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Perisher resort snow
Lat Long: 36.40° S 148.41° E
Ski Australia - New South Wales

Perisher Resort Reviews

Weather Forecast for Perisher at 1867 m altitude

Issued: 9 am 01 May 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Next snow in Perisher: 0.8 cm on Thu 7th  (after 4 PM)

Visitor reviews for Perisher Ski Resort

Perisher Ratings

Overall: 3.3. Based on 43 votes and 50 reviews.

Rate this resort

Snowsure: 3.3

  • Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
  • Is often closed due to a lack of snow
  • Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
  • Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
  • Perisher is snowsure even in the poorest seasons

Variety of pistes: 3.8

  • The ski runs are featureless and unvaried
  • The ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week
  • Perisher has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain

Off-piste: 3.1

  • No off-piste worth mentioning
  • Off piste is out-of-bounds
  • Some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days
  • A vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days

Scenery: 3.7

  • An ugly resort in a bland setting
  • Average mountain views and resort
  • A spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town

Access: 3.2

  • At least one overnight stop
  • Requires a whole day
  • Requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns
  • Arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon
  • There is a main airport within an hour of Perisher

Public Transport: 3.2

  • There are no buses or taxis to Perisher
  • There are slow or infrequent buses / trains available
  • Getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections

Accommodation: 3.6

  • No places to stay in/near Perisher
  • A few places to stay in the resort
  • A wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets

Cheap Rooms: 2.4

  • No budget accommodation available
  • Just one or two hostels so book ahead
  • Several cheap hostels and pensions available

Luxury Hotels: 3.8

  • No luxury accommodation available
  • Just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead
  • Several up-market hotels in Perisher

Ski in/Ski out: 4.0

  • The ski area is located far from any accommodation
  • A free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip
  • Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available

Childcare: 3.6

  • There are no child care facilities at Perisher
  • The resort has limited child-care facilities
  • the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche

Snowmaking: 4.1

  • Perisher relies entirely on natural snow
  • There are just a few snow cannons
  • There are snowmaking facilities on all pistes

Snow Grooming: 4.1

  • There are no snow groomers at Perisher
  • Occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state
  • All the runs at Perisher are groomed daily

Shelter: 3.1

  • There is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut
  • There are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close
  • Perisher is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close

Nearby options: 2.0

  • If snow conditions are poor at Perisher, it will be poor everywhere nearby
  • There are good alternatives within an hours drive
  • Other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions

Regional rating: 4.1

  • Perisher usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region
  • Has average conditions for the region
  • Usually has the best snow conditions in the region

Lift Staff: 3.8

  • The staff at Perisher are rude or unhelpful
  • Lift staff at Perisher are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help

Crowds/Queues: 2.7

  • The resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues
  • It is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays
  • It is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare

Ski Schools: 3.7

  • No ski schools available
  • One or two ski schools but local language only
  • A few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors
  • Plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available
  • Excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors

Hire and Repairs: 4.0

  • Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex
  • There are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance
  • Good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible

Beginners: 4.0

  • Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard
  • A few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week
  • Vast areas of gentle terrain

Intermediates: 4.4

  • No intermediate terrain at Perisher
  • Intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days
  • Vast areas of cruising runs

Advanced: 3.4

  • Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders
  • Enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste
  • Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week

Snow Park: 3.8

  • Not even a kicker at Perisher
  • Average sized park quite well looked after
  • Huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails

Cross-country: 3.8

  • There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Perisher
  • There are some cross country trails available
  • The area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails

Luge/Toboggan: 2.2

  • No designated luge or toboggan runs
  • There are toboggan runs that open quite often
  • Perisher has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages

Mountain Dining: 3.2

  • Nowhere to buy food by the pistes
  • Some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive
  • There is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets

Eating: 3.7

  • Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop
  • There are a few places to eat in the resort but nothing special
  • A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants

Apres-Ski: 3.1

  • Nothing to do, not even a bar
  • There are a few bars in the resort but nothing special
  • Clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere

