Skull Canyon: Ski Fest
Skull Canyon: Ski Fest Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 1 game board
- 1 run scoreboard
- 1 first player marker
- 1 daylight tracker
- 1 yeti meeple
- 120 slope cards
- 16 gear cards
- 4 skier meeples
- 4 skier cards
- 4 victory trackers
- 64 claim markers (16 per player)
- Fame tokens (1s and 3s)
- 8 explosive tokens
- 8 lift ticket tokens
- 7 weather markers
- 10 style bonus markers
Setup
- Boards: Flip the game board to the correct side for your player count (3-4 player or 2 player) and place it in the middle of the table. Place the run scoreboard nearby.
- Supply Piles: Pile the fame, explosive, and lift ticket tokens near the board.
- Yeti: Place the Yeti in the cave on the board.
- Daylight Track: Place the daylight tracker on 4 at the top of the daylight track.
- Weather Track: Find a weather marker with a sunny icon on it and place it faceup on the "I" space of the weather track. Flip the remaining 6 weather markers facedown and mix them up. Reveal 2 random markers and place them on the "II" and "III" spaces on the weather track. The remaining markers can be returned to the box.
- Style Bonuses: Flip the 10 style bonus markers facedown and mix them up. Place 1 random marker faceup on each of the bonus spaces on the board. (In a 2 player game, place the leftover markers in the supply.)
- Gear Deck: Shuffle the gear cards and place them in a stack near the board. Reveal the top 4 cards from the deck and lay them out in a row.
- Slope Deck: Shuffle the slope cards and place them in a stack next to the board. Reveal the top 4 cards from the deck and lay them out in a row.
- Player Setup:
- (a) Each player chooses a color and takes the following components: 1 skier meeple, 1 victory tracker, 16 claim markers, 1 skier card.
- (b) Each player places their victory tracker on 0 on the victory track.
- (c) Each player places their skier meeple at lodge 1 at the base of the mountain.
- (d) Deal each player a starting hand of 7 slope cards.
- (e) The player who most recently made a snowman takes the first player marker.
Game Board Overview
- Victory Track: Tracks each skier's victory points.
- Run Scoreboard: Here you can claim runs you've completed for bonus end-game points.
- Weather Track: Tracks how many days (rounds) are left in Ski Fest and tells you the weather conditions for each day.
- Daylight Track: Tracks the number of turns left in the current day (round).
- Runs: Trails for skiing down the mountain. Each run is marked as easy, advanced, or expert, and has a name matching a space on the run scoreboard.
- Lift Tracks: Lifts to take you up the mountain.
- Style Bonus Spaces: Marks where style bonus markers are placed.
- Waypoints: Mark the start and end of ski runs.
- Lodges: Warm, cozy lodgings where you can start your day at Ski Fest. Also act as waypoints marking the start and end of runs.
- Ski Village: Here you can visit various locations at the end of the day to take bonus actions and acquire gear.
Gameplay
Goal
Prove you're the ultimate skier by skiing the most difficult runs, collecting the best gear, and earning the highest score!
To get your ski on, you need to collect and turn in matching sets of slope cards. Each set you turn in lets you ski a run on the mountain, earning victory points, fame, and a spot on the run scoreboard that tracks who performed best on each run. The higher a run's difficulty rating, the more cards you'll need to collect to complete it — but you'll also score more points and earn more fame!
At the end of each day of skiing, you'll take a break at the Ski Village, where you can take bonus actions and acquire gear to prepare for the next day of skiing. At the end of the 3rd day, whoever has the most victory points wins!
Fame: In Skull Canyon Ski Fest, fame is a currency you can spend to take bonus actions and acquire gear. At the end of the game, every 3 fame you have left over is worth 1 victory point.
Snow-Pro Tip: Exchange Fame Tokens — You can exchange fame you've collected for tokens of different denominations at any time.
Overview
Game rounds are called days. The game takes place over 3 days, each made up of 2 phases:
Phase 1: Skiing — Players take turns collecting slope cards and completing runs.
