Thredbo’s History

“I was looking for a place where ski runs would be long and challenging, easily accessible and where you could establish a modern winter resort” – Tony Sponar

In 1955, Tony Sponar had a great vision to transform the mountains into a ski hill. Sponar had been a ski instructor at the renowned St. Anton Resort, Austria from 1941 to 1948 and saw Thredbo as the Australian equivalent, with good vertical terrain and buzzing ski village atmosphere. Sponar states that “I was looking for a place where ski runs would be long and challenging, easily accessible and where you could establish a modern winter resort”.

In 1956, Thredbo transformed into a skier and snowboarders dream with the first chairlifts and lodges being installed. In 1957, the syndicate was incorporated as Kosciuszko Thredbo Limited and the company was granted a lease by the NSW Minister for Lands which gave it various rights to developing Thredbo. 1957 marked the first time skiers were riding a tow from a launching point near Lovers Lap to Kareela, a distance of about a kilometre. The first ever chairlift, Crackenback, was formally opened in 1958 for skiers to enjoy alongside the tow.

The next 20 years saw Thredbo grow as a world class ski resort with the mountain and surrounding village expanding each year through the implementation of new lifts and lodges. In 1987, Amalgated Holdings Limited (now EVENT) purchased the head lease of Thredbo and began to invest significant capital into the resort, creating a bigger and better ski resort experience for all skiers, snowboarders, beginners and families in Australia and abroad.

Fast-forward to 2022 and Thredbo is Australia’s best ski resort, having won multiple awards:

• Best Australian Resort at the 2022 World Ski Awards
• Best Australian Resort 2022 by Snowsports Industries of Australia (SIA)
• Best Family Ski Resort at the 2022 Out & About with Kids annual Readers’ Choice Awards

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