Australia NSW - Perisher

Fast facts

Vertical drop: 355 metres

Annual snowfall:  2 metres

Snowmaking:  53 hectares covering terrain of various ability levels

Longest run:  3km

Number of lifts: 48

Parks/pipes: Six; some are the best in the land.

Lift queues/efficiency rating: 7/10

Terrain: 1245 hectares

Day ticket: $56-$102

When: June long weekend to early October.

Getting there

From Sydney: Take the Hume Highway then turn on to the Federal Highway just south of Goulburn. Follow the signs to detour around Canberra and join the Monaro Highway to Cooma, then on to Jindabyne. This should take about five hours. From Jindabyne, follow the Kosciuszko Road to drive into Perisher (33 kilometres) or Guthega (40 kilometres) or turn on to the Alpine Way for the Bullocks Flat Skitube terminal (20 kilometres).

From Melbourne: Take the Hume Freeway to Wodonga then the Murray Valley Highway through Tallangatta and Corryong. A few kilometres out of Corryong, turn onto the Alpine Way, through Khancoban for the Snowy Mountains, drive past Thredbo and connect to Perisher Valley using the Bullocks Flat Skitube Terminal (about 6.5 hours) or drive around towards Jindabyne and take the Kosciuszko Road to Perisher (about seven hours).

Chains: Must be carried by 2WDs between Sawpit Creek and Perisher (plenty of hire options in Cooma and Jindabyne) and, if approaching from the Victorian side, between Tom Groggin and Thredbo (last hire is in Khancoban but they may not be open late). People accessing Perisher via the Skitube do not need to carry chains.

Airports/transport: The nearest airport is Cooma but the best-serviced is Canberra. Shuttles connections available from Cooma, Canberra and Jindabyne.