SnowStash
ForecastsCompareNews
SnowStash Logo

Live snow, webcams and expert resort guides for the world's mountains - plan your next day on snow.

hello@snowstash.com
Download on the App Store

Destinations

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • Europe
  • Japan
  • New Zealand
  • United States

Company

  • About Us
  • Work With Us
  • Privacy Policy

Explore

  • Compare Resorts
  • News & Updates
  • Snow Forecast
  • Mobile App

© 2026 SnowStash. All rights reserved.

    New South Wales, Australia · Epic Pass

    Perisher

    Australia's largest ski resort with 4 linked areas, 113 runs and 1,245 hectares in the Snowy Mountains. Open June to October.

    Season 2026
    Opens
    6 June 2026
    Closes
    5 Oct 2026
    Days open
    121
    Annual snow
    3m
    The Overview
    MF
    Michael Fulton
    Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.

    Perisher is Australia's largest ski resort and the largest in the Southern Hemisphere, spanning 1,245 hectares across four interconnected ski areas within Kosciuszko National Park in the NSW Snowy Mountains. The combined resort links Perisher Valley, Smiggin Holes, Blue Cow and Guthega across seven peaks, serving 113 runs on terrain that rises from 1,699m to a summit of 2,054m atop Mt Perisher. The terrain breakdown skews firmly toward intermediates — 60% of runs are graded blue — though the resort's sheer scale means beginners, advanced skiers and freestylers each have dedicated zones across the mountain.

    Access is via Australia's only underground rack railway, the Skitube Alpine Railway, a Swiss-designed train that departs Bullocks Flat on the Alpine Way and travels through a 6.3km tunnel — reaching 550m below the surface at its deepest point — to Perisher Valley, with a further connection to Blue Cow. Opened in 1987, the Skitube remains the defining feature of Perisher's access infrastructure and the most practical option for visitors wanting to avoid chains on the mountain road. Perisher is part of the Vail Resorts Epic Pass network, connecting the resort with Mt Hotham, Falls Creek and a global portfolio of ski destinations.

    355m
    Vertical
    113
    Runs
    3,076 acres
    Skiable
    3m
    Annual snow
    Epic Pass
    Pass
    The Terrain

    113 runs across 3,076 acres skiable

    Perisher spreads 113 runs across 3,076 acres skiable of terrain. It leans intermediate at 60%, with 25 beginner runs to find your feet and 20 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.

    Terrain split
    113
    runs
    113 runs across 4 grades
    Beginner25 runs · 22%
    Intermediate68 runs · 60%
    Advanced19 runs · 17%
    Expert1 run · 1%
    Time it right

    When to visit Perisher

    The 2026 season at Perisher runs from 6 June to 5 October, a four-month window that represents one of the longest seasons of any Australian ski resort. Average annual snowfall reaches 2.6 metres, and the resort's position above 1,699m ensures reliable natural snow coverage across the season's core months of July and August. Snowmaking infrastructure covers 4.4 square kilometres of terrain with 240 snow guns, providing early-season and shoulder-period coverage when natural falls are lighter.

    The Queen's Birthday long weekend in June has historically marked the official season opener for the Snowy Mountains, with the Snowy Mountains of Music Festival running at Perisher Valley across that weekend each year. The back end of the season in September draws a more local crowd and is well regarded for quieter lifts and softening spring snow. Night skiing operates on selected evenings throughout the season, with the floodlit terrain park accessible under lights.

    Season 2026
    6 June 2026
    Opens
    5 Oct 2026
    Closes
    121
    Days open
    3 m
    Annual snow
    Getting there

    Getting to Perisher, and where to stay

    Perisher sits within Kosciuszko National Park in the Snowy Mountains of southern New South Wales, approximately 30 minutes from the resort town of Jindabyne and 20 minutes from the Skitube's Bullocks Flat terminal at the Alpine Way. Canberra is the nearest major city, around two and a half hours by road via the Snowy Mountains Highway through Cooma and Jindabyne. Sydney is approximately five to six hours by car, while Melbourne is roughly seven hours. All vehicles entering Kosciuszko Road in winter conditions are required to carry snow chains.

    Jindabyne is the primary accommodation and services base for Perisher visitors, offering a full range of accommodation, restaurants, ski hire and lift ticket outlets at lower cost than on-mountain lodging. On-snow accommodation is concentrated in Perisher Valley and is predominantly lodge and chalet style, with ski-in, ski-out access from most properties. The Skitube terminal at Bullocks Flat provides parking for up to 3,500 cars and 250 coaches, with ski hire, a ticket office and a snow school also operating from the terminal building.

    Where to stay

    Search all stays →

    Hotels and lodges near Perisher, powered by Stay22.

    Latest News

    From the SnowStash desk

    View all news →
    Spain Moves to Ban Smoking at Ski Resorts Under New Tobacco Law

    Spain Moves to Ban Smoking at Ski Resorts Under New Tobacco Law

    Spain's government has approved a draft tobacco law that would ban smoking across a wide range of outdoor spaces, including sports venues - a category Spanish winter sports media expect to cover ski resorts, potentially extending to slopes and lifts themselves. The rules would also apply to e-cigarettes and vaping devices, even nicotine-free ones. The bill still has to clear the Spanish parliament before any ban, signage, or fines can take effect.

