It’s actually been 38 days since I last did any actual skiing. Fortunately, the virtual skiing has been most excellent lately, with the release of the latest version of “Grand Mountain Adventure”. Fortunately, the game doesn’t require any fancy gaming devices other than a fairly current iOS or Android phone or tablet.
Before we get too much into trying to describe the game, I suggest you watch the trailer for the latest version. That release brought snowboarding to the game, but never fear, you can choose between various skis and snowboards during game play. I use the twin tip skis most of the time, switching to carving skis for some competitions.
So, yes, the graphics are beautiful in the game and so is the skiing. There’s times where you could believe that you were watching the latest ski movie from Matchstick Productions. You can demo the first mountain of the game for free, but buying the full game is only $4.99. It’s quite a bargain for the time I’ve spent playing. Just think about the number of times you have spent five bucks in the Alpine Meadows lodge for a PBR or a large soda, and you didn’t really think too much about it. I also love that there are no more extras that you need to pay for (power-ups, gold coins, etc) to successfully move through the game.
You start the game at Hirschalm, with access to only a couple of the lifts. In order to gain access to more lifts, you complete challenges to earn “ski passes”. The challenges vary from slalom gates, to jump challenges and freestyle tricks. In some cases, you can find random ski passes just by free skiing and hunting around. When you have gained access to all of the lifts at Hirschalm, you will also gain access to the next mountain. You don’t have to complete all of the challenges at any mountain to move forward.
While there’s not much of a manual for the game, if you’re stuck on a particular challenge, there’s an active Reddit thread for Grand Mountain Adventure. It can be useful if you are looking for tips.
Since I am not all that competitive, one of my favorite parts of the game is “Zen Mode”, which was enabled just a few weeks ago. I like to enable that after I can access all of the lifts on a mountain. All of the challenges are shut off and you can just free ski or board all over the mountain and explore. The controls are fairly simple, the movements are somewhat realistic. The only exception is that you can skate uphill like a beast, even in deep powder. Speaking of deep powder, you can use the “snow globe” feature to reset the mountain into a new powder paradise any time you want…with never a lift line.
The developers are saying on Reddit that a multiplayer mode will be coming soon, allowing you to ski with your crew. Andy? Bob? You had better start practicing!
Yes, the weather is getting warm, so playing games may not be on your radar this week. But I expect we’re going to see another rain, or even snow, event before we get into full outdoors mode. I encourage you to check out Grand Mountain Adventure at your favorite app store.