Perisher Ski Resort (known as Perisher Blue until 2009) is the largest ski resort in the Southern Hemisphere. Located in the Australian Snowy Mountains, the resort is an amalgamation of four villages (Perisher Valley, Smiggin Holes, Guthega, and Blue Cow) and their associated ski fields, covering approximately 12 square kilometres (5 sq mi), with the base elevation at 1,720 metres (5,640 ft) AHD, and the summit elevation of 2,054 metres (6,739 ft) at the top of Mount Perisher. 4.4 square kilometres (1.7 sq mi) of this area is covered by 240 snow guns, which are used to artificially supplement the natural snowfall. Perisher was acquired by Vail Resorts, United States on 30 March 2015 for a sum of approximately AU$177 million.
The resort is accessible by road from Jindabyne and the Skitube, Australia's only underground rack railway from Bullocks Flat or Blue Cow. The main skiing period is in July and August, with the official season running from the second weekend in June to the first weekend of October. Perisher consists of 45 lifts: The Village Eight Express, an eight-seater chairlift (built in 2003), one high-speed six-seater chairlift, two high-speed quad detachable chairlifts, five fixed-grip quad chairlifts, two double chairlifts, one triple chairlifts, eighteen T-Bars, two J-bars, seven ski carpets, and two rope tows. The run difficulty distribution is 22% beginner, 60% intermediate and 18% advanced.
