How to play SkiFree
SkiFree is a tribute to Chris Pirih’s 1991 Windows game. Ski down an endless slope, weave between trees, rocks, stumps, dogs and other skiers, and jump off ramps for style points.
Freestyle is about how far you get and how much style you show on the way. Slalom is twenty gates against the clock.
Rules
- Freestyle scores a point for every metre skied plus your style points. Past 2,000 metres the yeti comes down the hill after you. It gets a little faster every second and always catches you in the end, which ends the run.
- Hit a tree, rock, stump, dog or another skier and you fall over, lose 10 style points and get up a second later, standing still.
- Ramps throw you into the air. A clean landing is worth 5 style points, plus each trick finished in the air: a daffy 10, a spin 15 and a flip 25. Still mid-trick when your skis touch the snow, you wipe out and the jump scores nothing.
- Moguls bounce you into a short hop at speed, with just enough air for a daffy.
- In the air you can’t steer, and you fly over everything on the ground.
- Slalom: pass between the two flags of each gate; the next gate has solid flags. The clock starts at the start banner, and each gate you miss adds 5 seconds to your time.
- The game pauses when you switch tabs.
Controls
- ← → / A D
- Turn one step; standing sideways, step to the side
- ↓ / S
- Point straight downhill; press again to tuck
- F
- Tuck: straight down, at full speed
- ↑ / W
- Stop sideways; standing still, step uphill
- In the air
- ← → spin, ↑ flip, ↓ or F daffy
- Mouse
- Point where you want to ski; hold the button to tuck; click in the air to spin
- Touch
- Hold and drag on the slope to steer, or use the arrow buttons; tap in the air to spin
- P / Esc
- Pause
Tips
- A tuck is half as fast again as plain skiing, but at that speed you see only about two seconds ahead.
- Line up a ramp from far off and go straight at it: the faster you hit it, the longer you fly and the more tricks fit in.
- Once the yeti shows up, tuck and steer only as much as you have to. Every crash brings it closer.
SkiFree strategy
Speed and headings
There are seven headings: straight down, three angles to each side and sideways. Straight down you settle at about 50 km/h, and in a tuck at about 75 km/h. The first angle off the fall line keeps about 80% of that speed, the next less than half, and sideways brings you to a stop. Turning sheds speed faster than you gain it back, so pick your line early and correct it with single small turns.
Getting more air
How long you fly off a ramp depends on how fast you hit it: about 1.25 seconds at plain speed and 1.6 in a full tuck. A daffy takes 0.3 seconds, a spin 0.45 and a flip 0.6, and they go one after another. Second for second the flip is the best use of air. At plain speed two flips only just fit, 55 points with the landing; off a tuck there is room for two flips and a daffy, 65 in all. Press the next trick the moment the last one ends.
The yeti chase
The yeti appears about 40 metres behind you and off to one side, running at about 58 km/h and gaining roughly 1 km/h every second. Plain skiing is slower, so it catches you in ten seconds or so; a straight tuck pulls away at first and can hold it off for up to about 40 seconds. Every metre is a point, so the chase is worth a lot: the further you get in a tuck before it catches up, the better.
Slalom lines
The gates are 32 metres apart and swing from side to side, so the skier who turns least wins. Aim for the near flag of the next gate rather than its middle, and tuck between gates when the next one is nearly below you. The course is the same every run, so it can be learned.
Questions
Can you escape the yeti?
Not for good. It starts a little faster than plain skiing and speeds up every second, so a long tuck only buys time. Every Freestyle run ends with the yeti; your score is how far you got and how much style you showed on the way.
Why did I crash after a jump?
You were still in the middle of a trick when you landed. A daffy takes 0.3 seconds, a spin 0.45 and a flip 0.6: start the trick early in the jump, or pick a shorter one.
How is Slalom timed?
The clock starts at the start banner and stops at the finish banner. Each gate you don’t pass between the flags adds 5 seconds, as in the original.
Is this the original SkiFree?
No. It’s a tribute to Chris Pirih’s 1991 game from Microsoft Entertainment Pack 3, made for the browser.