Other Sports: 2.2

  • No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts
  • Resort has just a small public swimming pool
  • Resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool

Entertainment: 2.6

  • Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here
  • The non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week
  • The resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports

Winter Walks: 2.9

  • Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails
  • A couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails
  • Extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities

Ski Pass Value: 2.8

  • A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available
  • The ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts
  • Ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area

Value (National): 3.0

  • Overall, Perisher is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money
  • Overall represents average value for money
  • Overall offers the best value resort in the country

Value (Global): 2.2

  • Overall, Perisher is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world
  • Overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries
  • Internationally the resort offers excellent value for money

Show all 35 ratings

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July 14, 2010
Adele Scott
Hey I love Perisher...but it's about time they replaced Pretty Valley chair with something that's easier to load with kids and that doesn't nearly knock you off your feet. Also the trip to the top is soooo slooooow on the old thumper. I have been skiing there for 30 years now with the same old same old chair and it's about time! My first lift ticket at Perisher was $14.00 per day - I wish the old days were back again.
July 14, 2010
sue avery
Had a lot of fun at Perisher during the first week of the school holidays despite very few lifts open. However, I did spend an hour queuing on Happy Valley T-bar, whilst watching the Milo ski school pass through it 3 times. Is there any chance these ski schools could stop getting so much priority when there are few lifts open and we have all paid the same price for our lift pass? Also saw ski school push in on jumps where there was no priority line. Fair is fair guys. Perhaps different conditions require different approaches.
July 14, 2010
Mucker
I have skied in Australia for decades and I love Perisher. It is vast, there are runs to suit all levels of skiers and the lift lines can be avoided by skiing around. I find it offensive that Australians rubbish our resorts. I have skied at least 25 different resorts in the USA ,Canada and Europe and as much as I enjoy them I enjoy here as well. I admit it is expensive here but realistically we have a very short season and I believe that the operators are entitled to make a profit. Skiing is not a cheap sport anywhere in the world. I also feel that the lifties are far better here now than they were 20 or so years ago but maybe they could be given a little more training in hospitality and attentiveness. I
July 13, 2010
Julie
Just came back from skiing at Perisher. Thank God for the snow making, as the natural snow didn't want to be seen when we were there in the first week of July 2010. My kids, husband and I love skiing, but can only afford to go every 2/3 years in Australia, as it's sooo expensive! The accomodation, lift tickets for 5 days, and the terrible prices on food! I know that our ski season doesn't last as long as the US or Canada and they have to make money in the winter season, but holy cow!, these prices are stupid! I have never been to other countries to ski, as I love my country and spend my money in my country, but from now on I will be looking to go overseas to ski as it's heaps cheaper and it snows! But, we did enjoyed our holiday despite the growing price hike!
July 13, 2010
Kelly
After reading so many posts I just couldn't help myself but comment on the wide world of Perisher. Like many people, I have had my fair share of the ski seasons. I am total agreement that the ski season in Canada, or any where else for that matter, are no doubt, hands down the best ones I have ever had. It is the snow over there that makes it better for me, however, I deem it nessecary to comment on the Perisher Blues Staff attitude of Perisher Blue. Whilst I was lining up for the V8 lift, a girl fell over, one of the 'lifties' ran over and picked her up wilst another liftie pressed the emergency stop button. The mother and the child that had fallen were put back on the lift safely by the Perisher Staff. I thought this was a nice thing to do, even if it was their jobs, it was still good to see. However, as i approached the lift to hop aboard, the lifty to my right was laughing at this womens expense, calling her a "stupid punter". Now, I know exactly what this means, and while it may be funny to some staff, others take offence, and ESPECIALLY people who knew what it meant. After I had found a ski patrol who showed me where the manager was, he did nothing but say to me "well, it would have been funny, if you dont know how to use the lifts, dont use it" I was appauled! This year, Thredbo has my business!
