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'{{good article}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2019}} {{Infobox video game | title = SkiFree | image = SkiFree icon.gif | caption = ''SkiFree'' icon | developer = Chris Pirih | publisher = [[Microsoft]]<br><nowiki>GearSprout (iOS), [[João Gonçalves{Android (operating system)}</nowiki> | released = 1991 (Windows, DOS)<br>2000 (GBC)<br>2013 (iOS){{efn|GearSprout released the game as ''SkeeFree'' beforehand to avoid [[trademark infringement]]. After the ''SkiFree'' trademark expired, the game was updated in 2013 as ''SkiFree''.<ref name=ios-destructoid/>}} 2019(Android) | genre = [[Sports video game|Sports]], [[Casual gaming|casual]] | modes = [[Single-player]] | platforms = [[Microsoft Windows]], [[DOS]], [[Game Boy Color]], [[Macintosh]], [[iOS]],[[Android (operating system)]] }} '''''SkiFree''''' is a single-player [[skiing]] computer game created by Chris Pirih and released with ''[[Microsoft Entertainment Pack|Microsoft Entertainment Pack 3]]'' for [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] and [[DOS]] in October 1991. The player controls a skier on a mountain slope, avoiding obstacles while racing against time or performing stunts for points, depending on the game mode. ''SkiFree'' was well-received upon release, with critics focusing on its simplicity and visuals. The game was [[porting|ported]] to [[Macintosh]] and, years later, to [[Game Boy Color]] and [[iOS]]. Pirih also released a free, updated 32-bit Windows version after rediscovering his original [[source code]]. ''SkiFree'' remains popular among the gaming community and is often remembered for its [[Abominable Snowman]], which pursues the player after they finish a full run. == Gameplay == [[File:Skifree screenshot.png|thumb|235px|''SkiFree'' screenshot. As the player steers the skier around trees and rocks, the skier is about to be pursued by the Abominable Snow Monster. The colorful bars represent the ramps, and the top right box contains statistics about the elapsed time, the meters traveled, the player's current speed, and their "Style" score.<ref name=pcgamer-yeti/>]] ''SkiFree'' is a [[casual game|casual]] single-player [[sports game|sports simulator]] wherein the player uses the keyboard or the mouse to control a [[skier]] across a white background representing snow on a mountainside.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.destructoid.com/the-grandaddy-of-casual-gaming-skifree-24942.phtml|title=The Grandaddy of casual gaming: SkiFree|last=Linde|first=Aaron|work=[[Destructoid]]|date=November 3, 2006|access-date=April 26, 2019}}</ref><ref name=rps-skifree>{{cite news|url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/11/30/skifree-retro/|title=Remembering Microsoft's Finest Gaming Hour: Skifree|last=Meer|first=Alec|work=[[Rock, Paper, Shotgun]]|date=November 30, 2014|access-date=February 8, 2019}}</ref><ref name=msdn>{{cite web|url=https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/virtual_pc_guy/2007/03/09/skifree-under-virtual-pc/|title=SkiFree under Virtual PC|last=Armstrong|first=Benjamin|work=[[MSDN]]|date=March 9, 2007|access-date=April 25, 2019}}</ref> The object of the game is to ski down an endless slope and avoid the obstacles (trees, stumps, dogs, etc.).<ref name=psdw>{{cite book|title=The PlayStation Dreamworld|last=Bown|first=Alfie|publisher=[[Wiley (publisher)|Wiley]]|date=November 2017|isbn=978-1-509-51802-9}}</ref> The player can also opt to partake in three modes: [[Slalom skiing|slalom]], [[freestyle skiing|freestyle]], and tree slalom.<ref name=kotaku-ios>{{cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/the-most-terrifying-skiing-video-game-ever-arrives-on-i-5974805|title=The Most Terrifying Skiing Video Game Ever Arrives on iOS|last=Fahey|first=Mike|work=[[Kotaku]]|date=July 10, 2013|access-date=April 25, 2019}}</ref> In slalom, players must properly ski around flags in an attempt to complete the run with the shortest time possible.<ref name=msdn/> Tree slalom adds obstacles to the slalom run.<ref name=kotaku-ios/> In freestyle, players ski downhill and jump off ramps while racking up points by performing tricks.<ref name=pcgamer-yeti/> Deductions are imposed for colliding into obstacles or failing to land properly after a stunt.