Skiing has been used as a way for people in cold climates to get around for thousands of years. Preserved skis and rock paintings show that skis were used by hunters and trappers in pre-historic times in Asia’s Altai region. Slowly, the use of skis migrated to Eurasian arctic regions and then to Scandinavian regions.
In 1938 the Winter Olympics featured ski competitions for the first time. Later, during WWII, the Finns’ expertise in moving quickly with skis kept both Soviet and Nazi invaders at bay. Today skiing is viewed primarily as a sport but ski aficionados aren’t always able to head to the nearest ski resort for some skiing recreation. If you’re a ski enthusiast, or not for that matter, sit down with a nice hot cup of cocoa and sign in through the FairGo casino login or open your gaming console and play a ski-themed video game.
Some classic ski-themed video games include
Skiing by Activision
Skiing was one of Activision’s first games. It was a video game cartridge for the Atari 2600 which also played on the Xbox 360, PlayStation and on Microsoft Windows. Skiing was released in 1980 as a single-player game in which the player-controlled the speed and direction of the skier with a joystick. The skier didn’t actually move in the game – the background graphics would scroll upwards to give the illusion of movement.
Gameplay involved avoiding obstacles as the gamer tried to get his/her skier to the bottom of the hill as quickly as possible. A timer recorded the amount of time that the player needed to reach the bottom of the ski course without hitting trees, moguls or other skiers and the player would repeat the game, trying to beat his/her own score. A slalom mode was also included for advanced players.
Waku Waku Ski Wonder Spur
Waku Waku Ski Wonder Spur was published by Human Entertainment in 1995 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It’s a multiplayer simulation game that revolves around a major ski competition of eight of the world’s best skiers. Players compete on four different courses and amass points based on their performances as they move through the course. Each level course bestows a higher number of points with the player who collects the highest number of points winning.
The game’s edit mode allows players to edit a course for later racing and edit their character. A trial mode is available as is a head-to-head racing mode.
Alpine Racer 2
Alpine Racer 2 was released by Namco in 1996 as a 3D alpine skiing arcade game which followed the popular Alpine Racer game. Whereas in the original, there was no multiplayer aspect to the game, Alpine Racer two allows players to link two cabinets together and race against each other. It is the sequel to Alpine Racer but unlike the original, two cabinets can be linked together so that players can race against each other.
Other upgrades from the original Alpine Racer include the ability to choose from different characters and new, larger and more aesthetically-pleasing courses.
Steep
Steep is a 2016 sports video game published by Ubisoft as their first original game. . It was released worldwide on 2 December 2016 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Developed by Ubisoft Annecy beginning in 2013, it was their first original game and features open-world simulation play.
The game was originally set in the Alps but then expanded to include skiing in Japan, Korea and Alaska. Steep invites players to participate in skiing alongside snowboarding, rocket-powered wingsuit flying, BASE jumping, sledding, speed riding, and other Winter X Games at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
In this online multiplayer the gamer engages in winter sporting challenges with other players through online gameplay. Highlights of the game are the tasks, vast open world and overall stunning graphic imagery.
Val d’Isère Skiing and Snowboarding
The 1994 Val d’Isère Skiing and Snowboarding simulation game was released by Atari Corporation in 1994. It’s set in the authentic Val d’Isère ski resort in France and features training, freeride and competition modes for skiing and snowboarding. When it was released 25 years ago it was noted for giving players the opportunity to get high jumps in the air to avoid obstacles if the player timed the jumps correctly.
The game perspective was a behind-the-view perspective as the character raced down the skiing trails with abilities that included accelerating, turning, stopping, jumping, decelerating and making sharp turns. Players can navigate from skiing to snowboarding with options to change default control schemes. The game can be played in multiplayer mode with 2 players competing simultaneously (taking turns).
Every mode has its own subset of rules – arcade-style, non-competitive event mode for freeride, practice mode for training and competitive mode that consists of four championships for competition mode.
Riders Republic
Riders Republic is a 2021 game that brings together skiing, mountain biking, wingsuit flying and snowboarding in a multiplayer sports game where up to 64 gamers can compete in racing competitions. Riders Republic is set in an open world that molds together Yosemite Valley, Sequoia Park Zion National Park, Mammoth Mountain, Bryce Canyon, Grand Teton and Canyonlands into a single map.
Players meet and interact with each other while they compete in freestyle biking, bike racing, ski/snowboard freestyle, ski/snowboard racing, wingsuit racing and more. Each sport has its own progression path and players aim to join bigger competitions like the Red Bull Rampage, the Red Bull Joyride, the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup and the X Games. The main objective involves receiving an invitation to participate in the Riders Ridge Invitational where all the sports combine in one single event and players can switch between sport activities as they wish.
New gears, cosmetic items and outfits are unlocked as the game progresses. In the Tricks Battle Arena, the various teams compete to score Trick points.