July 12, 2010
Natalie from NZ
Wow, first time I have heard Australians being negative about their own country... I guess it is alot about expectations... We have been in Canberra for 18 months and travelled up to Perisher last year and again last week. I was absolutely amazed how good it was...and how big and how many chairs.. last year... and yes expectations were high for this year.... but I knew they had not had the snow YET and only half the chairlifts open... half the space... more cues but hey.... we did not expect it to be the same as last year... I have skied in Colorado, Europe and North and South Islands of NZ... it is absolutely stunning on the mountain anywhere a unique experience each time and I just enjoy the day and I must say the beautiful reflection in Lake Jindabyne.... as for the cost, it would be on a par to NZ apart from the exchange rate... we travel further in NZ to get there, yes and sometimes fly.... I think it is about the adventure and fun in the snow...Holidays cost $$$ Thank you Perisher and the team for making it available for us to enjoy in Winter xx
July 07, 2010
Fritzwah
Wow, so many comments. Good and the ugly. I've been skiing all around the world for over 40yrs. 11 seasons in NZ and hell of a lot overseas and every year bar 1 in Australia. Yes, it is expensive here at Perisher, that is why I now only ski one weekend a year, the rest overseas, but that is my choice. Overseas resorts have bad seasons as well and I have skied on some crap. Guys, the only way to hopefully stop the price rise here in Aust is to stop skiing here all together. Wow, wouldn't we then have some discounting going on, maybe, but I doubt it cause the owners are a greedy bunch downunder. But, there is no easy solution. Put up or let your feet do the talking. [note from the editor: there are too many submissions concerning costs at Perisher. Unfortunately, they cannot all be listed amongst Resort Reviews. We would prefer to keep this information directly relevant to standards, services, impressions of snow sports on the hill etc.]
July 04, 2010
Steve Symm
Last year my wife and I handed over $500 each day for two day tickets and two creche passes for our kids at Perisher. In NZ the same cost less than NZ$300 and the staff are much nicer than in Perisher and really taught our kids to ski.
June 28, 2010
the bright side
Every contributer here has made completely valid points: yes, the tickets at Perisher are expensive, and the staff can be on the strict side (and the management questionable!!), no the snow is not always great, and no the mountains aren't as big as in Europe or North America, and the food can be over priced.... So is it still worth going.. Yes of course it is... it's snow , i's fun, lots of fun. There is a very limited amount of it here in Australia and for a very limited time so make the most of what you get... Yes, if you go expecting Europe you will be disapointed you are in Australia... But despite all the hassel and "injustices" that people have pointed out (when life's hardships relate to overpriced skiing then I have to say we are being pretty spoilt) there are plenty of good times to be had... plan ahead and pack lunch and make it an adventure!!!! Enjoy the terrain, trust me there are plenty of fun and challenging spots to be found... And please don't forget to admire the snow gums, the wombats, the rosellas, and even the occasional echidna if you are so lucky!!!! And if you still want to make comparisons to Europe and North America... just think about what people living over there go through to have a beach holiday....
June 23, 2010
dee
In response to another reviewers comments: So what if they run blowers for 36 hours straight at Perisher? It's recycled water. You can’t tell me the cost of power warrants thousands of people paying for expansive tickets, all season long. Countries with an abundance of snow have higher costs, avalanche bombing every day, fleets and fleets of personnel, sleds, cats even choppers, larger, longer gondolas and lifts to maintain, heaps more competition, much more area to service and much more ski patrol and medic services. The real reason is because you have no other choice. You can ski very few places in Australia. The owners of the resorts have a monopoly and you as the consumer have no choice, but to pay through the nose or don’t go. Plus there is no governing body that makes them keep the prices down. They do as they like. Face it, Perisher has crap service, crap parking, crap lift lines, crap overpriced food and most of the time crap snow, but for some reason huge ticket prices.... yeah, makes perfect sense. I am like the rest of you. I love the snow, have been 'round the world just to experience it and ride in it, and still to this day can't help myself and end up payn' for shit snow and $100 lift tickets. [note from the editor: slight alteration made to review to eliminate names etc]