Reservations: (02) 9523 4885
Reservations: (02) 9523 4885
Reservations: (02) 9523 4885
Reservations: (02) 9523 4885
Enjoy a beautiful winter getaway in the heart of the NSW Snowy Mountains that combines all the fun and festivities of Yule with the warmth and magic of a spectacular winter wonderland.
June is a magical time of year to visit Perisher Valley, right when the landscape is transforming into the most magestic and spectacular snow scene!
Yulefest at Valhalla is the month long celebration of winter, loosely based around the Viking tradition of Yule mixed with an Aussie White Christmas in July. It's a special time for winter fun, feasting and festivity.
"Yulefest was great....a night of feasting, laughing and drinking warm mead."..... Cherry L
Enjoy a fun and festive night of celebration, a mid-year pause and chance to come together with family and friends new and old to toast to winter nights and lighter days to come.
The Yule Dinner festivities begin at 5pm with a Valhalla Koldtbord and a glass of warm viking mead. Try your hand at some fun Viking inspired games, have a snowball fight, make a wish on the Yule pinecone, take a rune reading or just sit back, drink in hand and enjoy the festive atmosphere as you watch the sun set over the mountains.
The main fare, a 3 course Yule inspired feast will be served in the Dining Hall of Valhalla.
----- 2024 -----
Saturday 1 June 2024 - pre ski season
Saturday 8 June 2024 - June Long Weekend
Saturday 15 June 2024
Saturday 22 June 2024
Saturday 29 June 2024
Saturday 6 July 2024
Get your laughing boots on and treat yourself to a fun little midweek break with Lillördag ocktails and Trivia nights at Valhalla! Lillördag translates to "little Saturday". It's a Nordic tradition that's still practised throughout Nordic Countries. It's a chance to get together for a mini-midweek celebration with friends and family. Enjoy a delicious Snowy Mountains cocktail, delicious food and the fun and banter of Valhalla House Rules Trivia.
What is Lillördag? Read more in our blog.
Fira lillördag hos oss! - Celebrate Little Saturday with us!
----- 2024 -----
Wednesday 5 June 2024 - pre ski season
Wednesday 12 June 2024
Wednesday 19 June 2024
Wednesday 26 June 2024
Cocktails not included.
Valhalla translates to "Nordic Heaven". Valhalla was the place Viking warriors aspired to retire to in their afterlife. It was a great hall, a majestical splendid palace with hundreds of doors and windows. It was the place where Vikings would once again meet up with old friends and family who had gone on before. A place where enemies were friends and the mead flowed freely, the feasting was never-ending and the battles were epic.
Yule (Jul, jól or joulu) is the name of the Viking celebration of winter. Traditionally it was based around the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, which typically falls in Australia around 21st June. Yule was a time for clans to come together and give thanks to the years achievements and to celebrate in anticipation of what was to come when the days grow longer and lighter, the seas become calmer, the snow melts and the lands replenish.
The Vikings liked to party! Celebrations included days of feasting and drinking, games, songs and poetry. Yule offered a rare chance in the cold winter months for large gatherings, for competitions and games and for making plans for the summer.
Today, at Valhalla Perisher, we offer a fun and light hearted Viking inspired month long Yulefest celebration, with a touch of more modern Aussie Christmas in July traditions. Did you know many of our current day Christmas traditions are based around the Viking's Yule such as Christmas Dinners, gathering the family together and meeting up with friends for Christmas drinks, Christmas parties, decorating a Christmas tree, hanging wreaths and the Yule log. Dress up for our events is completely optional but always welcome.
Classic Accommodation Package plus:
No snowshoe experience necessary
Classic Accommodation Package plus:
No experience necessary! Set out on foot and explore our winter wonderland!
Explore Kosciuszko National Park and the winter wonderland of Perisher Valley. Walk among vibrant snowgum bushland and past sparkling alpine streams. Guided options available. FIND OUT MORE
Easy paced and family friendly, step out into our pristine environment and immerse yourself in our natural playground. Walk through vibrant snowgum bushland, past flowing creeks, cascading waterfalls and striking rock formations as you discover unique and spectacular landscapes of Kosciuszko National Park. Depending on snow conditions, some walking trails may be snow covered or inaccessible. Snowshoes may be required.
Guided half day or full day options available. FIND OUT MORE
Build a snowman, have a snowball fight, make snow angels and snow sculptures. Play snow games go tobogganing. Dig, build, throw, slide.
Note snow coverage is subject to Mother Nature.
No lift tickets required, experienced guides can take you out beyond the resort boundaries on a wonderful ski touring or boarding adventure. Pre-booking essential
No Lift tickets, no queues! Just kilometres of trails to explore!
XC is a versatile sport, it’s exercising with low impact to the body and environment. You can make it as enjoyable or challenging as you wish.
Book lessons to learn the techniques to get you out and about exploring on the XC trails.
Ski hire is available at Perisher Valley
2 hour lessons, half day and full day experiences.
You will require lift tickets to ski or snowboard at Perisher Resort. Lessons and hire are available on mountain. Pre-booking is essential.
Soar over Australia's highest mountain peaks and our magical snowy winter wonderland with Snowy Mountains Helicopters.
Note: Flights are from Jindabyne Airport.
Get out and explore Perisher Valley, Blue Cow and Smiggin Holes or head into Jindabyne. There are many places to stop within the resort villages to enjoy a drink and a lazy lunch. Ask our lodge managers for their recommendations.
*Packed pre-season (prior to June Long Weekend) lunches are included.
Play board games, ping pong or watch a movie. Talk, laugh and relax by the fire. Breath in the fresh air and enjoy the majestic panoramic views and social alpine vibe of our beautiful lodge.
Subject to snow conditions and NPWS, road access to Valhalla Lodge is typically closed from June Long Weekend*. If roads are closed, all guests will need to arrive in Perisher Valley by skitube or private transfer/shuttle.
*Note: roads may be open for June Long Weekend with limited parking permitted at the lodge, however this will not be confirmed by NPWS until conditions have been assessed.
Getting Here
Vikings used skis, sledges and skates to get about in winter. Skiing was a very significant means of travelling, transport and hunting in the Viking Age.
Today we ski for fun. No need to go hunting, we have dinner covered. You can ski or board at Perisher Snow Resort or toboggan, snowshoe, cross country ski, back country ski or board within Kosciuszko National Park
Decorating evergreen trees was a Viking ritual. The evergreen trees of the Scandinavian forests represented the promise of life even in the middle of winter. All other plants appeared dead but the evergreen still looked full of life, a seed to begin the new cycle symbolising the continuity of life.
A Yule log was set alight on Winter Solstice and burned down over many days until nothing but a small piece remained. This small piece was kept to be used as the lighter for the following year's Yule fire.
Holly leaves and berries would be used to make circular wreaths or Wheels of the Sun. They would be used to decorate houses and sometimes burnt and rolled down a hill. It was a promise of warmer days to come. A representation of the continuation of life and that winter flows into summer and back into winter again.
It was believed that the last sheaf of harvested corn contained the power of that year's harvest. This cut of grain was made into a festive goat for Yuletide to keep the evil spirits at bay. Many different stories have evolved regarding the Julebukk (Yule Goat) with its' role seeming to change over the years.
Winter Solstice is the shortest day in the year and marks the rebirth of the sun (new solar year). Days gradually become longer and nights become shorter. The Feast of Yule was based around the winter solstice. It was a time to count blessings from the previous year and encourage hope and prosperity in the new solar year.