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The Great Downhill Ski Game
1970
Rules assistance for The Great Downhill Ski Game
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–4 players
- 30 min
- 10+
- Complexity 1.2/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for The Great Downhill Ski Game
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Great Downhill Ski Game is a board game released in 1970 for 1–4 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Terry Martin Rose and its main mechanics are Tile Placement.
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About the game
The Great Downhill Ski Game is a tile laying game for 1 to 4 skiers, with a large board of white squares, many with green triangles representing pine trees. There are 256 trail tiles showing the parallel lines the skis make in the snow. These go in straight lines, diagonals, turns and sharp turns and a few have 2 trails making crossovers. Players draw ten tiles from the face-down pile and show them. The first player lays as many tiles as possible to make a ski trail down from the top of the hill avoiding the trees, then draws back to ten tiles. A player may choose to use its turn to swap tiles with the pool instead of playing. If your trail is totally blocked, you may remove tiles laid and try again. When a skier reaches the bottom of the hill, the others may finish their turns. Any finisher gets 25 bonus points, then each player scores their trail, according to the tiles they laid. The straights are worth 1 point, turns 2 pts, sharp turns 3 pts and crossovers are 10 pts. Then deduct the tiles left in hand and the highest total wins. In the solitaire game, the player draws 50 tiles and tries to make a trail using all 50. The rules are in English, French and German and refer to the board as a plastic sheet rolled in a tube, presumably the earlier edition. A slip in the box has trademark Terry Martin Rose and a company address Franklin Merchandising Co in Chicago. Nancy Greene (1943 - ) is Canada's most famous skier and it was not a surprise when her name and picture was added to the Canadian version. The Waddingtons edition must have been produced after the tube edition, as the rules text refers to unfurling the plastic sheet although the game has a standard board. The box has a copyright date of 1970. The tile count is different from the enclosed slip too, with 4 more straights, and 2 fewer of each hairpin turn. user summary
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Waddingtons
- Parker Spiele
- Franklin Merchandising Company
Questions and answers
The Great Downhill Ski Game supports 1–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for The Great Downhill Ski Game is 30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists The Great Downhill Ski Game for ages 10 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
The Great Downhill Ski Game has a complexity rating of 1.2 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
The Great Downhill Ski Game belongs to these categories: Sports. Its main mechanics are Tile Placement. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of The Great Downhill Ski Game are: Terry Martin Rose. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists The Great Downhill Ski Game as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.