Trust
How scores work
Every spot gets a Stoke score from 0 to 100 for each day. It answers three questions: is it good, can I get there, and will it be packed. The math is the same for everyone; your pass and home only change the “can I get there” part.
The formula
Stoke score = 100 × (60% quality + 20% access + 20% room to move). Each part runs from 0 to 1.
- 70 and up: Go.
- 45–69: Maybe. Worth it if you’re already free.
- Under 45: Wait for a better day.
1. Is it good? (quality, 60%)
For skiing and snowboarding, quality blends these, with the weight each gets inside the quality score:
| Factor | Weight | Source |
|---|---|---|
| New snow (24h) | 30% | resort report |
| New snow (48h) | 15% | SNOTEL |
| Forecast snow | 10% | NWS |
| Summit wind | 20% | NWS |
| Temperature | 10% | NWS |
| Visibility | 5% | NWS |
| Base depth | 10% | SNOTEL |
Strong summit wind can put lifts on hold, so very high wind lowers quality and caps the call at “Maybe”. When a number is missing, we leave it out and say so instead of guessing.
2. Can I get there? (access, 20%)
Typical drive time from the nearest city (or from your home in the app), plus any delay UDOT reports. Chain laws and restrictions lower it. A closed canyon road drops access to zero and the call to “Wait”.
3. Will it be packed? (crowds, 20%)
Our crowd level is an estimate, not a live count. It looks at the day of the week, holidays and school breaks, new snow (powder days pull people in), weekend weather, canyon road delays and resort size, and labels the day Light, Moderate, Busy or Packed.
Where the data comes from
- National Weather Service: forecast snow, wind, temperature and visibility, hourly.
- NRCS SNOTEL: snow depth and recent snowfall from mountain weather stations near each resort.
- UDOT: canyon road status, chain laws, closures and delays.
- Resort reports: new snow and lifts open, entered by the Stoke team each morning.
We also gather news, resort announcements and public posts so you can see what’s going on. Those show with their source links and are never used to compute the score.
Scores update every hour. Every spot page lists its sources and when it was last updated. When the Stoke team adjusts a score, the page says so and why.
What scores don’t cover
Stoke doesn’t rate avalanche danger and never tells you whether backcountry terrain is safe. Before heading out of bounds, read the Utah Avalanche Center forecast. Conditions change fast in the mountains; scores are estimates.