    22 July 2026
    South Tyrol Approves New 16-Person Ciampinoi Gondola in Val Gardena

    South Tyrol Approves New 16-Person Ciampinoi Gondola in Val Gardena

    South Tyrol has approved a full rebuild of the Ciampinoi cable car in Selva di Val Gardena, replacing the current 12-person gondola with a 16-person cabin and a new mountain-station restaurant. Capacity is capped at 3,200 people an hour rather than the 3,600 the operator wanted, and 250,000 euros must go toward compensatory measures. No construction or opening date has been set, though the upgrade is partly aimed at clearing bottlenecks before the 2031 Alpine Ski World Championships.

    22 July 2026
    Resort Spotlight: Hoshino Tomamu - Corporate Japan's Mountain Playground Revisited

    Resort Spotlight: Hoshino Tomamu - Corporate Japan's Mountain Playground Revisited

    Hoshino Tomamu is the ski resort equivalent of a conference hotel that happens to have excellent powder. Built for corporate retreats and package tourists, it offers genuine Hokkaido snow on surprisingly limited terrain - 29 runs spread across 585 vertical metres.

    21 July 2026
    La Thuile's New Cable Car Replaces Two Ageing Chairlifts

    La Thuile's New Cable Car Replaces Two Ageing Chairlifts

    La Thuile is spending 38.7 million US dollars on a new 10-person cable car linking Les Suches to Chaz Dura, replacing the La Combe and Chaz Dura chairlifts after nearly forty years of service. Built by Leitner, the new cable car runs 1,950 metres to a top station at 2,576 metres, carrying up to 3,000 people an hour with a six-minute ride. It also improves the connection to La Rosiere in France via the Petit-Saint-Bernard Pass, and is on track to open for the 2026/27 season.

    21 July 2026
    The Remarkables Adds Scarpa Bowl to Its Inbounds Terrain

    The Remarkables Adds Scarpa Bowl to Its Inbounds Terrain

    The Remarkables is adding new inbounds terrain for winter, bringing the Scarpa Bowl - known locally as the Toilet Bowl - into its lift-accessed network after years as backcountry-only ground. The roughly 500 metre run is reached by bootpacking from the top of the Sugar Bowl chairlift, with a shuttle picking skiers up from the road at the bottom. It's a smaller, faster addition than the resort's planned Doolans expansion, though the new terrain hasn't opened yet due to a lack of snow this season.

    21 July 2026
    Ski Portillo Cut Off After Storm Dumps More Than 4.5 Metres of Snow

    Ski Portillo Cut Off After Storm Dumps More Than 4.5 Metres of Snow

    Ski Portillo remains isolated after an extended storm buried the Chilean resort under more than 4.5 metres of snow, with both ground and air access suspended since Tuesday while crews monitor avalanche hazards and worsening weather. Resort officials say further snowfall is expected in the coming days and haven't set a timeline for reopening the mountain road. Once access resumes, the scale of the snowpack could set up a strong season at one of the Southern Hemisphere's most historic ski resorts.

    21 July 2026
    Resort Spotlight: Lotte Arai - Japan's Corporate Ski Anomaly With 22 Metres of Annual Snowfall

    Resort Spotlight: Lotte Arai - Japan's Corporate Ski Anomaly With 22 Metres of Annual Snowfall

    Lotte Arai receives 22 metres of annual snowfall - exceptional even by Japanese standards - but its corporate ownership model and limited terrain create an unusual cost-benefit equation. Here's what the numbers actually mean on the ground.

    19 July 2026
    Resort Spotlight: Banff Sunshine Village - Nine Metres of Snow and a Season That Runs Until May

    Resort Spotlight: Banff Sunshine Village - Nine Metres of Snow and a Season That Runs Until May

    Banff Sunshine Village sits at 1,660m base and receives 9.27m of snow annually. Inside Banff National Park, it offers a six-month season and terrain split that skews heavily advanced - though the crowds and lift infrastructure tell their own story.

    18 July 2026

    Trail map & terrain

    Perisher trail map↓ Download PDF
    Terrain split
    113
    runs
    Beginner22%
    Intermediate60%
    Advanced17%
    Expert1%
    3,076 acres skiable1,245 hectares
    Resort Stats
    Elevation
    Base1699m
    Summit2054m
    Annual snowfall
    3m
    Season
    2026
    6 June 2026 - 5 Oct 2026
    Trail coverage
    113 runs
    3,076 acres (1,245 ha)

    Perisher ski trails

    Perisher offers 113 runs across a mix of difficulties. The terrain split and trail map here show how the mountain breaks down so you can plan a day that suits your group.
    • • Match runs to your ability - the terrain split shows how much of Perisher is beginner, intermediate and advanced.
    • • Check grooming and open-run status against the live conditions before committing to the upper mountain.
    • • Early season and after fresh snow, favour the lifts serving your preferred grade to make the most of the day.

    More Perisher intelligence: trail map, lift system, resort overview.