I visited Perisher recently and I was very disappointed. The runs are very short and there is very little gradient. As an expert skier, I found it hard to deal with the ease of the terrain and the copious amounts of beginners everywhere.
I now much rather ski at Thredbo and am not disappointed.
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Our visit to Perisher really cemented that it’s easy to see why Perisher is the most popular ski resort in Australia. Sure the great value Epic Pass has probably contributed to increased skier visits, but Perisher was incredibly popular long before James Packer et al sold it to Vail Resorts. The Perisher terrain has soooo much going for it, especially for intermediates, and considering a huge proportion of Australian skiers and snowboarders are terminal intermediates, it’s obvious why Perisher is perfectly up their alley.

We’re not intermediate skiers, so whilst we really enjoyed our time at Perisher, it didn’t provide enough variety of challenging terrain that we find at many overseas ski resorts or even other Australian ski resorts. And whilst we also really enjoy zoomies on the groomies, most of the runs at Perisher meander around. We wanted a good fall line pitchy groomer, and these were few and far between at Perisher.

Perisher Valley and Smiggins look like a hill. Admittedly plenty of Japan ski resorts look like this too, but at least they’re usually covered in deep powder. It’s only when you ski over to Guthega that you see some real mountain vistas, and the mountains are a fair way away, so unlike Hotham or even Thredbo that provide some juicy steep terrain just outside the resort boundaries, the backcountry from Perisher requires a lot of earning to get your big mountain turns.

In-bounds, Perisher has some playful advanced terrain. There are lots of rock features that make it interesting, but any challenge is generally very short lived. It sounds like you have to poke around a lot at Perisher to find the good stashes.

For those of us new to Perisher, the way-finding was dreadful. Signs for interconnections were small, and trail maps dotted around the place were also small. We would ski down to a T-bar and wonder which T-bar we’d arrived at, but any labels of the lift name were in tiny font and located well down below where you get on the T-bar. When we got off a lift, we were frequently greeted with no signage whatsoever to indicate what trails might be near or what colour trails (we don’t really care about the names of runs, except that it’s nice to know for research purposes). We went out during a storm one day, and as Perisher Valley doesn’t have a lot of trees for reference, it was often white-out conditions. We’d get off a T-bar and not even be able to see where the piste was. Luckily we weren’t too concerned if we were skiing on or off-piste or if we would end up on a green or double black run or down on the road. It sure reinforced how nice it is when you know a ski resort well and understand all its nuances and how to play a stormy day.

Note for the “uncrowded” rating, we visited mid-week in June (with great early season snow) so whilst Front Valley was busy, Perisher overall was reasonably quiet.

We stayed at the Perisher Valley Hotel which was just lovely. The location was incredibly convenient, and from our room, it was nice to look out onto Front Valley to see people having a whale of a time. The friendliness of the staff was particularly remarkable.

The village at Perisher Valley wasn’t really a village at all yet it had some appeal despite it being very different to what you’d find at Thredbo, Falls or Buller. We went on a bar crawl one afternoon and got plenty of steps up considering the distance between buildings. We appreciate a good ski lodge culture, so didn’t begrudge the relatively quiet night life of Perisher or the small number of evening dining options. A highlight was dinner at the White Spider with its fabulous ambience, delicate entrees, hearty mains, and oh so lovely margaritas. When we return to Perisher, we’ll be putting another visit to the White Spider on the must-do list.

For more on our thoughts on Perisher, see our pros and cons on the Perisher overview page, and you can also see our Australian ski resort ratings to see how we’ve rated it against some other Aussie ski resorts.
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I Really enjoy riding Perisher. Its 4 resorts in one mountain lots of different areas to ski so you can do alot of kms in one day.
Snow was great and the lift lines were pretty good even in peak times.
Had a great time
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Equal personal favourite to Hotham for different reasons. Most progressive terrain parks in the country with plenty of growth for novices right through to professionals, having the parks located at different areas around the resort allows the ability to access different parks in different weather conditions, which is a huge bonus and a shortcoming of Hotham on the extremely exposed Summit terrain park.
Such a large scale resort spreading across multiple peaks allows punters to choose terrain based on wind direction and escape the crowds at certain times of day.
- Wide variety of options for mountain and powder riding if you can beat the crowd.
- Catching the ski tube straight to Blue Cow before lifts open is a bonus for first tracks.
- Terrain steepness and off piste boarding average compared to Hotham, still plenty of fun to be had.

A vote for terrain park quality and ability to progress would be great. (Perisher = 5 stars for Aus.)
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The best offering in size, variety and quality of snow. You always find a good spot away from crowds and plenty of freshies after a snow fall.
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If ever skiing a place felt like a rambling cross-country ski tour on lifts, the expansive Perisher is it. Akin to Grandvalira in Andorra (but without the good food & swanky accommodation that Andorra has!), Perisher can provide a great few days skiing for those that don't mind loads of short runs, on short skiable vertical & no steeps. It is perfect for beginners, children & families, but with all the usual caveats of skiing in Australia - i.e. high cost & highly variable snow quality.

The best terrain is off Mt Blue Cow on the Ridge and parts of Guthega. Intermediates do rightfully love the longish runs on Mt Perisher though. Access to the extensive Main Range backcountry is good from Perisher, particularly up toward Mt Tate from Guthega. In good snow, Smiggin Holes is a sensational novice ski area, perfectly sheltered & easily accessed from the car park (but not the Skitube!).

We don't bother driving up any more, taking the Skitube train makes far more sense. And with a main resort village ranking as the worst in Australia, staying off the hill is more fiscally sound. A few nights in Guthega can be nice though - totally different to Perisher village.

Just like Grandvalira is not our favorite Pyrenees ski resort, neither is Perisher our favorite Australian ski area. But we do love a good cross-country ski tour on lifts........
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Perisher is a fun place. Whilst it may not have the vertical of thredbo it makes up for it in size and the different mountains on offer.

Perisher is definitely a tame resort and consists of smaller sized mountains and hills. This can be frustrating if boarding as some areas are almost flat and you may find yourself having to un-strap and push. It's ideal to know where to go and where not to, to avoid the flats.

Perisher can take days to fully explore, whilst most other resorts in Australia can be seen in half a day. The place has a nice vibe, especially over at Guthega with stunning views up to the highest mountains in Australia.

Snow quality is usualy better than thredbo due to the higher altitude but when there's a big fall then you can't go wrong at both. Can get crowded but because of the amount of lifts, the crowds get dispersed and spread out more than anywhere else in the country. Best to go during week days and avoid school holidays (like anywhere).
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Perisher is fun...got to remember this is Australia...we don't have big mountains...so you find a different way to have fun. What it lacks in steeps and vertical it makes up in the variety of terrain...if you know the mountain you will know how to find the best snow...it varies greatly throughout the day so if you are prepared to cover the ground you will find the best conditions.

If you don't like Perisher then good, stay away...less people to get in the way...the crowds are the biggest drawback, but once you get the rhythm of the mountain you will find near empty runs and lifts on even the most crowded of days...
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Had a wicked time at perisher!
Chilled as, everyone is chill.
No pow though
Best in Aus easy peasy
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