What kind of beast Skifree is: rules, tricks and a few tips

The igrasu.ru catalog holds hundreds of games, and this is one people keep coming back to. Here is how it works and how to get the most out of it.

What this game is

Skifree (Ски-фри) is a port of the legendary SkiFree: an endless downhill run over a slope littered with pines, boulders and jump ramps. You get five skiers and one goal — travel as far as you can. Speed climbs, turns get sharper, and after 2000 metres a Yeti lumbers over the ridge and starts chasing you. It gains on you relentlessly, so your only way out is to keep your pace and weave. A catch costs a life; run out of all five and the run is over. All the art is sprite-based on a 2D screen, with not a single external library.

How to play, in short

Controls (mouse and finger — identical):

• Mouse: move the cursor down the slope — the skier heads for the point under it; a click also starts the run
• Finger: tap or drag across the piste to steer, double-tap for a burst
• Keyboard: A / D turn left / right, S tuck for speed, W brake, F speed-boost, T trick mid-air, Space starts a new run

How to play:

• Hit a tree or a rock and the skier wipes out and loses a life — don't
• Ramps launch you into a jump with a rush of speed; press T in the air to spin a somersault
• The boost (F / double-tap) doubles your speed for a couple of seconds but has a cooldown — save it for the Yeti
• Your score is the metres travelled, which also feeds a high score that saves on its own
• The Yeti shows up on its own at 2000 m and only gets faster — the further you go after that, the more the run is worth

A few final tips

• Check out the demo mode on the game page — the AI shows how it is played, and repeating it yourself gets much easier.
• Play in short sessions: the best results come with a warmed-up head.

Take note: it works great solo and in a "my high score is bigger" company. Ready to try? "Skifree"