<ref name=rps-skifree/> When the player passes the 2,000-meter mark, the Abominable Snowman appears and starts to chase the player, eating them when it catches them.<ref name=pcgamer-yeti>{{cite news|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/remembering-skifree-and-the-yeti-that-still-haunts-our-dreams/|title=Remembering SkiFree, and the Yeti that still haunts our dreams|last=Vincent|first=Brittany|work=[[PC Gamer]]|date=April 6, 2018|access-date=February 8, 2019}}</ref> == History == While ''SkiFree'' creator Chris Pirih was a student at the [[University of Puget Sound]], he wrote a [[text-based game]] called ''Ski'' in [[Fortran]] for the [[VAX/VMS]] [[operating system]], inspired by [[Activision]]'s [[Atari 2600]] game ''[[Skiing (Atari 2600)|Skiing]]''.<ref name=skifree-website>{{cite web|url=http://ski.ihoc.net|title=The Most Officialest SkiFree Home Page!|last=Pirih|first=Chris|access-date=April 28, 2019}}</ref> Later, as a programmer for [[Microsoft]] he was writing programming utilities used in the development of software such as [[Microsoft Word]] and [[Microsoft Excel]]. He had been focused on developing for the [[OS/2]] operating system, but in 1991 decided to learn to write for the newly released [[Windows 3.0]], and so created a new version of his skiing game in the programming language [[C (programming language)|C]], replacing the text-based environment with graphics.<ref name=skifree-website/> He called the game ''WinSki'', and added exploitable, fanciful elements to demonstrate the new operating system's functionality, such as staining the snow yellow after crashing into numerous dogs and certain tree stumps transforming into mushrooms when skied on backwards.<ref name=psdw/> [[File:VAX Ski gameplay.svg|thumb|235px|''SkiFree'' was based on Chris Pirih's earlier title, a text-based [[VAX/VMS]] game titled ''Ski''. The circumflexes (^) are trees and the slashes represent the direction of the skis as they turn to the left side of the screen.<ref name=skifree-website/>]] Although he developed it on his home computer for his own education and entertainment, ''WinSki'' attracted the attention of a program manager for the ''[[Microsoft Entertainment Pack]]'' (''MEP'') when he noticed Pirih playing it at work.<ref name=psdw/> At that time, the first ''MEP'' had become so successful that the ''MEP'' team was designing two more.<ref name=pcgamer-yeti/> In October 1991, Microsoft shipped ''MEP''s ''2'' and ''3'' for Windows 3 and DOS, the latter pack containing Pirih's game renamed and marketed by Microsoft as ''SkiFree''.<ref name=skifree-website/><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Microsoft Entertainment Packs for Windows|work=[[The Computer Paper]]|date=November 1991|volume=4|issue=11|page=49}}</ref> It was distributed on [[Mitsubishi Kagaku Media|Verbatim]] 3.5-inch GameSampler floppy disks, bundled with packs of 10 other blank floppy disks in the early 1990s.<ref name=verbatim>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/computer-power-user-magazine-v13i7/page/n79|title=The Rise of the Killer Apps|work=Computer Power Magazine|date=July 2013|volume=13|issue=7|page=80}}</ref> === Ports and rereleases === Since its debut, ''SkiFree'' has seen several [[Porting|ports]] and rereleases. ''SkiFree'' was featured in the ''[[Best of Microsoft Entertainment Pack]]'' in 1994<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.techrepublic.com/pictures/inside-microsoft-entertainment-pack-4/10/|title=Inside Microsoft Entertainment Pack 4|last=Shultz|first=Greg|work=[[TechRepublic]]|date=March 21, 2011|access-date=April 18, 2019|pages=10–11}}</ref> and was available as a port for the [[Apple Macintosh|Macintosh]].<ref name=pcgamer-yeti/> It was also one of seven games included in the 2000 [[Game Boy Color]] title ''Best of Microsoft Entertainment Pack''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ign.com/videos/2016/03/11/microsofts-lost-nintendo-game|title=Microsoft's Lost Nintendo Game|last=Petty|first=Jared|work=[[IGN]]|date=March 11, 2016|access-date=February 8, 2019}}</ref> On April 4, 2005, Pirih announced the creation and release of a 32-bit version of ''SkiFree'' on his website for [[Freeware|free]], after rediscovering the game's [[source code]] that year, which he had lost when he was developing a second version of the game in 1993, leading to its abandonment for other projects.