Australia's largest ski resort Perisher is set to open its new $26 million toy this weekend – the Mount Perisher 6 chairlift.

As the name suggests, it's a brand spanking new six-seater chairlift that runs up Mt Perisher, replacing the old Mt Perisher triple and double chairs.

Image: The chairlift's construction crew takes the new ride for a spin in May before the first snow fell. Source: Perisher Resort.

The old triple chairlift operated from 1980 to 2024 while the iconic double chairlift chugged away from 1961 to 2023, with its weather-beaten timber-panelled chairs auctioned off to those seeking a distinctive garden seat or ornament.

Image: They don't make chairlifts or ski gear like they used to... which is probably a good thing. Source: Perisher Historical Society.

Even though one lift replaces two old lifts, Perisher claims that the new high-speed chair will actually increase the lifting capacity on Mt Perisher by 60%. That's because of:

• The extra seating capacity (six people on one chair compared to five on two chairs).
• The 44% quicker ride time (under six minutes to the top compared to the old 10 minutes).

This is the most significant piece of lift infrastructure in Autralia since Thredbo's Merritts Gondola opened in 2020 at a cost of $15 million.

While Perisher has no gondolas in its fleet of 44 ski lifts, it now has both a six-seater and the existing eight-seater chair on its Front Valley beginner run. So the rivalry is alive and well with its near NSW neighbour Thredbo. 

And the rivalry just got even more fierce.

With its new Mt Perisher 6, Perisher has usurped Thredbo's status as the ski resort with the highest lifted point. Thredbo's Karels T-Bar peaks at 2037 metres. But the new Mt Perisher 6 rises to 2042 metres.

That's a gap of just five metres, but in marketing terms, it's worth plenty more than that.

Image: The new Mt Perisher 6 chairlift after the 2025 season's first heavy snowfall. With the removal of the towers from the old two chairlifts, the run to the left of the new chair has been renamed from "Towers" to Legends" although local skiers say they will keep using the odld name. Source: Perisher.

While Perisher now has the highest lifted point, Thredbo retains the greatest vertical drop in Australia. This refers to the difference in altitude between the highest and lowest parts of a ski resort, and most serious skiers and snowboarders consider it more important than a resort's size (in terms of area) or number of lifts.

The old Perisher vs Thredbo quarrel is as old as the mountains themselves. Snow lovers will now be forced to settle the argument much more quickly on Perisher's high-speed Mt Perisher 6 chairlift.