Industry News
Today, March 6, Perisher Resort, Australia, shared an update on the construction of the new six-chair on Mount Perisher, which is slated to open for the 2025 ski season. As part of the construction work that started over the summer, Nathan Butterworth, Perisher Vice President and General Manager, confirmed that the old Mount Perisher Double Chair will be decommissioned ahead of the 2024 season. The closure of the Double Chair is necessary in order to be able to get the new lift ready in time for the 2025 season.
Perisher Resort announced in December 2023 that the two old fixed-grip chairs on Mount Perisher will be replaced with a new, detachable high-speed six-chair in 2025. The Perisher Double Chair was opened in 1961 and was a 2-chair fixed grip by GMD Müller, which took skiers up to the top of Mount Perisher in 11 minutes. The new express six-chair by Doppelmayr will be able to transport skiers at twice the speed, making the trip in a mere 5 minutes 31 seconds.
Important excavations at the top of Mount Perisher required the decommissioning of the 63-year-old Double Chair, however, the Mount Perisher Triple-Chair, adjacent to the Double Chair, will remain operational for the 2024 ski season. While this will put a constraint on mountain operations on peak days, the resort will do its utmost to mitigate congestion and encourage visitors to use the Perisher App to avoid excessive waiting times. The resort also confirmed that it is planning to set up temporary food and beverage options during the construction phase while the toilets at Powder Inn will remain operational.
For those loyal Perisher visitors who are feeling sentimental about not being able to have a last trip on the “Mt P Double”, the resort is planning on auctioning off the old original chairs. In addition, Perisher Resort is planning on holding a fitting farewell to Perisher’s longest-running chairlift. Details will be confirmed closer to the start of the Australian ski season on June 7, 2024.
The full update, provided by Nathan Butterworth, can be found on the resort’s social media channels.
