Powder Peak guide

How Powder Peak works

Each run is a downhill course on a snowy mountain. Gravity does the work: the steeper the slope and the straighter your line, the faster you go. Your job is to steer a smooth line through the gates, stay clear of trees and rocks, and reach the finish arch as fast as you can.

Your finishing time decides the medal. Points are added for gates, tricks and time, and your best points and best time are saved on this device.

Controls

• Phone and tablet: hold the left half of the screen to turn left, the right half to turn right. Hold both sides to brake.
• Phone: tap the round JUMP button to jump; riding straight tucks you automatically.
• Computer: ← → or A and D to turn, ↑ or W to push and tuck for speed, ↓ or S to brake.
• Jump: hold Space to charge, release to take off. A full charge takes about half a second.
• Music: turn it on or off in the menu, or press M.

Speed and carving

• Turning always costs a little speed, and hard turns cost more. Long, gentle arcs are faster than sharp zig-zags.
• The groomed run is fast. Deep powder at the sides is slow, so cutting a corner through it rarely pays off.
• Holding ↑ pushes with the poles and tucks, which helps most at low speed and on flatter sections. Let go before a hard turn.

Gates and penalties

• Pass between the two poles of every gate. The red and blue gates alternate sides of the run.
• A missed gate adds 2 seconds to your time.
• Start each turn before you reach the gate, so that you pass it already heading towards the next one.

Kickers, drops and tricks

• Kickers are snow ramps marked with orange cones. Hit them straight to launch.
• In the air, hold left or right to spin, and hold ↑ or Space for a grab. Let go so you land facing forward or backward: 180 and 540 land you riding switch, 360 and 720 facing forward, and each scores more.
• Hold ↑ or Space in the air for a grab bonus. You can also jump on your own with Space anywhere on the run. Long airtime also scores.
• A sideways landing costs speed but no points. Only a very hard landing from too high makes you fall.
• Twilight Ridge has drop-offs across the whole run. Go over them straight.

The four runs

• Sunrise Meadow (easy): wide, gentle, few obstacles.
• Pine Valley (medium): a forest run with trees on the piste and tighter gates.
• Twilight Ridge (hard): steep and narrow, with rocks and drop-offs.
• Free Ride: a new endless mountain every time, no gates and no timer. Your score is distance plus trick points.

Tips for gold

• Look two gates ahead and pick a line that links them with one smooth arc.
• Skipping a hard gate costs 2 seconds; a fall usually costs more. If a gate is out of reach, let it go.
• Do tricks when you have time to spare: a clean 360 is worth it, a fall is not.
• Learn each run: the courses are the same every time, only Free Ride changes.