Blog Post #2: “Inside the Snow Genius Pass Picker”
🧪 How the Pass Picker Works
The Pass Picker is the heart of Snow Genius. It’s a powerful tool built to answer one of the most annoying questions in skiing:
“Which pass should I buy this year?”
We ask a few key questions:
How many days do you plan to ski?
Where do you live?
Do you want weekend access?
Any special categories (like military, student, or nurse)?
How old are you?
Then we calculate your best match by weighing things like:
Distance to each resort
How many access days each pass gives you (per resort)
Blackout restrictions
Pass category (age brackets and eligibility)
Cost per weighted ski day
⚙️ Under the Hood
The engine driving this is what we call the PVSA (Pass Value Scoring Algorithm). Here’s how it works:
Eligibility Filtering
First, we eliminate passes that don’t fit your situation—like ones with not enough access days, midweek-only options if you want weekends, or passes outside your age range.
Pass Day Score
We sum up the number of days you can actually use each pass, factoring in how far you live from each resort (closer = more likely to visit = more weight).
Cost per Day
Finally, we calculate what you’re actually paying per weighted ski day to find the best bang for your buck.
You don’t need to compare 12 passes manually anymore—we do the math for you.
🚀 Where We Are Today
We’re currently in open beta with the Pass Picker available at snow-genius.com. Here’s what we’ve launched so far:
✅ Pass database with detailed access by resort
✅ Accurate drive distance scoring
✅ Weekend and blackout filtering
✅ Category-based eligibility
✅ Real cost-per-day analysis
✅ Live scoring API backend (thanks Greg!)
✅ Clean, skier-friendly UI (thanks Christi!)
🗺️ What’s Coming Next
We’re building fast—and we’ve got more in the pipeline:
🔄 Real-time pass pricing
📊 Full comparison dashboards
📍 Interactive resort map
🎿 Trip planner and group coordination tools
🧤 Gear recommendations based on pass + region
📸 Community content and resort reviews