About us

Who is SLOPES?

SLOPES is the acronym for The Ski Lodges Organisation of Perisher Smiggins and Guthega Inc.

SLOPES is a not for profit entity incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act 1984 whose principal object is:

To represent the club lodges at Perisher Valley, Smiggin Holes and Guthega Village, New South Wales (or such of the club lodges as may be members of the Association) in respect to any matter or thing which may affect those club lodges both now and in the future (and which the Committee of the Association determines is appropriate for the Association to provide representation) in negotiations with and representations to … a range of stakeholders including government, NPWS, any Chamber of Commerce and any head lessee of the Club lodges.

Members of SLOPES are the 88 Ski Clubs of the Perisher Range Resorts of Perisher, Smiggin Holes and Guthega.  SLOPES represents some 55,000 people made up of Club members, friends and associates who stay in and use the Clubs’ lodges.

SLOPES was formed in 1991 when the owners of Perisher had nearly convinced the Government of the day to give them a head lease over all the Clubs and commercial operators in the Perisher area.  Almost all Clubs at that time had leases that expired in 1996 to 2002.

A group of Clubs headed by John Grinham challenged this approach and set up a new body which became known as SLOPES.  The group quickly attained 100% membership of all the 88 Ski Clubs in the area.  The Committee made representations to all members of the NSW Parliament and a Parliamentary Select Environment Committee and finally the Government came down in favour instead of issuing new leases to all Clubs and some commercial operators.  SLOPES represented the Clubs in the negotiations and in 1996 88 new Club leases were issued with an extended expiry date of 2025.

What does SLOPES do?

SLOPES, having achieved this objective, felt there was need for ongoing representation.  It had become clear that all Clubs had common objectives, namely the promotion of sports for members by providing a community of varying ages and experiences who could cross pollinate and encourage the young.  The absence of a profit motive and a congenial low cost friendly residential atmosphere in lodges, brought about true friendships and mutual support and skills development.

SLOPES recognised that the core of a Club was the lodge that made the Club sporting activities possible.  Clubs needed help in maintaining this core.  Many Club problems are common which others have already encountered or need to address at the same time and SLOPES assists in the sharing and provision of information by and to Clubs.

With over 2 decades of successful advocacy on behalf of the Clubs SLOPES is recognised by Government and other relevant parties as the representative organisation for the Clubs in their capacity as stakeholders in the Perisher Range Resorts.

The strength of SLOPES is that we speak for all the 88 Club Lodges in Perisher, Smiggins and Guthega. 

Timeline of SLOPES Activities

1991 – Head Lease – SLOPES opposes a Perisher Range Resorts head lease and instead procures the grant of new leases extended to 2025 for Clubs

1995 – Accommodation Minimum Size – a major problem arose because the NSW Health legislation required that all bedrooms had to measure 5.5 sqm floor area per sleeper while many Clubs had bunk rooms measuring only 10 sqm, with 4 or 5 bunks in them.  With lobbying the legislation was changed to 2 sqm per bed for non-permanent accommodation

1996 – Land Valuation – SLOPES negotiated with the Valuer General a logical valuation process that relied on both bed numbers and the locations relative to services to agree land valuations used for the setting of rentals paid to NPWS

1997 – Guthega Closure – a Commission of Inquiry was called to look at increasing bed supply in the PRR and consider a proposal by NPWS to close all Guthega lodges.  SLOPES helped deliver a decision by the Commission to allocate 800 new beds to a Village centre and 520 beds elsewhere and the Guthega closure proposed was abandoned

1997-2000 – Municipal Services Charges – SLOPES worked with NPWS to obtain more transparency in monies spent in the Perisher Range Resorts that were charged to Clubs as Municipal Service Fees leading to biannual joint meetings with full tabling of all cash flows and budgets and round table discussions, a process that continues to this day

2002 – Land Valuations – a full round of land valuations was negotiated with the Valuer General

2003 – Insurance Program – due to rising costs and the increasing difficulty of obtaining satisfactory cover SLOPES found a broker willing to shop around with the major insurers, local and overseas.  A pool of Clubs was formed resulting in a managed group insurance program delivering better cover at less cost for participating Clubs

