Winter 2021 - 2022 recap

Another pandemic winter is nearing its end, we wish you could have joined us this season here in Niseko. Fortunately, the global pandemic situation seems to be improving & the return of international travel is seeming increasingly likely for winter 2022 - 2023. While lifts are still turning & we still have a little bit of winter left, we’ll jump the gun a bit and recap the season for those who haven’t been here to experience it in person.

SEASON BY SEASON COMPARISON

The snow this season could be best described as “unrelenting”. We had very few days without snowfall – in the 86 day period between December 13th and March 8th, we had just 7 days without snowfall. Niseko lived up to its reputation as the world’s powder paradise. 

Here is how this season stacks up to the last 10 years:

EARLY SEASON

Snowfall came on strong at the tail end of November, the 25th - 27th saw a whopping 75 cms in 72 hours. With this storm, and with some early December snowfall, Niseko’s resorts opened with ~100 cm of total snowfall. 

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POWDER SEASON

We could refer to this as the holiday season or “Japanuary”… but this winter, the period between mid December & mid January would be best described as powder season. 

We had snowfall every single day from December 16th through January 19th. Really, not a single 0 cm day. 

Some stats on this period for you:

• Consecutive snowfall days: 35
• Total snowfall: 479 cm
• Daily average: 14.5 cm
• Highest daily snowfall: 40 cm 

A DEEP FEBRUARY

In most seasons, January tends to steal the show – this was not the case this year. February 2022 saw a whopping 337 cm of snowfall and 14 days that we’d consider to be “powder days” @ 10+ cm of snowfall accumulation (that is 50% of days!) 

At 337 cm, this was the snowiest February that Niseko has seen in 10 years, greatly eclipsing the month’s median snowfall of 195 cm!

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SPRING SEASON

March saw snowfall totals taper down for a total of 81 cm of accumulated snowfall. It is still April at the time of writing, so we have yet to see how the month will shape up. Based on previous years, we can expect ~5-10 cm of snowfall this month along with plenty of sunshine and slushy spring days. A great time of season to get out and bid winter adieu! Read a few of our favorite ways to spend springtime in Niseko HERE.

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Wanting to get out here and enjoy spring skiing or… perhaps you’re already planning your trip for winter 2022 - 2023? Reach out to book your next niseko ski package now and take advantage of our Advanced Purchase and Long Stay discounts!

(Data pulled from SNOWJAPAN)