Millions spent on ski resorts to combat competition and climate change | The Business | ABC NEWS

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It's snowtime in Australia's ski resorts, with bumper falls and plenty of visitors. Despite two poor seasons, and increased competition from Japan and New Zealand, local resorts are making substantial investments that signal a belief in decades of future fun. Perisher's resort services director, Andrew King, says this season is "as good as it gets". In recent years, the future of the snowfields has looked less than assured. Visitor numbers collapsed during the COVID pandemic, and the reality of climate change has seen natural snowfall reduced.

Alpine operators are making substantial investments in infrastructure, accommodation and hospitality venues, betting on a growing population, increasingly diverse snow-lovers and improved snowmaking technology that is extending seasons. Josh Elliott, chief executive of peak body Ski Resorts Australia, says investment in New South Wales alone is excess of $80 million in the past five years. Thredbo has put in a new gondola and a 1.5km "coaster" — a kind of suspended toboggan run — as other resorts have upgraded accommodation, transport and hospitality options. This season, the most expensive new item has been Perisher's six-seater high-speed chairlift, which can deliver 3,000 people an hour to the top of the resort more than 2,000 metres above sea level. On top of Mt Buffalo, in the Victorian High Country, a chalet is reopening after shutting down in 2006. Belgravia Leisure has taken a 40-year lease. The investment will take decades to recoup. But the company sees value not just in the financials but in young people experiencing the High Country. It also runs more than 250 sports facilities across Australia, including large aquatic centres from Devonport in Tasmania up to Palmerston in the Northern Territory.
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