Perisher has well developed facilities and services for skiers and snowboarders, which are spread across the four ski areas, the three villages, and the Bullocks Flat Skitube terminal. Perisher Valley has the most amenities, dining options and shops. The main hub is the Perisher Centre which sits at the base of the Front Valley slopes next to the Perisher Valley Hotel. There are lots of eateries and cafes and a few shops. The Perisher Valley Skitube Terminal is another main hub, which houses a medical centre, pharmacy, post office, and various shops.

Perisher Ski Hire and Snowboard Rental

Perisher Resort have large equipment rental outlets on-mountain at Perisher Valley and Smiggin Holes. There is also a large rental shop at Bullocks Flat inside the skitube station, so this is a good option if you’re planning to catch the skitube to Blue Cow. Even though all three Perisher ski hire shops are operated by Perisher Resort, you strangely have to return the equipment to the outlet where you hired it from. A big plus is that they offer lockers at Perisher Valley, Smiggin Holes and Blue Cow so you can leave your gear there rather than lugging it up to your ski lodge or on the train.

Other options on-mountain include Rhythm which has a shop at Smiggins, or you can get concierge services from Larry Adler who deliver equipment to your accommodation.

For backcountry equipment rentals, Snowy Mountains Backcountry in the Guthega Centre has alpine touring skis, climbing skins, adjustable poles, and snowshoes, and also has a retail section for a raft of backcountry ski gear.

Cross country ski rentals as well as telemarks skis and showshoes can be rented at Wilderness Sports in the National Parks and Wildlife Perisher Building.

Off-mountain there are plenty of options for Perisher ski hire. Jindabyne has an extraordinary number of ski and snowboard shops that hire equipment, so the rates are reasonably competitive. There are also a handful of ski hire shops in Cooma.

Facilities for Children

Getting to Perisher with a family in tow can be quite taxing, and getting between your lodge and the slopes can be challenging depending on where you stay, but otherwise Perisher is quite family friendly.

The kids ski school is very well developed and a huge pro is that the snowy village provides abundant opportunities for snow play and tobogganing is allowed.

The Perisher Valley child care centre may have been covidised, so now if you’re looking for child care, you’ll need to organise a babysitter to come to your accommodation from a provider such as Snowy Mountains Babysitting.

Smigs Kids provides child care for ages 6 months to 6 years but it’s only for guests of the Smiggins Hotel.

Perisher Ski School

Book any snowsports school requirements as early as you can because ski and snowboard lessons can become a hot commodity during peak season.

The Perisher ski school has two bases: Front Valley at Perisher Valley (just below the Village 8 chair lift); and Smiggin Holes (outside the Smiggins Hotel) which doesn’t offer all the same options as lessons at Perisher Valley. Blue Cow used to be one of the main bases for ski and snowboard lessons, whereas now it’s only available for some private lessons.

For kids 3 to 6, there are only ski group lessons and Perisher Valley is your only go. Lessons are just in the morning although afternoon care can be added on.

Kids 7 to 14, morning group lessons are at Perisher Valley and Smiggins.

For adults, standard 2 hour group lessons are available at Perisher Valley and Smiggin Holes.

Alternatively, private lessons are on offer in 2 or 4 hour or full day increments, and these can include adaptive lessons.

In addition to learning to ski or snowboard, Perisher lessons have the huge advantage of providing priority access to lift lines.

Eating On Mountain

There are plenty of spots on-mountain for a daytime feed yet whilst Perisher has quantity of eateries in spades, it lacks in the quality stakes.

Some of the eateries are privately owned whilst the Perisher Resort owned outlets attract a discount if you’re an Epic Pass holder, which is nice because food can be outrageously expensive. There are food court eateries inside the Perisher Manor building which is particularly soulless. The Perisher Centre and Blue Cow Terminal also have food courts which are good for a quick feed but have no atmosphere. Or there are lots of kiosks or food truck style outlets.

Bottom of the barrel is the Mid-Perisher Centre. The deck is a nice place to sit but the décor inside is lairy, the food very basic, and the prices are eye watering and unfortunately you can’t use your Epic Pass for a discount. Your basic lunch may cost twice as much as the hourly rate of the employees. With no water fountains we had to buy a small bottle of water for $6.50 and noticed that a small plate of nachos cost $28! – we gave that a skip and resorted to buying something smaller that provided even worse value for money.

The Alpine Eyre Café at the base of the Eyre T-Bar is very good for nice weather days. It serves up burgers that are next level and coffee. Keep in mind that you’ll need cash.

The Sundeck Hotel on the slopes of Front Valley is an ideal lunch spot for sunny days.

A good all-rounder is the High Ground Coffee Bar which is located adjacent to the Village 8 chairlift and under the Perisher Manor Hotel. Due to the nice coffee, the range of quality food, and the lovely ambience that is a breath of fresh air compared to the generic food court dining, it can be hard to get a table.

Or try the Basecamp Café in the Guthega Mountain Centre. It’s worth it, just for the mountain views that it provides.

If you want a nice sit-down lunch, options include the Snowgums Restaurant (you can use your Epic Pass to get a discount) at the Perisher Valley Hotel, or a short walk from the slopes is the Marritz Hotel or the Man from Snowy River.