<ref name=pcgamer-yeti/><ref name=tn-skifree>{{cite web|url=https://amp.tn.com.ar/tecno/recomendados/retrogames-en-navidad-volve-a-jugar-al-skifree_557872|title=Retrogames en Navidad: volvé a jugar al SkiFree|language=Spanish|work=[[TN (TV channel)|TN]]|date=October 24, 2015|access-date=April 15, 2019}}</ref> In January 2013, mobile games developer GearSprout developed and released [[iOS]] ports of ''SkiFree'' and ''[[Rodent's Revenge]]''. The company had already released ''SkeeFree'', a skiing game with identical assets. In a ''[[Destructoid]]'' interview with GearSprout co-founder Tommy Tornroos, he explained that the company contacted Microsoft about porting their titles, and Microsoft responded that they were "no longer claiming rights" to them.<ref name=ios-destructoid/> However, the ''SkiFree'' trademark was reserved by an unspecified entity, leading to the release of ''SkeeFree''. The ''SkiFree'' trademark later expired, and the name of the GearSprout game was updated as ''SkiFree'' when it was released alongside ''Rodent's Revenge''.<ref name=ios-destructoid>{{cite web|url=https://www.destructoid.com/skifree-and-rodent-s-revenge-out-now-for-ios-devices--242082.phtml|title=SkiFree and Rodent's Revenge out now for iOS devices!|last=Aziz|first=Hamza CTZ|work=[[Destructoid]]|date=January 9, 2013|access-date=March 29, 2019}}</ref> ''SkiFree'' was included in ''The Windows 3.x Showcase'' and uploaded to the [[Internet Archive]] in February 2016, becoming the most popular item on the website within a week.<ref name=psdw/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/02/over-1500-windows-3-1-shareware-apps-now-free-immortalized-on-your-browser/|title=1,500 Windows 3.1 shareware apps are now free, immortalized on your browser|last=Machkovech|first=Sam|work=[[Ars Technica]]|date=February 10, 2016|access-date=April 21, 2019}}</ref> In February 2020, Microsoft included a surfing-themed remake of ''SkiFree'' into its [[Microsoft Edge]] Chromium browser, accessible by typing the special URL ''edge://surf'' on the address bar.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.howtogeek.com/659743/how-to-play-microsoft-edges-secret-surfing-game/|title=How to Play Microsoft Edge’s Secret Surfing Game|last=Hoffman|first=Chris|work=[[HowToGeek]]|date=February 28, 2020|access-date=March 21, 2020}}</ref> == Reception == Upon release, ''SkiFree'' attained a [[Cult following#Video games|cult status]] in the PC community.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.techrepublic.com/pictures/inside-microsoft-entertainment-pack-3/6/|title=Inside Microsoft Entertainment Pack 3|last=Shultz|first=Greg|work=[[TechRepublic]]|date=March 13, 2011|access-date=April 18, 2019|page=6}}</ref> In his 1992 review for ''MEP''s ''2'' and ''3'', Richard Mansfield of ''Game Player's PC Entertainment'' favorably rated them as "visually sophisticated and...entertaining" as the first ''Pack''.<ref name=gppce/> While ranking ''[[Klotski]]'' as the best of the packs and only noting ''SkiFree'' as a "simple skiing simulation", he recommended all of the sixteen games and praised each of them for taking advantage of effects that "show off the visual beauty that Windows can bring to a computer."<ref name=gppce>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/stream/GPPCEVol5No2?ui=embed#page/n71/mode/2up|title=Microsoft Entertainment Pack, Volumes 2 and 3|last=Mansfield|first=Richard|work=Game Player's PC Entertainment|publisher=GP Publications|date=March–April 1992|volume=5|issue=2|page=70}}</ref> In another 1992 review, Barry Simon of ''[[PC Magazine]]'' described the game's graphics as humorous and "not very extensive", and while he chose ''[[Pipe Dream (video game)|Pipe Dream]]'' of ''Entertainment Pack 2'' as the game to purchase as a standalone title, at a bargain of {{USD|5}} per title, he recommended both of the packs.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Windows: It's a Fun Place to Mouse Around|last=Simon|first=Barry|work=[[PC Magazine]]|date=April 14, 1992|volume=11|issue=7|page=478}}</ref> ''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' described the ''MEP'' franchise as providing short gaming experiences, and noted its lead in the "gaming lite" category.<ref name=cgw-review>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=98|title=Computer Gaming World|date=September 1992|issue=98|page=74}}</ref> By September 1992, the first three ''MEP''s sold a total of over 500,000 copies.