Australian Ski Resort To Replace Lift With New Doppelmayr D-Line Six-Pack

A new six-pack Doppelmayr D-Line lift is coming to Australia’s Thredbo Resort in the future, alongside snowmaking upgrades, as reported by Snowy Mountains Magazine, which spoke with the resort’s general manager Stuart Diver.

The lift, a replacement for the existing Gunbarrel quad, will, if everything goes to plan, arrive during the 2028 season, Diver told Snowy Mountains, at an expected cost of around AUD $35 million or about USD $25 million.

“We hopefully get some preliminary works done this summer, and then pre-27, and then have full installation and operational for winter 28. So super exciting,” he said, noting that while the project’s been approved by Thredbo’s parent company, EVT Limited, the installation date hinges on final approval from the NSW Department of Planning.

The Gunbarrel replacement will have the same alignment as its predecessor, which climbs from Thredbo’s base area to the mid-mountain. It will be “designed for Australian conditions,” Snowy Mountains reported. 

Diver also highlighted other improvements coming to Thredbo. Initially, the resort planned in the long term to replace the Snowgums double with a six-person lift. But those plans were revised, with Thredbo now aiming to replace the Kosciuszko Express—another key lift that departs from the base area—next. 

For the Kosciuszko, Diver said Thredbo is looking for a “good solution” with a replacement needing to be able to operate in high winds, given the propensity for wind hold days. 

Along with the lift upgrades, Thredbo is installing a second SnowFactory unit in the Friday Flat beginner area this summer. Manufactured by TechnoAlpin, the all-weather snowmaking machines can make snow in far warmer temperatures than traditional snow guns. 

With the second unit, which has almost double the capacity of the current unit, Thredbo “will be able to cover Friday Flat in its entirety in half a metre of snow pre-opening without any other snowmaking or any natural snow,” said Diver.

“I want Friday Flat to be side to side, and I want every part of Friday Flat to be open,” he told Snowy Mountains.

The conversation with Snowy Mountains comes amid what’s been a challenging season for many of Australia’s ski resorts, with some closing earlier than usual due to unfavorable snow conditions.

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