Mt Perisher's long serving double lift gets retired

The Mt Perisher Double Chair, in operation for 63 years of age, has been retired.

With the linking towers removed by helicopter last week, the mountain’s longest standing fixed-grip chairlift is currently being decommissioned and will not operate this winter.

With an 11 minute transit time and the ability to move around 600 skiers per hour, the lift dubbed the ‘Mt P Double’ was constructed in 1961.

It is being replaced with a brand-new high speed six-seater chairlift, already referred to as the ‘Mt P 6’, that is expected to be ready for the 2025 Australian snow season.

With a speed of 4.5 metres per second, ‘Mt P 6’ will reduce travel time up Mt Perisher to just five and a half minutes and become Australia’s highest lifted point, taking guests further up the mountain to 2042 metres.

Faster load and unload times at each end will also facilitate greater circulation and flow of traffic around the mountain’s network of 48 lifts across four resort areas.

Most importantly it means the choice of trails in all directions on Mt Perisher without needing to traverse.

Due to the location of the top station bull wheel, the demolition of the Mt P Double has been deemed essential to the construction of the top station of the new Mt P 6.

Demolition will begin in coming weeks with the removal of the old lift’s haul line.

The ‘Mt P 6’ project adds to the Freedom Quad Chair, Leichhardt Quad Chair and continued investment in snowmaking that the resort has implemented in the past 10 years.

According to Nathan Butterworth, Vice President and General Manager of Perisher, this has been a desired infrastructure upgrade by our local ski community, and I’m thrilled we will be able to make this a reality for our guests.”

Trail maps and on-mountain directions will be updated to help guests navigate a slightly different-looking Mt Perisher this winter.

Image: The Mt Perisher Double Chair Lift is being retired. Credit: Perisher Resort.