Phase 2: Après-Ski — Players take bonus actions and purchase gear in the Ski Village.
Important! On the 3rd day of Ski Fest, there is no Après-Ski phase. The game ends immediately when the daylight track reaches "0."
Phase 1: Skiing
During this phase, players take turns in clockwise order, starting with the player who has the first player marker.
On your turn, you may take up to 2 actions from the list below. You may take 2 different actions, or the same action twice.
- Train: Take 2 slope cards.
- Ride a Lift: Move your skier up the mountain.
- Ski a Run: Play a set of slope cards to complete a run.
The Daylight Track
Each time the last player in turn order ends their turn, move the daylight marker down one space to show that time is passing.
When the daylight marker moves down to the "END" space, the Skiing phase ends and players move on to Après-Ski. (If it is the 3rd day, the game ends instead; see "End of the Game" on pg. 14.)
Action: Train
When you take a Train action, choose up to 2 slope cards, one at a time, and add them to your hand. There is no limit to how many cards you can have in your hand.
Each card you choose may come from either the faceup row or the top of the deck. Whenever you take a card from the faceup row, immediately replace it with the top card from the deck (before taking another card or action).
Slope Cards
Each slope card has one of 3 colors (red, yellow, or blue) and one of 5 style icons (slopestyle, slalom, ski cross, moguls, or off-piste). To ski down Skull Canyon's treacherous runs, you'll need to collect sets of slope cards with matching colors or matching styles. (See "Ski a Run" on pg. 7.)
Yeti Cards
Yeti cards are wild cards that act as every color and style. If you choose to take a Yeti from the faceup row during a Train action, you only get to take 1 card total for that action. This means that if you take a faceup Yeti as your 1st card, you can't take a 2nd card; and if you've already taken a 1st card, you can't take a faceup Yeti as your 2nd card.
The above rule does not apply if you are lucky enough to draw a Yeti randomly from the deck (you can still take 2 cards total).
3 Yetis — If there are ever 3 Yetis in the faceup row, immediately place all 4 faceup slope cards in the discard pile and reveal 4 new slope cards.
Snow-Pro Tip: Faceup Yeti — You can take 1 faceup Yeti per action. So if you use both your actions to Train, you can take 2 faceup Yetis (but you will end up with 2 cards total instead of 4).
Action: Ride a Lift
If your skier is at the base of any red lift track, you can use an action to move up the lift track to a new lodge or waypoint.
Important! Lifts can only be used to go up the mountain.
Lodges and Waypoints
Between actions, your skier always occupies a waypoint circle or a lodge. You can use lifts or ski down to move between lodges and waypoints. Multiple skiers may occupy the same lodge or waypoint.
Lodge 1 is your basecamp for Skull Canyon Ski Fest. While you're at lodge 1, you can use any lift that starts at the base of the mountain. When you finish any run at the base of the mountain, you immediately move back to lodge 1.
Lift Tickets
If you have a lift ticket token, you may discard it before or after any action on your turn to immediately take a free lift from your location (without spending an action). Return the discarded token to the supply.
The Yeti
The Yeti moves around the mountain blocking off runs. If the Yeti is on a run, you may not ski that run until it moves (unless you have gear that lets you do otherwise).
Action: Ski a Run
If you are at the top of the run, you can ski the run by taking the following steps (detailed on the following pages).
- Step 1 — Play a Set: Reveal a set of slope cards of the same color OR style from your hand and place them in the discard pile.
- Step 2 — Move Skier (and Yeti): Move your skier to the bottom of the run. If you played exactly 1 Yeti card, also move the Yeti to a different run.
- Step 3 — Score VP: Earn victory points based on the difficulty of the run.
- Step 4 — Earn Fame: Earn fame based on the difficulty of the run and any bonus conditions you meet.
- Step 5 — Claim/Steal Run: If you meet the conditions to claim or steal the run, place one of your claim markers on the run scoreboard.
