Charlotte Pass — Local services in Charlotte Pass

The worst and most expensive 4 hour holiday I've ever been on- if I could give 0 stars I would. My partner and I spent nearly $1000 (!) for lift passes and gear hire for 2 days of skiing, expecting an enjoyable skiing getaway. Instead, it turned into a horrifying ordeal that I wouldn't wish upon anyone.

Our morning started well, making the most of the remaining Spring snow in September. However, after lunch, things took a disastrous turn. While going up on the chairlift for a green run, I missed the exit ramp of the chairlift. I stayed seated thinking I would just be let off by the Operator - but no I ended up tripping a trip wire with my ski. This led to a sudden stopping of the chairlift where I was flung at great force into a platform (photo below). This broke 6 ribs on impact. I then fell over 2m to the ground getting whiplash in the process. I'm not sure why the chairlift was set up like that but my guess is because so much snow had melted by Spring this had created a several metre gap between the platform and ground.

What shocked me even more was the response, the Operator restarted the chairlift as I lay under it waiting for first aid. They then asked me to move "as it was not safe" to be under a moving chairlift (!!)- I had to crawl away as I was in so much pain and there had been no first aid assessment of my injuries and spinal injury couldn’t be ruled out at this stage. Management's response was equally shocking. They seemed unresponsive, indifferent, and took weeks to reply to emails which was surprising given the extent of my injuries.

Exiting a chairlift shouldn't pose a life-threatening risk. If you value your safety I would not recommend going here. I feel "lucky" I only broke six ribs. I think if I'd landed any differently once being flung from the chairlift I could have been much more seriously injured or worse....

We travelled to Charlotte Pass in winter 2022, it's taken me a while to post because to be honest I am still quite upset by our experience. First off, food and accom were great, couldn't fault it at all. But I had 3 x kids scheduled for ski classes and when we got there the classes were huge! We were told that staffing shortages due to covid meant that the ratio of kids to adults had to be increased. My youngest (6yo) who (who had already done some practise runs himself, spent almost an hour trying to do stationary "pizza slices" and even though he'd been doing them on the downhill by himself all morning they wouldn't let him progress unless he could do them on the spot which his little leg muscles struggled to do. The next day was the worst though, because half way through the class time I noticed his class and instructor come by me and I couldn't see my son with them. I looked around like crazy and spotted him at the top of the travellator, on the ground, face in his hands. I raced up the hill in my boots and he was beside himself screaming and crying because they had left him there not noticing him missing and he didn't know what to do or where to go. At the very least at the END of the class you would have thought they'd have done a head count and noticed him missing and I waited for the call- but nup, nothing. I still cannot believe they managed to "lose" my child and didn't even notice at the end of the day.... makes you wonder. Needless to say we will never be returning and my little one never wants to ski again,...

Okay, the weather was gnarly with very low temperatures, a wind that was literally icy cold. Charlotte's was really pleasant. Yep, because when I hiked up to Seaman's Hut it was okay for me, I was dressed up for it, but it certainly wasn't a pleasant sunny walk in the park. I am not saying it was blizzard conditions, the kind you wouldn't choose to go into, but it was cold, windy and the ice/snow definitely made an impression on my face when I had exposed skin. Put it this way, no parent would consider taking their young children on the trail. My impression: It was a thrilling experience to hike in that kind of weather, to experience the incredible views of the national park with snow everywhere on higher places and to even have to hike through a distance of 150m of snow to reach Seaman's Hut which is at an elevation above 2000m. A fire and benches with seats in Seaman's Hut was ideal for a break and for me, a turnaround to trek back the 6kms to Charlotte's Pass. My feelings are, dress appropriately for the conditions, carry safety gear with you, and ideally have a companion go with you. It was a solo walk back for me on this occasion, yet I wasn't alone on the trail. I carried a PLB, with me, as I do on every hike I go on be it solo or in a group. I thoroughly recommend hiking from Charlotte's Pass. I have no issues with hiking the same trails again, although I still intend to mix up new trails with older...