# How we score ski resorts

> The exact inputs and weights behind every score we publish.

Canonical: https://www.justpiste.com/methodology · Source: Just Piste

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Resorts covered | 51 |
| Countries covered | 4 |
| Data sources | 10 |

## Overview

Every score Just Piste publishes — beginner, intermediate, advanced, family, nightlife, snow reliability, access, ski-in/ski-out and the overall score built from them — is computed the same way for every resort, from the same inputs, with the same weights. There is no manual scoring and no resort can pay to improve a score.

## How a score is built

Each score is a weighted sum of a fixed set of inputs. Every input is normalised onto a common 0–10 scale before its weight is applied, using the ranges in the tables below. A score is only published once enough of its inputs are known for a given resort — below that coverage threshold the page omits the score entirely rather than showing a number built mostly from guesses.

## Editor adjustments

Occasionally a score is manually adjusted by an editor when the automatic inputs miss something the data cannot capture (a badge marked "Editor-adjusted" always says why); the automatic pipeline never overwrites that adjustment.

## Coverage threshold

A score is only published once at least 60% of its weight is covered by known inputs for that resort.

## Beginner

| Input | Weight | Normalisation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Green and blue pistes (share of total km) | 40 | 10–60 (higher is better) |
| Magic carpets and rope tows | 15 | 0–6 (higher is better) |
| Ski schools in resort | 15 | 0–8 (higher is better) |
| Easy piste km starting near the base | 15 | 0–15 (higher is better) |
| Nursery slope at village level | 15 | Yes / no |

## Intermediate

| Input | Weight | Normalisation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Blue and red pistes (share of total km) | 40 | 30–85 (higher is better) |
| Total piste km | 30 | 20–300 (higher is better) |
| Modern lifts as a share of all lifts | 15 | 0.3–0.8 (higher is better) — Gondolas, chairs, cable cars and funiculars ÷ all lifts |
| Linked ski area piste km | 15 | 50–600 (higher is better) — Falls back to the resort's own piste km when it has no linked area |

## Advanced

| Input | Weight | Normalisation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Black pistes (share of total km) | 40 | 5–30 (higher is better) — +1 point (capped at 10) when the resort has 3 or more marked freeride runs |
| Vertical drop | 20 | 500–2000 (higher is better) |
| Top elevation | 15 | 2000–3800 (higher is better) |
| Off-piste reputation (editor flag) | 25 | Set by an editor |

## Family

| Input | Weight | Normalisation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Beginner score | 30 | Derived from another score |
| Childcare and kindergartens | 25 | 0–5 (higher is better) |
| Car-free or pedestrianised village | 15 | Yes / no |
| Village elevation | 10 | 10 at or below 1,600 m, falling to 0 at 2,100 m |
| Pool, ice rink or cinema | 10 | 0–3 (higher is better) — One point each for a pool, an ice rink and a cinema |
| Drive time from the main airport | 10 | 10 at or below 90 minutes, falling to 0 at 180 minutes |

## Après-ski and nightlife

| Input | Weight | Normalisation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bars, pubs and nightclubs | 50 | 3–40 (higher is better) |
| Après-ski venues (editor flag) | 20 | Set by an editor |
| Venues open past 01:00 | 15 | 0–8 (higher is better) — Bars, pubs and clubs whose OSM opening hours run to 01:00 or later |
| Total piste km | 15 | 20–300 (higher is better) |

## Snow reliability

| Input | Weight | Normalisation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mean winter snowfall (December–March) | 35 | 150–600 (higher is better) |
| Base elevation | 25 | 900–2000 (higher is better) |
| Top elevation | 15 | 2000–3500 (higher is better) |
| North-facing pistes | 10 | 20–60 (higher is better) |
| Glacier or snowmaking | 15 | Glacier scores 10, snowmaking 6, neither 0 |

## Access

| Input | Weight | Normalisation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Drive time from the main airport | 60 | 60–240 (lower is better) |
| Airports within two hours | 25 | 0–4 (higher is better) |
| Train station in resort | 15 | Yes / no |

## Value

| Input | Weight | Normalisation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 6-day lift pass against the European median | 50 | 0.7–1.4 (lower is better) — Verified 6-day adult pass ÷ the European median of the same |
| Median accommodation stars (inverted) | 20 | 2–5 (lower is better) |
| Supermarkets | 15 | 0–4 (higher is better) |
| Country cost index (editor flag) | 15 | Set by an editor — 10 = cheapest |

## Luxury

| Input | Weight | Normalisation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 5-star hotels | 40 | 0–6 (higher is better) |
| Michelin or notable restaurants (editor flag) | 20 | Set by an editor |
| Private transfer or helicopter access (editor flag) | 10 | Set by an editor |
| Luxury reputation (editor flag) | 30 | Set by an editor |

## Ski-in ski-out

| Input | Weight | Normalisation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Places to stay within 200 m of a lift | 100 | 0–60 (higher is better) — Needs at least 5 places to stay with a measured distance to a lift |

## Overall score

| Score | Weight in overall |
| --- | --- |
| Beginner | 1 |
| Intermediate | 1.5 |
| Advanced | 1 |
| Family | 1 |
| Après-ski and nightlife | 0.5 |
| Snow reliability | 1.5 |
| Access | 1 |
| Ski-in ski-out | 0.5 |

## Monthly snow score

Blends mean snowfall (weight 4, capped at 100 cm), mean snow depth (weight 3.5, capped at 150 cm) and days with at least 5 cm of fresh snow (weight 2.5, capped at 8 days), scaled to a 10-point ceiling from mid-mountain climate records.