2004/5 – IPART Review – a review of the PRR to upgrade the roads, water and sewage to a more modern standard lead to a reference to IPART calling for a full pricing and works listing program to be planned and adopted.  Detailed presentations to IPART by SLOPES helped achieve a reasonable cost distribution across all the parties involved

2000/01 – Planning in KNP – after the Thredbo disaster the NSW Government held the Walker Inquiry resulting in the major planning activities for KNP being removed from NPWS and handed over to the Department of Planning, which then set up an office in Jindabyne.  SLOPES negotiated and worked with Planning on the implementation of the new system

2007/08 – Extra Beds and Lease extensions – the sale of 520 beds, was made a co-issue of extending leases to 2058.  A joint working group with NPWS, SLOPES and the commercial operators negotiated the pricing for the beds and new leases with all the beds being issued and new leases offered in 2008.  Some 78 out of 88 Clubs accepted the lease extensions from 2025 to 2058 (the so called ‘new leases’).

2007 – Land revaluation – SLOPES negotiated a lower increase average of 30% with NPWS and the Valuer General with savings to Clubs to flow through until the 2020s

2007 –  SLOPES successfully ran a test case with the ATO regarding the application of the promotion of sport tax exemption for Clubs

2008 – PRR Roads – SLOPES was active in working with NPWS on the road designs and implementation across the PRR

2009 – Back to Perisher – to encourage more active Club usage in summer SLOPES partnered with NPWS to launch the Back to Perisher Weekend starting in Easter 2009 – an annual event that continues to this day

2011 – Tax and Sport – SLOPES promotes awareness of the new ATO guidelines issued regarding the income tax exemption for Clubs that satisfy the “promotion of sport” test

2011/12 – Perisher Valley Fire Station – a Perisher Valley Fire Station (PVFS) campaign is waged by SLOPES to oppose ‘closure’ of PVFS outside of winter season.  Ultimately operational guidelines are agreed with FRNSW for all peak times outside of winter – and full manning continues during winter

2012 – Grease Traps and Tanks – the introduction by NPWS of guidelines for new grease traps and underground oil tanks is co-ordinated by SLOPES

2012 – AGR Reporting – the introduction by NPWS of new guidelines for  Annual Gross Revenue (AGR) reporting under the new leases is managed by SLOPES

2013/14 – Group Insurance Program relaunch –the Clubs’ group insurance program is relaunched following the collapse of All Class Insurance Brokers. This involved a full commercial tender leading to the appointment of JLT as the new broker.  The transition phase was managed despite the All Class collapse occurring at policy renewal time. Even more Clubs sign on to the JLT program which delivers additional benefits to participating Clubs

2013 – Website – SLOPES launches its first website containing information and contact details for the benefit of Clubs

2013 – NSW Tourism Inquiry – SLOPES lodges a submission on behalf of Clubs to the NSW Government Inquiry into Tourism in Local Communities

2014 – Waste Transfer Station – the new Perisher Waste Transfer Station (WTS) commences operation and SLOPES co-ordinates the transitional operational activities

2014 – OH&S – a Workplace Health & Safety analysis and update issued for Clubs to consider

2015 – Peak Music Festival and Sporting Sponsorships – on behalf of Clubs and following AGM consultation SLOPES commences sponsorship of the 5 key PRR competitive Inter-Club skiing events (including The Perisher Cup) and also commences matching sponsorship for the annual Peak Music Festival over the June long weekend

2015 – Waste – the introduction by NPWS of organic waste collection services by NPWS in winter season is co-ordinated on behalf of Clubs

2019 – Club Leases Clause 7.9 Certificates – Every 10 years it is a condition of the Club leases from NPWS to satisfy the clause 7.9 services certifications. The first obligation occurred in 2019. SLOPES obtained quotes from the various trades needed to do the certifications and created a list of recommendations Clubs could contact to do the inspections.