- Step 6 — Avalanche: If you played 2 or more Yeti cards, trigger an avalanche!
Step 1: Play a Set
A set is a collection of cards of the same color OR the same style.
Each run has a difficulty rating that determines how large of a set you need to play to ski it. You can ski a run with a set of ANY color or style, as long as your set has at least enough cards to satisfy the run's difficulty rating. (Remember, Yetis count as all colors and styles!)
| Difficulty | Min. Set Size | |
|---|---|---|
| Easy (circle) | — | 2 slope cards |
| Advanced (square) | == | 4 slope cards |
| Expert (diamond) | — (bold) | 7 slope cards |
Snow-Pro Tip: Style Bonus is Optional — Runs that have style bonus markers on them can still be completed with a set of ANY style, you just won't earn a style bonus if you use a colored set or a set of a different style (see "Step 4" on pg. 8).
Example: To ski down an easy run, Sosh plays a set of 2 red cards. To ski down an advanced run, Sosh plays a set of 4 moguls cards.
Step 2: Move Skier (and Yeti)
After you play and discard your set, move your skier to the waypoint or lodge at the bottom of the run.
Moving the Yeti
If you played a set with exactly 1 Yeti card, you must move the Yeti, either before or after you move your skier. Choose any run (except for the 2 runs that have the no-Yeti icon) and place the Yeti in the middle of the run. The Yeti blocks that run until it moves again!
The Yeti may never move to a run marked with a no-Yeti icon. You may move the Yeti to the run you just skied after moving your skier.
Snow-Pro Tip: Playing Large Sets — You can always ski a run with a set of the minimum size, but you can also play a larger set. This won't gain you any additional points or fame, but it may allow you to steal the run from someone else who has claimed it (see "Step 5" on pg. 9).
Step 3: Score VP
Next, earn victory points for the run based on its difficulty rating. Immediately add these points to your score on the victory track.
| Difficulty | Victory Points |
|---|---|
| Easy | 2 |
| Advanced | 4 |
| Expert | 8 |
Step 4: Earn Fame
Next, earn fame for your run. You earn a base amount of fame based on the difficulty rating of the run, plus additional fame if you meet the conditions for a style bonus and/or waning daylight bonus. Collect the fame you earn from the supply.
| Difficulty | Base Fame |
|---|---|
| Easy | 1 |
| Advanced | 2 |
| Expert | 3 |
Style Bonus — When you ski a run with a style bonus marker, if all cards in the set you played match the style icon on the marker, you get to double your base fame.
Example: Since Chaz played a set of the correct style, he earns 4 fame for this advanced run (instead of 2).
Waning Daylight Bonus — If you reach the bottom of the mountain in the final turn of the Skiing phase (when the daylight tracker is on "1"), gain +1 fame. (If you reach the bottom of the mountain multiple times in the final turn, you earn the bonus each time.)
Step 5: Claim or Steal Run
- (a) If you are the first skier to ski a specific named run, you get to claim it by placing one of your claim markers on the matching space of the run scoreboard. Runs you claim are worth bonus victory points at the end of the game.
- (b) If another player has already claimed a run, then you can steal it from them. However, to steal a run, you must play a set that has 1 more card for each claim marker that is already on the run's space on the scoreboard.
- (c) When you successfully steal a run, place a claim marker on top of any other claims stacked on the run's space on the scoreboard. This increases the number of cards the next player must play to steal it from you.
Snow-Pro Tip: Gotta Be On Top — At the end of the game, only the claim that is on top of the stack on a run will score bonus victory points! (see "End of the Game" on pg. 14).
Example: Sosh is the first to complete Fortress, so they get to claim it. Since Sosh has already claimed this run, Tavi now needs to play a set of at least 3 cards (2 for an easy run + 1 for Sosh's claim) if she wants to steal it. After Tavi steals the run, anyone who wants to steal it from her needs to play 4 cards (2 for the run + 2 for the claim tokens).
