One-Third Of Resorts Earn the Same Score for Mountain Aesthetic. It’s Time for a Splitter.
We’re splitting our ‘8’ score for Mountain Aesthetic into two, with most resorts seeing a score change as a result.
Ratings Adjustment: Re-Navigating Criteria for Three Resorts
Slight tweaks to this category aim to better encompass certain facets that make it difficult to get around.
Score Change: Snow King Sees The Most Radical Transformation of a Ski Resort in Years
Improvements in lifts, terrain access, and signage earn this Wyoming hill the largest single score increase we’ve ever given to any mountain.
Mountain Review: Snow King
This small, local Wyoming resort offers cheap lift tickets and demanding slopes—and has seen significant revitalization for the 2021-22 season. But a number of shortcomings still make the mountain less than ideal for beginner and intermediate visitors.
Score Changes: Multiple Resorts Struggle to Handle Increased Crowds
In the wake of unprecedented resort traffic, we are dropping the Crowd Flow scores for several mountains, including seven owned by Vail Resorts.
Score Change: Snowbasin’s New Middle Bowl Express is the Year’s Most Useful Lift Redundancy
The upgrade has eliminated a painfully long lift ride, redistributed crowds in a more practical manner, and democratized access to some of the resort’s best terrain.
Big Sky Score Change: Extra-Cost Tram Access Outweighs An Effective Swift Current Lift Upgrade
Major lift upgrades are not enough to outweigh the loss of Lone Peak Tram access for those who only purchase regular ticket and pass products.
Mountain Review: Big Sky (With Tram Add-on)
Purchasing the extra-cost Lone Peak Tram add-on gets visitors lift-serviced access to Big Sky’s most extreme terrain, highest elevation, and best views. However, competing mountains offer similarly unique terrain for a far lower cost of entry.
Arapahoe Basin 2nd Notch: An Extremely Scary Experience
Our ranker-in-chief Sam loses his footing as he attempts one of the most dangerous in-bounds entrances in all of North America.
Video Review: Mount Hood Meadows
An in-depth video review of Mount Hood Meadows, a ski area located on the southeastern flank of Mount Hood, Oregon.