Ratings Adjustment: Sierra-at-Tahoe, Homewood, and Whiteface Lift Scores
We recently updated our lift score criteria to better reflect the general lift-serviced experience at each resort. Our latest update centers around the way we factor non-lift-serviced terrain into our ratings.
Previously, we only deducted hike-to acreage from a resort’s lift score based off of the raw percentage of terrain not lift-serviced, but not the quality of that terrain. Now, we’re giving each resort’s lift score a 50% penalty for each non-size-score point it receives exclusively due to its hike-to footprint, rounded up to the nearest points. For detailed examples of our new lift score criteria, see Section B here.
Prior to publishing, we’d unofficially used this reasoning to deduct a point from Telluride’s lift score. This Colorado resort receives a top-notch 10/10 for both terrain diversity and challenge, but would only receive a 9/10 in both categories with solely lift-serviced terrain. Today’s updates come from a desire to equitably apply this logic across the board.
The three other resorts that now qualify for a lift score deduction are all moderately sized with very unique hike-to/hike-out runs. Two are in Tahoe and one is in New York. Sierra-at-Tahoe earns a 7/10 for terrain diversity and 8/10 for challenge in part due to its above-treeline, cliff-riddled Huckleberry Canyon, but without the hike-to terrain in this area, the resort would only receive a 6/10 and 7/10 in each category, respectively. Homewood’s astonishing hike-in and hike-out Quail Face bumps both the resort’s terrain diversity and challenge scores up to a 7/10; without it, both categories would be 6/10. And finally, Whiteface’s uniquely extreme hike-to Slides earn the resort a 7/10 for terrain diversity and 10/10 for challenge; without them, the resort would be knocked down by a point in each category.
With these new criteria, Sierra-at-Tahoe’s lift score has dropped from a 7 to a 6, Homewood’s lift score has dropped from a 4 to a 3, and Whiteface’s has dropped from a 5 to a 4. Telluride’s lift score, which already had this logic factored in, remains a 5.
Sierra-at-Tahoe drops down to fifth in Tahoe, just below Kirkwood. Homewood remains seventh in Tahoe. Whiteface, which is the only resort we’ve reviewed so far in New York, is now sixth on the East Coast.
For our detailed ratings thresholds for all Mountain Score categories, see here.
Sierra-at-Tahoe Score Change
7
Previous Lift Score
6
New Lift Score
71
Previous Overall Score
70
New Overall Score
Homewood Score Change
4
Previous Lift Score
3
New Lift Score
58
Previous Overall Score
57
New Overall Score
Whiteface Score Change
5
Previous Lift Score
4
New Lift Score
58
Previous Overall Score
57
New Overall Score
