather is calm under a high-pressure system. There are no snowfall or snowdrifts development and the general avalanche risk is low. Gates 6, 4 & 5 have opened, and Gate 2 (Annupuri peak) and 3 (Hirafu peak) are scheduled to open today. Gate 4 will open a while after the peak opens. Area above 1100m is foggy and visibility is very bad.

Although the snow is insufficient, slopes above 800m are relatively good. The lower you go, the thicker are the bushes and some streams aren’t filled in yet. Many holes are present in Annupuri Osawa valley’s bottom. Make sure to avoid the bottom of the valley and stick on the left bank (Annupuri resort side).

Cornices can collapse anytime; do not stimulate them. People may be riding under it.

Freedom to ride out of bounds is tolerated in Niseko, however safety of all users is also a great concern. The area outside the gates is not within the resort management. Many hazards are present in the backcountry, please be prudent.

Wearing helmets and avalanche beacons are strongly recommended. Carrying a rope would be handy if you fall in a hole. Following unknown tracks can leave you astray. Know where you go and know where you are. People ducking ropes will have their liftpass confiscated.

Have a nice day.

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Resort specific opening news at time of writing (subject to change during the day):

Niseko Grand Hirafu
Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Niseko Village
Niseko Annupuri
All lifts appear to be operating as planned.

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Official resort snow depths as of Sunday 1st January 2017:

Niseko Grand Hirafu & Hanazono
Top - 240cm
Base - 90cm

Niseko Village
Top - 140cm
Base - 100cm

Niseko Annupuri
Top - 140cm
Base - 90cm

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Night skiing is planned until Monday 20th March 2017 at the Niseko Annupuri, Niseko Grand Hirafu and Niseko Village resort areas. There is no nighta in the Hanazono area.