2019 – SLOPES AGM – More than 80 Club representatives and speakers attended our AGM on 18 November. A couple of key points were presented at the 2019 AGM:

• Head Lease. NSW Government released a document titled “Perisher Negotiation Update”. This document confirmed it was in head lease negotiations with Perisher/Vail and had agreed on a two-stage process now in progress. It is in Phase 2 that “consultation with key stakeholder groups will be critical” – with specific reference to SLOPES (which has been and will monitor this process very closely on behalf of Clubs – especially as regards the existing user safeguards which need to be put in place as part of a Head Lease).
• Iconic Walks Project. Senior Project Officer, Maggie Sutcliff, outlined the concept and vision for various 3 to 5 day walks around the Kosciuszko National Park linking the villages and key attractions. The purpose of upgrading existing and building 3 new walking trails in the Perisher Thredbo precinct is to establish linked pathways for iconic walks of up to 5 days aimed at new destination summer visitors and reducing crowding on the main tracks to the summit of Mt Kosciusko. The NPWS project is in part made possible by Snowy 2 funds received by NSW from the Federal Government.

2020 – Bushfires – January saw KNP closed and wildfires threatening the Perisher Range Resort villages. SLOPES liaised with the authorities to keep members informed, safe and ready.

2020 – COVID-19 – The onset of the coronavirus pandemic in March started a whole new level of engagement by SLOPES with and on behalf of Clubs. This included keeping up with the constantly changing rules and restrictions, liaising with NSW Health, NPWS, doctors, testing clinics and others, working through rent relief, JobKeeper and JobSeeker, issues with opening or closing lodges and commercial accommodation, keeping close to Perisher/Vail and seeking extensive legal advice on behalf of Clubs on the best direction for our members on many issues.

2020 – Snowy Mountains Special Activation Precinct (SMSAP) – SLOPES has two representatives on the SMSAP community advisory group which is putting forward ideas to create a Masterplan by 2021. The SMSAP vision is “to increase year-round tourism and make the region an unmissable place to visit any season, any time”.

2020 – Insurance Review – SLOPES has commissioned an independent consultant to review the group insurance scheme which has operated successfully since 2003 and to check for value and best conditions for our Clubs. The purpose of the insurance review is also to explore ways to abate the serious hike in lodge premiums following the dramatic fires along the eastern seaboard and ranges (including the KNP) in the summer of 2019/2020 and the new focus on international climate related risks by insurers and underwriters making the availability of bushfire cover increasingly uncertain.

2019/20 – Emerging – Clubs from other resorts have taken an interest in the work of SLOPES, including participating in our insurance an energy plans, and some have joined SLOPES as Associates.

2020/2021 – 30 Years of SLOPES – This was the 30th anniversary of SLOPES founding. Over that 30 years the purpose for setting up SLOPES has been confirmed in the many initiatives taken for Clubs and the results achieved – perhaps no more vividly than in the last 18 months with th response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the urgent restructuring of the Clubs insurance program.

2021 and COVID-19: ‘A Year Worse than 2020’ – The 2020/21 Summer and Easter Periods ran their course as usual up until June with travel throughout NSW general free and open (but with ongoing restrictions on community sporting activities.

The winter 2021 season opened with great optimism. Clubs are fully booked or almost so in most cases with members and guests keen to make up for the disappointments of winter 2020 and Clubs hopeful of recouping some of the financial loss suffered last year from the fires and COVID-19 restrictions.

And then……starting in mid-June, the Eastern Suburbs outbreak began and with alarming speed the full effect of the highly contagious new Delta variant was unleashed on NSW as LGA after LGA succumbed to lockdowns and travel restrictions made trips to the snow impossible for people across NSW and the ACT.

The continuation of the coronavirus pandemic and the new Delta variant that emerged in June 2021 started a whole new level of engagement by SLOPES with and on behalf of Clubs. This included keeping up with the constantly hanging rules and restrictions, liaising with NSW Health, NPWS, doctors, testing clinics and others, working through relief for rent and MSU charges, issues with opening or closing lodges and commercial accommodation, and mask wearing, keeping close to Perisher Vail and seeing extensive legal advice on behalf of Clubs on the best direction for our members on many issues.

The continuation of the coronavirus pandemic and the new Delta variant that emerged in June 2021 started a whole new level of engagement by SLOPES with and on behalf of Clubs. This included keeping up with the constantly hanging rules and restrictions, liaising with NSW Health, NPWS, doctors, testing clinics and others, working through relief for rent and MSU charges, issues with opening or closing lodges and commercial accommodation, and mask wearing, keeping close to Perisher Vail and seeing extensive legal advice on behalf of Clubs on the best direction for our members on many issues.

2021 – Snowy Mountains Special Activation Precinct (SMSAP) – The long awaited draft Master Plan was released for public exhibition on 8 June. This meant that the proposals for a head lease for the Perisher Range Resorts are put on hold until further notice.

