Night driving to Niseko in winter?

Hi there, Looking for some advice for an upcoming trip to niseko for skiing. We arrive at the airport around 8 PM. It doesn’t seem like there’s any buses/shuttles that travel that late at night to niseko. We were also considering renting a car, but also it’s probably not the best idea at night time and especially if it’s actively snowing. Other option would be to spend the night Sapporo and either try to find a bus that leaves early in the morning or drive ourselves. The big dilemma is we don’t necessarily want to lose out on skiing times Sunday, wanted to maximize all their travel for Saturday as much as possible but the options are looking slim as we are only in the area for 3-4 days. Appreciate any advice from people who have traveled here before.

And as far as drives, what would generally be the best route, especially at night?

I think your best bet is to take a train or bus into Sapporo (train is faster) and get an early start the next morning either by bus or train. The last train to Niseko and Otaru from Shin-Chitose is 8:19 PM. If your flight gets you in early enough to get your gear and get down to the station, you might just make it. If not, you might make it as far as Otaru with a transfer in Sapporo. The last through train to Otaru is the 8:19.

Most car rental places that I've dealt with are closed by 8pm at the latest. I've had to hurry several times because some close at 6pm (the Mazda rental in Sapporo).

It's winter and driving through central Hokkaido has its risks if a front comes through. A nice sunny day is fast with no problems, but with 100km winds and blowing snow, you're not going very far. Even the trains get cancelled in this weather.

The most direct route is the same as the ski bus route shown on:
https://www.rome2rio.com/map/New-Chitose-Airport/Niseko#r/Ski-bus/s/0
Its last departure is 3:30 pm.

The route that is first cleared is the Chitose-Sapporoo-Otaru-Niseko as it has the most traffic.

I got into Shin-Chitose at around 7:00pm one year and barely made the last train into Sapporo having some luggage delays. If that happens, there are some inexpensive business hotels in Chitose, where you can pick up cars or trains the next morning.

https://www.fairplanet.org/story/inside-japans-snowy-nightmare/