Perisher Ski Resort

Perisher
Mount Perisher at 2,054 m (6,739 ft)
Location	Perisher Valley
Nearest city	Canberra
Coordinates	36°24′S 148°25′E / 36.4°S 148.41°E / -36.4; 148.41Coordinates: 36°24′S 148°25′E / 36.4°S 148.41°E / -36.4; 148.41
Top elevation	2,054 metres (6,739 ft)
Base elevation	1,720 metres (5,640 ft)
Skiable area	1,245 hectares (3,080 acres)
Runs	22% Beginner 60% Intermediate 18% Advanced
Longest run	~4 kilometres (2.5 mi) (Top of Perisher Quad Express to Bottom of Blue Calf T-Bar)
Lift system	47 lifts
Snowfall	190 centimetres (75 in) (median) [1]
Website	Perisher

Perisher (known as Perisher Blue until 2009) is the largest ski resort in the Southern Hemisphere. Located in the Australian Snowy Mountains, the resort is an amalgamation of four villages (Perisher Valley, Smiggin Holes, Guthega, and Blue Cow) and their associated ski fields, covering approximately 12 square kilometres (5 sq mi), with the base elevation at 1,720 metres (5,640 ft) AHD, and the summit elevation of 2,054 metres (6,739 ft) at the top of Mount Perisher. 4.4 square kilometres (1.7 sq mi) of this area is covered by 240 snow guns, which are used to artificially supplement the natural snowfall. Perisher was acquired by Vail Resorts, United States on March 30, 2015 for a sum of approximately AU$177 million.

The resort is accessible by road and by the Skitube, Australia's only underground rack railway. The main skiing period is in July and August, with the official season running from the second weekend in June to the first weekend of October. Perisher consists of 47 lifts: The Village Eight Express, an eight-seater chairlift (built in 2003), two high-speed quad detachable chairlifts, five fixed-grip quad chairlifts, four double chairlifts, two triple chairlifts, 21 T-Bars, three J-bars, seven ski carpets, and 2 rope tows. The run difficulties are graded 22% beginner, 60% intermediate and 18% advanced.

The Snowy Mountains region is thought to have had Aboriginal occupation for some twenty thousand years. Large scale intertribal gatherings were held in the High Country during summer for collective feasting on the Bogong moth. This practice continued until around 1865. The area was first explored by Europeans in 1835, and in 1840, Edmund Strzelecki ascended Mount Kosciuszko and named it after a Polish patriot. High country stockmen followed who used the Snowy Mountains for grazing during the summer months. Banjo Paterson's famous poem The Man From Snowy River recalls this era. The cattle graziers have left a legacy of mountain huts scattered across the area. The Kosciuszko National Park in which Perisher ski resort is situated, came into existence as the National Chase Snowy Mountains on 5 December 1906. In 1944 this became the Kosciuszko State Park, and then the Kosciuszko National Park in 1967.