2021/21 – Insurance Program – In mid 2020, SLOPES retained Barrack Broking (Barrack) to undertake a comprehensive review of the insurance opportunities that might be in the best interests of members. In that report Barrack expressed concern that insurance cover would not be available from any source for our Clubs at the time of our next renewal in May 2021. As a result, SLOPES appointed Barrack Broking to act as the broker on behalf of participating SLOPES Clubs and retained Barrack to approach insurers to obtain the best possible terms available for the next year. The Barrack Insurance Scheme received initial support from over 60 Clubs (today there are over 70 Clubs) and was put in place to commence on 15 January 2021. This was only 4 weeks after the mid December launch, a period impacted by the Christmas/New Year break, a terrific credit to the leadership of our Clubs.

2021 – Energy Action Program – In May 2021 a new Energy Bill Buster Program was offered to all Clubs. Initially introduced in 2018 this Program pursues savings on energy for Club lodges through a group purchase arrangement. Energy Action (an energy broker engaged by SLOPES) acts on behalf of participating Clubs through a rolling series of programs. SLOPES participating Clubs have seen significant reductions in energy costs.

2021 – SLOPES Website – The SLOPES website includes links to related sites of relevance to Clubs. For the benefit of all there is a section containing the website addresses of our Member Clubs and Associates which are know to SLOPES. The website is continually updated to keep it current and make it the easy go-to point for SLOPES emails and commentary generally on issues of interest to our Clubs.

SLOPES Survey of Clubs October 2021 – The SLOPES Survey of Clubs revealed:It is very clear from media reports that sporting and community organisations have been particularly affected by the pandemic. The survey of 74 SLOPES members showed that as a direct consequence of COVID-19:

• 51% of clubs suffered a loss of revenue of more than 50% in 2020
• 86% of clubs suffered a loss of revenue of more than 50% in 2021
• Alarmingly 64% of clubs suffered a loss of more than 70% in 2021 – compared toon 20% in 2020

Clubs were split roughly 50:50 on managing through using their reserves vs having to take action such as asking members to contribute funds to keep afloat. Two Clubs said they were close to shutting the door in absence of help.

2021 – SLOPES 30th Anniversary – Last year was the 30th anniversary of our founding. Over the last 31 years the purpose for setting up SLOPES has been confirmed in the many initiatives taken for Clubs and the results achieved – perhaps no more vividly than in the last few years with the responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing success of the Clubs’ insurance program, our lobbying in relation to major issues including the proposed PRR Head Lease, the Snowy Mountains Special Activation Precinct Master Plan and Alpine SEPP, and the Perisher Medical Centre.

2021 – The Strength of SLOPES – Over the past few years quite a few organisation have joined SLOPES as Associates coming from the Perisher Range Resorts and from other resorts including Charlotte Pass, Thredbo, Falls Creek and Mt. Hotham – over 20 Associates in fact. This reflects the common interest shared on issues like dealing with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, managing the viability and tax status of clubs etc. Some Associates are also participating in our insurance and energy programs.

2021/22 – SLOPES Finances – It was an extraordinary and unprecedented year of high operating expenses in a continuing attempt to help Clubs qualify for government relief for rent and municipal service charges and to manage the pandemic restrictions and protections. The key to budgeting the SLOPES finances is to have reasonable reserves available at all times to fund initiatives in support of the interests of our Cubs as they arise. As a result SLOPES found it necessary to increase the annual subscription and add a 3 year levy (monitored annually) to rebuild financial reserves.

To give some context, our Membership fees for the last 16 years are listed below:

Financial Year Membership Levy Subscription

Financial Year	Membership Subscription	Levy
07/08	350	0
08/09	350	0
09/10	350	0
10/11	350	0
11/12	350	0
12/13	250	0
13/14	250	0
14/15	275	0
15/16	275	0
16/17	275	0
17/18	275	0
18/19	275	0
19/20	275	0
20/21	275	0
21/22	300	0
22/23	450	100

The concerns for the immediate and longer term future issues affecting Clubs include:

• Lease option renewals in 2028 and valuations
• Snowy Mountains Special Activation Precinct (SMSAP) – Alpine SEPP
• Rent and MSU Relief
• Group initiatives

