Posted: Monday 30 March 2026

With winter just around the corner, our mountain operations teams are in full swing preparing for the start of the 2026 snow season on Saturday 6 June.

Our lift maintenance team are in resort year-round to ensure all 15 of our lifts operate effectively and are running safely for the season ahead. In fact, they often start on these summer works the day after the lifts stop spinning for the season!

Halley’s Comet Haul Rope Replacement

In addition to our routine maintenance, we occasionally need to do some larger works to ensure the safest and best possible experience for our staff and guests.

This summer, it was time for the haul rope on Halley’s Comet high speed quad chairlift to get a major upgrade. The haul rope transports the chairs up the hill, moving through our lift towers while supporting the weight of the chairs and its passengers – a very important piece of equipment!

Halley’s Comet is one of our busiest lifts in season, and its reliable operation is essential to ensure guests can access all areas of the mountain. It transports guests from Slalom Plaza to our Snowsports School and Cloud 9 Restaurant, as well as access to key beginner terrain such as Wombat’s Ramble and Drovers Dream.

Haul ropes have a rather long lifespan and are often in service for several decades before a replacement is necessary. Regardless, we pay careful attention to them. Our haul ropes are inspected and measured throughout the year and each of our haul ropes are regularly non-destructively tested using specialised equipment.

To undertake these works, Doppelmayr visit the resort to help prepare and complete this project. Doppelmayr are the absolute experts in this field and have manufactured ropeways in 96 countries around the world. Within Australia they have worked on projects such as the new Mt Perisher 6 chairlift installed last year, the Scott haul rope replacement in Falls Creek, the Heavenly Valley haul rope replacement at Hotham, the Skyway Cable Car in the Blue Mountains, and the Arthurs Seat Eagle 8 Seat Gondola, so they know their stuff!

Scroll below to see the Doppelmayr and Falls Creek maintenance teams working together to replace the haul rope.

The process to replace a haul rope takes many hands as the two ends must be de-tensioned and woven together. The haul rope arrives as a single long rope (for Halley’s Comet this was 1850 metres in length, weighing approximately 7,350kg) and the two ends need to be joined together to make a single loop. This process is known as splicing.

It’s a delicate and manual operation that ensures the rope forms an endless loop and is considered an art in the world of lift transportation - it’s always performed by specialists.

After the new haul rope is installed, the lift runs for 50 hours to ensure correct operation, before being tested again. The replacement ensures the haul rope remains safe and compliant for years to come, while minimising the risk of unscheduled replacement.

Watch the video below to see the replacement in action!

Ready for the season ahead!

Following this important upgrade, our lift maintenance teams work hard to make sure everything is ready for the upcoming season. This includes routine inspections and servicing of components, upgrades, testing and inspections, at-heights evacuation training and general safety training for new and returning staff. There’s so much work that goes on behind the scenes to have our mountain ready to ride!

With winter only 2 months away, make sure you’re ready for the season by locking in your 2026 Epic Australia Pass or Epic Australia 4-Day Pass. Plus, book your lessons and rentals early to save!