SkiBot’s Top 10 Colorado Ski Lifts

Thanks to the Liftblog lift database, we were able to ask a customized model of GPT-4 to crunch some numbers.

We asked:

According to this spreadsheet of Colorado ski lifts, which ski lifts take a person the highest vertical rise in the fastest amount of time?

Create a table containing the top 10.

Skibot:

The top 10 Colorado ski lifts with the highest vertical rise in the shortest amount of time are as follows:
1. Telluride – 14 Gold Hill Express: A High-Speed Quad with a vertical rise of 1,475 feet and a ride time of 3.7 minutes, resulting in a rise rate of approximately 398.65 feet per minute.
2. Loveland – 1 Chet’s Dream: A High-Speed Quad with a vertical rise of 991 feet and a ride time of 2.6 minutes, resulting in a rise rate of approximately 381.15 feet per minute.
3. Keystone – Santiago Express: A High-Speed Quad with a vertical rise of 1,600 feet and a ride time of 4.4 minutes, resulting in a rise rate of approximately 363.64 feet per minute.
4. Steamboat – Sundown Express: A High-Speed Quad with a vertical rise of 1,936 feet and a ride time of 5.4 minutes, resulting in a rise rate of approximately 358.52 feet per minute.
5. Breckenridge – Imperial SuperChair: A High-Speed Quad with a vertical rise of 939 feet and a ride time of 2.7 minutes, resulting in a rise rate of approximately 347.78 feet per minute.
6. Telluride – 9 Plunge Express: A High-Speed Quad with a vertical rise of 2,119 feet and a ride time of 6.2 minutes, resulting in a rise rate of approximately 341.77 feet per minute.
7. Beaver Creek – Birds of Prey Express: A High-Speed Quad with a vertical rise of 2,158 feet and a ride time of 6.5 minutes, resulting in a rise rate of approximately 332 feet per minute.
8. Vail – 5 High Noon Express: A High-Speed Quad with a vertical rise of 1,852 feet and a ride time of 5.6 minutes, resulting in a rise rate of approximately 330.71 feet per minute.
9. Steamboat – Pony Express: A High-Speed Quad with a vertical rise of 1,653 feet and a ride time of 5 minutes, resulting in a rise rate of approximately 330.6 feet per minute.
10. Beaver Creek – Grouse Mountain Express: A High-Speed Quad with a vertical rise of 1,811 feet and a ride time of 5.5 minutes, resulting in a rise rate of approximately 329.27 feet per minute.

Notice the lack of table…
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Revising our question, we then asked:

What if we include distance as a variable? In this case, the further the better but also elevation should still be the most important.

Skibot:

When incorporating both the distance (length) of the lift and the vertical rise, with a heavier weight on the vertical rise, the top 10 Colorado ski lifts are:
1. Aspen Mountain – Silver Queen Gondola: A Gondola with a vertical rise of 3,264 feet, a length of 13,216 feet, and a ride time of 13.2 minutes. Its weighted score is 19,744.
2. Steamboat – Wild Blue Gondola II: A Gondola with a vertical rise of 2,782 feet, a length of 12,243 feet, and a ride time of 8.9 minutes. Its weighted score is 17,807.
3. Snowmass – Village Express: A High-Speed Six with a vertical rise of 2,174 feet, a length of 10,074 feet, and a ride time of 9.6 minutes. Its weighted score is 14,422.
4. Telluride – 10 Sunshine Express: A High-Speed Quad with a vertical rise of 1,750 feet, a length of 10,732 feet, and a ride time of 10.9 minutes. Its weighted score is 14,232.
5. Keystone – River Run Gondola: A Gondola with a vertical rise of 2,307 feet, a length of 9,587 feet, and a ride time of 9.6 minutes. Its weighted score is 14,201.
6. Keystone – Summit Express: A High-Speed Quad with a vertical rise of 2,303 feet, a length of 9,403 feet, and a ride time of 8.5 minutes. Its weighted score is 14,009.
7. Copper Mountain – American Flyer: A High-Speed Six with a vertical rise of 1,904 feet, a length of 9,886 feet, and a ride time of 9.9 minutes. Its weighted score is 13,694.
8. Snowmass – Sheer Bliss: A High-Speed Quad with a vertical rise of 2,212 feet, a length of 9,242 feet, and a ride time of 9.2 minutes. Its weighted score is 13,666.
9. Vail – 19 Eagle Bahn Gondola: A Gondola with a vertical rise of 2,215 feet, a length of 9,148 feet, and a ride time of 7.7 minutes. Its weighted score is 13,578.
10. Copper Mountain – Super Bee: A High-Speed Six with a vertical rise of 2,293 feet, a length of 8,870 feet, and a ride time of 8.1 minutes. Its weighted score is 13,456.
This ranking considers both the distance traveled and the vertical rise, with a preference for higher vertical ascents, providing a blend of both length and elevation.
The weighted score in this context is a calculated value that combines two important factors of a ski lift: the vertical rise (how high the lift goes) and the length (the total distance the lift covers). The purpose of this score is to evaluate ski lifts based on both their elevation gain and the distance they cover, with a preference for lifts that achieve a higher vertical rise.
Here’s how the weighted score is calculated:
1. Vertical Rise: This is the height difference from the bottom to the top of the lift. Since the vertical rise is considered more important (as mentioned, it’s the most important factor), it’s given a higher weight in the calculation. In this case, the vertical rise is multiplied by 2 to emphasize its importance.
2. Length: This is the total horizontal distance the lift covers from start to end.
The formula used for the weighted score is:
Weighted Score=(Vertical Rise×2)+Length
By using this formula, a lift with a higher vertical rise receives a significantly higher score due to the multiplication factor, but the length of the lift also contributes to the overall score, ensuring that longer lifts are also recognized. The result is a single number that reflects both the height and distance aspects of the lift, with a bias towards those that take skiers higher up the mountain.
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What do you think? Did Skibot get it right? The guys on the podcast certainly had some issues with SkiBot’s rankings, but then again, none of them had ever been to all of the locations. Let us know what you think!