2022 – Winter and COVID-19 – Winter 2022 remained very substantially affected by COVID but in ways different to winters 2020 and 2021. While there were no lockdowns, COVID was ever present in the resorts and Clubs bore the brunt of having to manage COVID compliance on a daily basis. A bumper snow season helped to deliver an outstanding snow sports experience and better profitability of Clubs. Legal advice on pandemic issues was again necessary and included guidance to Clubs on the following:

• Vaccination mandates for persons staying in Club lodges
• Testing policies
• Response to persons testing positive in a Club lodge, including transport options
• Comprehensive COVID-19 update for the 2022 ski season

2022 – Legal Advice – The key role of SLOPES is to represent and distribute information of common benefit for our Clubs. Legal Advice was also obtained during the year on a range of other issues including…

• Grants and regulatory compliance
• WHS Act electrical safety and Co-Operatives and whether a co-operative is an Association for the purposes of the WHS Act
• SLOPES representing 65 Clubs in relation to their 2021 rent relief / MSU negotiations with NPWS
• Supporting a test case on rent relief issues by a SLOPES Club in the NSW Civil & Administrative Tribunal (NCAT)
• Director Identification Numbers
• The age for counting persons for the purpose of licensed bed numbers under our lodge leases from NPWS
• The impact of Government Grants for purposes of AGR statements and Gross Revenue under our lodge leases and in respect of rent relief.

2021 – SLOPES AGM – 118 Club representatives and speakers (a record) attended our online AGM on 15 November 2021.

2020-2022 – Snowy Mountains Special Activation Precinct (SMSAP) – SLOPES was invited to join the Community Advisory Group (CAG) for SMSAP and participated in nearly all the many consultations and meetings. Two and a half years on the DPIE announced on 1 July 2022:

The vision for the Snowy Mountains has been finalised, with the NSW Government releasing the Master Plan for the region. The Snow Mountains Special Activation Precinct Master Plan, amendments to associated environmental planning instruments and the submissions report have now been finalised. The NSW Government also announced $391.3M to support the delivery of the Snowy Mountains Special Activation Precinct that will enable the region to become a year-round tourism destination and the alpine capital of Australia. This is the largest funding commitment for any of the Special Activation Precincts.

The SMSAP process now has moved into a delivery planning phase including the preparation of an Alpine Precinct Development Control Plan (SEPP) which will be the topic of major discussion at our 2022 AGM.

2021/22 – Insurance Program – The Barrack Insurance program was successfully renewed in January 2022 with some 70 Clubs participating in the program.

2022 – Defibrillators – SLOPES compiled a list of Clubs and other locations where people might find a defibrillator in an emergency in Perisher, Smiggins and Guthega. The list has been shared with NPWS, the Perisher Medical Centre, the Ski Patrol and Perisher/Vail and will be regularly updated and circulated. The list can be found on the SLOPES website in the information hub.

2022 – Underground Petroleum Storage Systems (UPSS) – At the request of NPWS SLOPES co-ordinated a program to assist Clubs with these tanks (there are 16 in the Perisher region) to comply with new Regulations introduced by government.

Future – Internet and NBN Connections in the PRR – SLOPES co-ordinated the collection of relevant information on these topics and shared it with Clubs.

2022 – Perisher Medical Centre – Leading up to the winter of 2022 the continued operation of the Medical Centre loomed as a very serious issue.

Urgent discussions jointly by Perisher Vail, the Chamber of Commerce and SLOPES with senior NPWS personnel and government officials ensued, highlighting that the Medical Centre was critical to the proper functioning of the resort.

2022 – Back to Perisher Weekend – For the first time in 3 years Back to Perisher Weekend was held, without the Fun Run, and was a huge success. The assistance from NPWS in helping to organise BtP was outstanding.

2022 – Peak Music Festival – The Festival was also held for the first time in 3 years over the weekend 11-12 June 2022.

2023 Future – Taxation – Encouragement of Sport – SLOPES reminded Clubs that the ATO has announced that from 1 July 2023 Clubs relying on the tax exemption for Clubs established for the encouragement of sport will be required to lodge an annual self-review return in order to access an income tax exemption. Generally, the exemption applies if encouragement of sport is the dominant purpose of a not for profit sporting organisation.