We Ski & Snowboard is a simulation of a skiing or snowboarding trip experience for one to four participants. Each player controls their own, custom Mii avatar through the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. One player may use the Wii Balance Board, in which case, the maximum number of participants is reduced to three.
Activities[ | ]
We Ski & Snowboard provides several different activities that simulate different skiing or snowboarding experiences:
- Enjoy the Resort - The virtual Jamboree Resort offers a large collection of skiing or snowboarding trails of all difficulty levels, with some slopes dedicated to powder, or ice, trees, moguls, slalom, jumps, or numerous acrobatic tricks. These can be accessed by chairlift from the base of the mountain.
- Enjoy the Mountain - The virtual Mt. Agrio provides a simulation of a pristine, wide-open mountain area without marked trails. Participants may helicopter into any of half a dozen points on the mountain and ski or snowboard free-form wherever they choose. Enjoy the views.
- Competition - Compete against yourself or an opponent in several different events:
- Race - Race for speed down a choice of ten different timed racing courses.
- Slalom Challenge - Race for speed and control through ten different slalom courses; missing a gate penalizes your time.
- Slope Challenge - race for time and style down a course offering jumps, rails, and other paraphernalia to show off a variety of freestyle tricks, scored based on number and difficulty of tricks performed successfully.
- Half-Pipe - Perform freestyle snowboard tricks on a half-pipe course, scored by number and difficulty of tricks performed successfully.
- Moguls - Race on a heavily moguled course.
Other Features[ | ]
We Ski & Snowboard offers several other features:
- Ski School - You can learn the basics of skiing or snowboarding (with or without the Wii Balance Board), plus more advanced techniques such as how to perform tricks (e.g. flips, grabs, 180°'s), how to handle jumps & moguls, and other techniques through a simulated ski school. This can be accessed from the main menu, or by just skiing or snowboarding to an instructor at the Jamboree Resort.
- Photo Album - You can collect pictures of you Mii avatar(s) at different locations on the mountain. These can be viewed later in the photo album from the main menu.
- Records - We Ski & Snowboard keeps track of each Mii's records, for good or bad. Best times, most number of falls, whatever. These can be viewed in a record section from the main menu.
- Game-operated characters - We Ski & Snowboard populates the slopes of its Jamboree Resort and Mt. Agrio with a plethora of virtual characters: fellow skiers and snowboarders, ski school instructors, virtual buddies (who you can have join you on the slopes), and virtual competitors (who you can challenge to different competitions.) Some can give new players useful information about the slopes.
Controls[ | ]
Each participant needs a Wii Remote and Nunchuk, which perform the basic game control functions. Control the direction the avatar is looking with the joystick on the Nunchuk. Initiate movement by simulating "polling" by moving the Wii Remote and Nunchuk up and down at your sides. Buttons and tilting, swinging and twisting of the controls are used to perform special techniques and tricks, from snowplowing on skis to grabbing a snowboard.
With the Wii Balance Board, the participant controls direction of motion by leaning to the left and right, as if simulating skiing or snowboarding. The balance board should face the display screen for skiing, and be rotated 90° to simulate snowboarding. Note that a player using the balance board still requires a Wii Remote and Nunchuk.
Without the balance board, participants control direction by swinging the Wii Remote and Nunchuk horizontally (yaw) to the left or right.
Only a single Wii Balance Board is supported by the Wii console. We Ski & Snowboard allows one participant to use the Balance Board and Wii Remote and Nunchuk while others use just the Wii Remote and Nunchuk.
Avatars[ | ]
Each participant may customize their own Mii avatar to represent them on the snowy slopes. In addition to gender, age, height and girth, several dozen facial options are available, along with half a dozen choices for attire that can be varied in just about any color combination.
Additional outfits, skis, snowboards, and colors can be unlocked as the game is played.