Industry News
Perisher Ski Resort, Australia, announced today, December 8, 2023, that the new high-speed “Perisher 6” chair lift will come to the resort in time for the 2025 season. The new six-seater chair lift will replace the current 62-year old Perisher fixed-grip Double-Chair and 44-year old Perisher fixed-grip Triple-Chair on Mt Perisher. Vail Resorts, which purchased Perisher in 2016, had lodged a development application for the new six-chair in December 2019, which approved in September 2021.
This new high-speed six-chair will reclaim Perisher’s title of having the highest lifted point in Australia at 2,042 meters (6,699 feet). Thredbo snatched the title from Perisher in 1979 when Karel’s T-bar opened, taking skiers and boarders to 2,037m (6,683 ft) and exceeding the height of the Mt. Perisher double chair, which held the title until then, by 4 meters (13 feet). The new ‘Perisher-6’ chair lift will support resort capacity and assist to redistribute skiers across Perisher’s network of 48 lifts across four resort areas to reduce general lift wait times and improve flow and circulation.
“The Mt Perisher 6 will service the iconic Towers run on Mt Perisher and provide greater connectivity for skiers and snowboarders than the Mt P Double and Triple that it will replace, providing guests access to all ski runs in all directions on Mt Perisher without having to traverse across slopes or ride multiple surface lifts.”
— Nathan Butterworth, Perisher VP & General Manager
The high-speed detachable chair will increase chairlifting capacity in the Mt Perisher area by 60%, taking more skiers and riders higher up the mountain than ever before. This also marks the first high-speed lift on intermediate and advanced skiing terrain at Perisher, which will enhance the experience for guests with these skiing and riding abilities significantly.
“This significant investment in Perisher’s operations will enhance our guest experience by providing access to higher points on the mountain, faster lift ride times and greater choice of runs from the top of Mount Perisher. Getting on and around the mountain will now be quicker and more seamless for our guests.”
The new six-person chairlift by Doppelmayr will operate at a speed of 4.5 metres per second, cutting travel time up the mountain from currently 11 minutes for the Double-Chair and 10 minutes for the Triple-Chair to a mere 5 minutes 31 seconds, so basically halving the time and thus more than double capacity. The faster load and unload at each end is anticipated to facilitate greater circulation and flow of guests around the mountain.
This is a multi-year project with preparatory works to begin ahead of the 2024 winter season. Operation of the new chairlift anticipated to begin in the 2025 ski and ride season in Australia. The project adds to the Freedom Quad Chair, Leichhardt Quad Chair and continued investment in snowmaking that the resort has implemented in the past 10 years.
“This has been a desired infrastructure upgrade by our local ski community, and I’m thrilled we will be able to make this a reality for our guests,” said Butterworth. “Preparatory works will begin prior to the 2024 season with a 2025 completion date. I would like to thank our teams and contractors for their commitment to bringing this project to life and thank them in advance for the hard work they will do bringing The Mt Perisher 6 to our resort.”