<ref name=cgw-review/> ''SkiFree'' continues to receive critical acclaim in retrospective reviews. Josh Augustine of ''[[PC Gamer]]'' cited it as one of his favorite games of his childhood.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Classic Play, No Pay|work=[[PC Gamer]]|date=April 2010|issue=199|page=22}}</ref> Lisa Foiles of ''[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]]'' ranked it No. 1 on its list of Top 5 Ski / Snowboard Games, calling it an "undeniable classic."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://v1.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/top-5-with-lisa-foiles/8595-Top-5-Ski-Snowboard-Games|title=Top 5 Ski / Snowboard Games|last=Foiles|first=Lisa|work=[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]]|date=December 17, 2013|access-date=March 30, 2019}}</ref> ''Computer Power User'' described the game as a "[[killer app]]", noting that ''SkiFree'' was not particularly groundbreaking, but as one of the ''MEP 3'' titles, it "stood apart from ''[[Minesweeper (video game)|Minesweeper]]'' and the various card and board-game translations that dominated the software bundles."<ref name=verbatim/> Brittany Vincent of ''PC Gamer'' characterized it as an [[endless runner]], rationalizing that ''SkiFree'' had no ending and that the course would loop to the top of the map when players reached the bottom.<ref name=pcgamer-yeti/> In another ''PC Gamer'' article highlighting the history of trees in video gaming, Matt Elliott characterized the game's trees as "mean, twisted little saplings" that threaten to ruin the player's course.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/the-history-of-trees-in-pc-gaming/|title=The history of trees in PC gaming|last=Elliott|first=Matt|work=[[PC Gamer]]|date=May 16, 2018|access-date=April 25, 2019}}</ref> Games journalist Alfie Bown described the way other popular Windows games required concentration or mental energy, playing into the operating system's reputation for usefulness and productivity. He contrasted it with the "totally anachronistic" ''SkiFree'', a more casual "subversive alternative."<ref name=psdw/>{{rp|97}} Retrospective reviews for ''SkiFree'' frequently focus on the obscure nature of the Abominable Snow Monster. Benj Edwards of ''PC Magazine'' rated ''SkiFree'' as the best of ''MEP 3'' because of the humorous inclusion of the Abominable Snow Monster.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pcmag.com/feature/336891/7-forgotten-windows-3-0-gaming-classics|title=7 Forgotten Windows 3.0 Gaming Classics|last=Edwards|first=Benj|work=[[PC Magazine]]|date=August 17, 2015|access-date=March 30, 2019}}</ref> James Kozanitis of ''Hardcore Gamer'' rated it No. 2 on their Top 5 Yetis in Video Games list.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hardcoregamer.com/2014/12/23/top-5-yetis-in-video-games/125189/|title=Top 5 Yetis in Video Games|last=Kozanitis|first=James|work=Hardcore Gamer|date=December 23, 2014|access-date=March 30, 2019}}</ref> Alec Meer of ''[[Rock, Paper, Shotgun]]'' opined that the Monster changed the tone of the game from being a sports game to being "the world's most dangerous sport", where the only ending condition is the Monster's devouring the skier.<ref name=rps-skifree/> Vincent noted fan theories that attempt to explain the Monster's background, as well as theories on how to supposedly outrun it (apart from pressing the {{Key|F}} key to accelerate beyond the normal limits).<ref name=pcgamer-yeti/> == Notes == {{notelist}} == References == {{reflist}} == External links == *[https://ski.ihoc.net/ "The Most Officialest SkiFree Home Page!"] – Author Chris Pirih's website *{{Internet Archive game|win3_SKIFREE}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Skifree}} [[Category:1991 video games]] [[Category:Microsoft games]] [[Category:Skiing video games]] [[Category:Casual games]] [[Category:DOS games]] [[Category:Endless runner games]] [[Category:Freeware games]] [[Category:Game Boy Color games]] [[Category:IOS games]] [[Category:Classic Mac OS games]] [[Category:Microsoft Entertainment Pack]] [[Category:Single-player video games]] [[Category:Video games developed in the United States]] [[Category:Windows games]] [[Category:Yeti in fiction]]'