
Both the main game board and the Run Difficulty tracker are double-sided to accommodate different player counts. The board for Skull Canyon: Ski Fest is larger than I expected it to be, but that’s not a bad thing. Whoever scores highest is the winner of Skull Canyon: Ski Fest! Staking Our C.L.A.I.M. Extra points are awarded based on Gear cards, Leftover Fame, and Awards for completing the most runs of each difficulty type.

The locations in the village allow players to burn cards and Fame for various bonuses.

Players take actions on their way to the Hotel where they’ll sleep before skiing again on the next day. For fans of Tokaido or PARKS, you’ll find familiar ground here. This is a good way to hamper your opponents who might be on the verge of stealing a run or skiing a run to give them majority of a specific difficulty level.Īfter a long day of skiing, players relax with the Après-Ski Phase. Playing 2 or more Yeti cards triggers an avalanche. This prevents skiers from going down that run unless they have an item that lets them get around it. That brings us to the Yeti! If a skier plays a single Wild card when skiing a run, they get to move the Yeti to block a run. Now available at your local convenience store. These can be anything from Heated Gloves to help keep your Claims intact, or a Yeti Energy Drink that gives a skier that boost of energy to ski right around a prowling Yeti. Fame can be used to purchase Gear cards which will give you the necessary edge to carve out a victory. Skiing runs is the best way to earn Fame and Victory Points. It’s a massive benefit that will have you sculpting your hand accordingly. If the player manages to play a set matching the required style as dictated by the style token on the run, you earn twice the amount of Fame from that run. However, a claimed run isn’t guaranteed to be yours forever! If another skier plays an additional slope card for each claim token on the run when skiing, they’ll steal that run for themselves. The first person to ski a run claims that run for themselves, earning extra points at the end of the game. Easy runs (green circle) require 2 cards, Advanced (blue square) runs require 4 cards, and Expert runs (black diamond) require a whopping 7 cards to claim. Matching cards mean matching color OR matching style. Ski a Run: If at the top of a run, ski down the run by playing a set of slope cardsĪll that’s needed to ski a run is to play a set of matching cards reflective of the run’s difficulty.Ride a Lift: Move your skier up the mountain along the red lift tracks to a new waypoint or lodge.Train: Take up to 2 slope cards into your hand.Players take turns performing two of the following actions, or the same action twice: There are also Yeti cards which serve as wild cards of every color and style.Įach day, players will shred the slopes during the Skiing Phase. Slope cards come in 3 colors (red, yellow, and blue), and show one of 5 style icons (slopestyle, slalom, ski cross, moguls, or off-piste). Play largely revolves around collecting slope cards, hoping to form the necessary sets that will allow them to claim runs for themselves. The game combines worker placement and set collection elements. The competition lasts three days each with different weather conditions that the skiers must overcome. In Skull Canyon: Ski Fest, players assume the roles of skiers hoping to become legends by winning Skull Canyon Ski Resort’s huge re-opening festival. Let’s hit the chair lift and see what Skull Canyon: Ski Fest is all about! Skull Canyon: Ski Fest Gameplay


Granted, I don’t think Olympic skiers need to contend with a terrifying Yeti. It’s a game about competitive skiing down the dangerous Skull Canyon runs, which gives it timing to build some hype with the Winter Olympics currently going on. Skull Canyon: Ski Fest is designed by Jason Klinke and Kip Noschese, and features art by Gica Tam.
