Ski Almanac

Data & sources

Every number in the almanac has a source you can open. This page lists where the data comes from, how the guides are written and how the cover paintings are made.

Illustration: an unfolded piste map, a notebook with hand-drawn charts, a mug of tea and reading glasses on a wooden table by a chalet window at dusk

Where the almanac comes from

Six kinds of source

  • Plate I

    Mapped terrain

    OpenSkiData / OpenSkiMap.org, built on OpenStreetMap

    Ski areas, classified runs, lifts and the mapped base and peak altitudes. OpenSkiData also credits Skimap.org, Who’s On First and Mapterhorn.

    Licence: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL 1.0

  • Plate II

    Family facts

    Hand research, one dated note per field

    Children’s clubs, free child passes, English-speaking ski schools, ski-in / ski-out, daycare and non-skier activities. Each value names the page it came from and the day it was checked.

    Licence: Original factual curation, contributed to the almanac database

  • Plate III

    Holiday fit and price tier

    Editorial assessment

    Fit for Christmas, February half-term and Easter is checked against the published season. The price tier is a broad planning estimate, never a quote.

    Licence: Original editorial assessment

  • Plate IV

    Guide prose

    Drafted with an AI model, checked by hand

    The overview, family fit and research paragraphs follow strict rules: no fact without a field behind it. The owner checks a random sample of every batch before it goes live.

    Licence: Ski Almanac

  • Plate V

    Cover paintings

    Generated in one fixed house style

    Each guide opens with a painting of its resort, made with an image model from a fixed style description. A painting is an impression of the place and is not geographically exact.

    Licence: Ski Almanac

  • Plate VI

    Photographs

    Open-licence photos, credited

    Photographs of the real place appear inside the guides, each with its photographer and licence.

    Licence: As credited on each photo

How to read the figures

Geographic and terrain figures describe the whole mapped ski area. Classified downhill length excludes unclassified and freeride runs; it is not an official advertised piste total. Family services are village-specific when stated and may be restricted by age, season, hotel stay or advance booking. Confirm all conditions directly before booking.

Pricing tiers and holiday suitability are original editorial planning judgements. No live snow, price or availability service is used.

Open map data

Terrain from OpenStreetMap

Run lengths, lift counts, altitudes and difficulty shares are derived from OpenSkiData and OpenSkiMap.org, © OpenStreetMap contributors, under the Open Database Licence (ODbL 1.0).

Family facts, prices, holiday judgements and source notes are our own research. Each guide shows its source notes field by field.

Photo credits

  • Arc 1800 les Villards, 2017 · Photo: DimiTalen, via Wikimedia Commons, CC0, source
  • Morning from a residence balcony, Arc 1800 · Photo: DimiTalen, via Wikimedia Commons, CC0, source
  • Kohlmais gondola above Saalbach, next door in the same ski area · Photo: F30, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5, source

Licences and terms

Data from OpenSkiData / OpenSkiMap.org, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Skimap.org, Who’s On First, © Mapterhorn.