Mountain Planning Manager (Vail Resorts Australia) Sophie Ballinger was on the chair during the test run and reflects on the project: “There’s been lots of steps in the process, from that first construction certificate to now, and working with lots of different people within Perisher and Doppelmayr Australia has been just great.”

The construction period stretched more than 18 months, with Perisher and Doppelmayr Australia teams facing hot summer working conditions in high altitude, to frozen muddy work areas, and everything in between, to complete the project.

“We’re all working really hard towards the goal. Nothing’s too hard, or too small – we’ve all been on board to work together,” said Doppelmayr Australia GM Shaun Turner, who also jumped on the test run. “It was pretty special getting up there for the test run on such a nice day, having a look out at the view and everything that Mt Perisher offers has been amazing.”

The project is a significant investment in the guest experience at Perisher and highlights the commitment from Vail Resorts to the Australian Snowsports Industry.

“A big thank you to everyone involved in this project,” said Michael Fearnside, Perisher’s Operations Director. “There’s so much work involved and it’s truly a team effort. It’s been quite the challenge, and quite the result.”

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by Pete ‘The Frog’ Taylor

I was lucky enough to be taken on a tour of the current build site of the brand new state of the art 6 seater chairlift on Mt.Perisher. Once completed this will be the highest lifted point in Australia at 2042m (5m higher than the current Karels lift at Thredbo). I’m assured this was not the reason for the new lift, as it was in the original pre 2000 Perisher Master Plan for a new lift on Mt Perisher.

The shear magnitude of this build cannot be understated, it’s been in planning for years and once all relevant documents were lodged it took another 2 years for approval to be given to begin. Being well within the Kosciouszko National Park, as expected there have been many environmental issues to deal with, and the resort along with their build partner Doppelmayer (based in Jindabyne), have met every concern. It’s been a build project over two off seasons, and last Summer we saw the old double chair removed and the chairs auctioned off raising well over $300,000 for local community organisations and charities. The new chair is expected to be ready sometime in April.

Currently the top station is already well and truly looking like it’s not far off completion and the bottom station footprint is well underway. The view from the top is truly magnificant and as well as looking across the entire Perisher Valley, you can now see the top of the Ridge Chair at Blue Cow and the Freedom Chair at Guthega. The top tower of the Eyre T-bar has been moved a little further up the hill to allow easier access both above and below the lift when alighting the new chair. Being higher you can now easily access the Mt.Perisher T-bars which many probably don’t even realise are there, with them being tucked around the corner along the resort boundary. Much more terrain will now be accessible as a result.

The lift will be much faster with better wind performance. The chair can be slowed in stronger wind conditions and operate in stronger winds than were previously possible, which should result in less time lost due to wind hold. The state of the art Doppelmayer chair has a wider rope guage and can monitor any movement to the mm any movement and improve user safety. A trip to the top will take 5.6-minute, which is much faster than the previous 10minute ride and a 60% increase in chairlift capacity on Mt Perisher and a 22% increase in overall lifted capacity in the Mt Perisher precinct . The chairs will have comfortable padded seating and foot rests, will be detachable so can be automatically stored overnight at the bottom station so we won’t see ice on the chairs after overnight snow. Another plus is that the lift is planned to open from 8:30am during peak times. There will also be alternative access tracks from the bottom of the Mt Perisher Triple to the Leichhardt Chair. The removal of the double and triple chair towers and the new lift only need 6 external towers will mean there will be skiable area on the Towers run.

Food and beverage will be improved at the bottom of Mt Perisher. Currently the Powder Inn Restaurant serves food and drinks, but is not so easy to access, due to it’s small size. A temporary outside kiosk will be added for this coming season. The now vacant concrete slab where the double chair loaded will now be an outdoor seating area with chairs and tables as well as ski racks. You will now be able to grab a coffee, go to the toilet and easily slide back into the lift line without even needing to head inside. For those wondering why there isn’t any new restaurant or amenity built, that’s not off the cards for the future. Visitor numbers will be closely monitored and we may see additions if there is a genuine need.

All we need now is to find a name for the new Chairlift and will Perisher try to match or out-do Thredbo’s current bell which is probably the most instagramable spot in the mountains. Got any ideas?

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It was a majestic, blue sky day in Thredbo with subzero temps and a fresh blanket of snow covering the Main Range. A group of locals, Thredbo staff and guests congregated in Thredbo Village to begin the trek to Australia’s highest mountain to generate awareness on a more sustainable future.

During the climb to the top, Alex Parsons, Head Guide of Thredbo’s Backcountry Team, took time to educate the group on the area, it’s indigenous heritage and describe areas of significance. As they made their way through breathtaking scenery, The Thredbo Environment team was there every step of the way to discuss the importance of creating environmentally forward practices, Thredbo sustainability initiatives and how we can all do out part.

As the group reached the summit, they were blessed with sunshine and sweeping views of Australia’s unique alpine region. A quick happy snap on the top of Australia before and a moment to enjoy the 360-degree panorama before the group strapped in for a few turns while they headed back to the resort.

Speaking of the day, group member Paul Hayden said, “Fantastic! Couldn’t have asked for a better day. Seeing Mount Kosciuszko and the snow cornice coming off it was a highlight. I was surprised how much skinning [hiking on skis] is such a joy, you get into a rhythm and it’s just amazing. It’s a sensational day with informative guides. Thredbo should keep it up and continue to make people aware of the profile of our environment”  

The full-day Hike to Mt Kosciuszko is a staple for Environment Week in Thredbo, held between 19 – 25 July 2021. The annual, week-long celebration of all things green aims to highlight sustainable practices, environmental awareness and community action in the Snowy Mountains.

