Falls Creek finishes significant lift haul rope works before winter
- Halley’s Comet high-speed quad has received a full haul rope replacement.
- The new haul rope arrived as a single 1,850-metre, 7,350kg cable and was spliced by hand by specialist teams from Doppelmayr, the world-leading ropeway manufacturer.
- This upgrade ensures a safe, reliable and smooth start to the 2026 season for guests accessing key terrain, including Wombat’s Ramble, Drovers Dream and Cloud 9.
Falls Creek has completed a major infrastructure upgrade, replacing the haul rope on Halley’s Comet, one of the resorts’ busiest high-speed quad chairlifts, ahead of the 2026 snow season opening on Saturday 6 June.
“The haul rope replacement is a significant engineering feat, marking one of the largest pieces of off-season work undertaken at the resort this year,” said John Palmer, Falls Creek’s senior operations manager. “Halley’s Comet is a key gateway for guests accessing our Snowsports School, Cloud 9 and some of our most popular beginner and intermediate terrain, making its reliable operation essential. It’s one of our busiest lifts in the season.”
To deliver this project, Falls Creek worked closely with Doppelmayr, the world’s leading ropeway manufacturer, with experience across 96 countries and recent Australian projects including the Mt Perisher 6 Chair, haul rope replacements at Falls Creek and Hotham, the Skyway Cable Car in the Blue Mountains, and the Arthurs Seat Eagle Gondola.
Halley’s Comet Haul Rope Replacement. It’s all in the Details:
- 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 1,850-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.
The 2026 snow season starts on Saturday June 6. Lock in your Epic Australia Pass or Epic Australia 4-Day Pass before prices rise on 8 April.