Euan Diver, Environmental Services Manager at Thredbo spoke to the week stating, “This week is dedicated to highlighting the initiatives that Thredbo undertake to ensure that we continue to pursue our goal of being the most environmentally sustainable Alpine Resort in Australia.  We use our best endeavours to minimise our impact and where possible, actually improve the condition of some aspects of the environment and protect it for the future generations of Thredbo visitors.”

A number of Thredbo’s 2021 sustainability partners joined in the conversation including Red Energy, Greenfleet, Keep It Cool and Protect Our Winters.

Tree For Tree

Thredbo has been matching donations, tree for tree, from 19 – 25 July 2021 for Environment Week. Since 2014, Thredbo has been committed to a forestry carbon offset program, enabling guests to purchase a tree for $4 when buying resort products.

Gold EarthCheck

2021 saw Thredbo awarded with Gold EarthCheck certification, a first for any Australian snow resort. EarthCheck is the world’s leading environmental certification and benchmarking program for the travel and tourism industry. The recognition makes Thredbo a leader of sustainable tourism destinations worldwide certified to the internationally recognised EarthCheck Destination Standard.

New Sustainability Initiatives at Thredbo

Thredbo’s focus on working towards a more sustainable future, is not a new one. Having invested and implemented several initiatives in the past including the resort’s move in 2019 to power all major resort operations by clean, renewable energy. 2021 saw a number of new initiatives hit the slopes from investment into new organics recycling, a plastic reduction plan and securing an entire SNOWsat fleet.

New Organics Recycling Machine
Thredbo doubled its capacity in food waste recycling by investing in a Closed Loop organics recycling machine. This year saw an increase in the number of restaurants, lodges and apartments in Thredbo taking part to reduce the volume of waste being sent to landfill instead, creating a usable compost product that puts nutrients back into the soil.

Thredbo Alpine Hotel Plastic Reduction Plan
A long-term sustainability plan, Thredbo is in phase two of the plan to remove all single use plastic products from the resort. Phase one saw the removal of front of house single use plastic items including replacing plastic straws with paper and the introduction of certified compostable and sustainable sugar cane pulp food packaging. Phase two will see plastic free alternatives for back of house products and the introduction of sustainable alternatives throughout Thredbo Resort.

SNOWsat snow depth technology
With a focus on snow grooming, Thredbo has invested in new SNOWsat technology to more accurately map snow depth across the resort creating more efficient, fuel and energy saving snow grooming and snow making

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The snowfalls are about to begin on what will be a major dump in the resorts over the next few days. Snowatch will collect images of the snowfalls and post them here as they come in.

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Run re-named Frank’s Face after Frank Prihoda on his 99th birthday

THREDBO RESORT — July 8, 2020

When ‘The Tors’ run was re-named Frank’s Face at Thredbo today, it is in honour of Thredbo resident and Australia’s oldest living Olympian Frank Prihoda as he celebrates his 99th birthday. But this is just the ski tip of an incredible story. 

The intermediate run from Australia’s highest lifted point is sandwiched between Karel’s T Bar and Sasha’s Schuss, named after Frank’s brother-in-law, Karel Nekvapil and his sister Sasha (who married Nevkapil). “Having the Frank’s Face trail located between Karel’s T-bar and Sasha’s Schuss gives me great pleasure and feels like family,” says Prihoda.

And while he was planning to celebrate today with “just a low key gathering with my close friends,” opting for a small cake ceremony, glass of champagne and maybe a few nibbles, his legacy and community contribution is being recognised. “I feel especially honoured….it’s something which I don’t quite know how to express” says Prihoda of the run’s new name. “It confirms my connection with Thredbo, my love for this place and my long term residence. It is just such an honour”.

FROM EUROPE TO AUSTRALIA 

The story of this Czech influence in Thredbo began over 70 years ago, when a young Frank fled the former Czechoslovakia and the communist regime. With him was Karel, and later in 1949 his sister Sasha, a ski team member of the communist Czechoslovakian Ski Federation who found her chance to slip away after a Swiss race meet. 

Adding to Thredbo’s deep European links is Tony Sponar, who borrowed Prihoda’s Jeep to escape to St Anton in Austria (namesake of Sponar’s T Bar). Reunited in the Arlberg, the trio were integral to the development of skiing in Thredbo and importing the Arlberg technique, the blueprint of many ski schools worldwide. 

Frank continued his alpine love after landing in Australia, his sister luring him from Melbourne in 1974. “My sister Sasha and her husband were running a lodge here – Sasha’s lodge, the second ever commercial lodge in Thredbo. Consequently I had a connection to Thredbo and for me it was a place I wanted to be. I love the place, the atmosphere, the skiing and the winter.”

AN OLYMPIAN AND FACE OF THREDBO 

Having competed in the Winter Olympics in Cortina in 1956, Prihoda has also recently been awarded the Snow Medal Australia, a new award from June 2020 to recognise Australians at the highest level of winter sport. In 2014 Frank was also named as one of the Faces of Thredbo, along with his sister and brother-in-law, for significant contributions to skiing and making Thredbo what it is today. 

Today his hope is that other’s feel his love for his mountain home. “I wish for Thredbo to prosper and to get over the difficult challenges that it has encountered with the bushfires and now the pandemic. It would be nice for heaven to be kind to us now and send us a lot of snow so Thredbo can give all its visitors the experience they would like.”

For further information, please contact:

media_thredbo@evt.com

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Already this May we have seen two decent snowfalls turn the mountains white. Below is a collection of photos from the resorts.

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