Stealing Is Optional! — If someone else has claimed a run, you can still ski the run with a set of the minimum size for its difficulty, but you won't get to place a claim token. You always gain full victory points and fame for skiing a run, even if you don't claim it.
Snow-Pro Tip: Reclaiming Runs — You can place a claim on the same run multiple times over the course of the game. This means you can steal back runs that other players stole from you. You can even stack additional markers directly on top of ones you placed earlier to make them harder to steal. (Note: This will NOT score you additional points at the end of the game, as only the top marker in a stack matters.)
Step 6: Avalanche!
After you finish scoring a run, if you played a set with 2 or more Yeti cards, an avalanche is triggered! Every player (including you) must slide downhill one run (unless they are already at lodge 1 at the base of the mountain).
When resolving an avalanche, remember these rules:
- If you trigger an avalanche with your 1st action, you must resolve it before your 2nd action.
- Players may slide down runs that are blocked by the Yeti during an avalanche.
- If a player is at the start of multiple runs, they may choose which run they slide down.
- If a player slides down to the bottom of the mountain during the final turn of the Skiing phase (when the daylight tracker is on "1"), they earn a waning daylight bonus of 1 fame (even if it is not their turn).
Snow-Pro Tip: Move Strategically — You can use avalanches to strategically move yourself down the mountain while messing with your opponents! Remember you can move through the Yeti when sliding.
Explosive Charges — If you've acquired an explosive token from the Ski Village, you can discard it before or after any action on your turn to immediately trigger an avalanche. (This does not count as an action.)
Phase 2: Après-Ski
At the start of the Après-Ski phase, each player must move their skier down from the mountain to the Ski Village at the bottom of the board.
Players place their skiers on the spaces numbered 1 to 4 on the starting track at the left end of the Ski Village. Place the skiers one at a time on the starting track, in order from who was lowest on the mountain to who was highest. If there are any ties, the player who went earlier in turn order during the Skiing phase goes first.
Example: Chaz is furthest down the mountain. He is first to the Ski Village, followed by Sosh and Tavi.
Snow-Pro Tip: First to the Village — If you're lower on the mountain at the end of the Skiing phase, you're closer to the Ski Village, so you'll get to move first!
Turn Order
For the first turn of the Après-Ski phase, players take turns in numbered order (1-4) on the starting track.
Once every player has taken their first turn and moved off the starting track, then the turn will always pass to the player who is furthest left on the village path. This may mean that a player is able to take multiple turns in a row.
Example: In a 2-player game, Tavi takes the first turn and moves to Happy Hour. Her opponent Sosh moves to the Hot Tub. Since Sosh is further behind, they get to take another turn and moves to the Ski Swap. Tavi is now furthest behind, so she will get to go next.
Important! In a 3-4 player game, if multiple players occupy the same location, the player who is in the furthest left slot (i.e. who arrived at the location last) gets to take their turn first.
Important! On the 3-4 player side of the board, the leftmost slot at each Ski Village location is only available in 4 player games.
Taking Your Turn
Each Après-Ski turn has 2 steps:
- Step 1 — Movement: Move your skier to a new location.
- Step 2 — Action: Pay the location's cost to take the action there.
Step 1: Movement
When you move your skier, you may move any distance along the Ski Village path, but you must always move forward (to the right). You may not choose to move backward or stay at the location where you started your turn.
When you move to a new location, you must place your skier in the rightmost open skier slot there. If all available slots at a location are full, you may not move to that location. (You may still skip over that location and move to one further down the path.)
Step 2: Action
When you move to a location, you must pay its cost in fame and/or slope cards to take the action printed on it.
Return any fame you spend to the supply and place any slope cards you spend in the discard pile. (Note: You may spend slope cards of any color or style to pay an action's cost.)
Example: After moving to the Hot Tub, Tavi discards 1 slope card to gain 3 fame.
See "Location Actions" on pg. 15 for details on each action.
Important! If you do not have enough fame or slope cards to pay for an action, you may NOT move to that location. (Remember you can always move to the Hotel, which is free.)
The Hotel
The Hotel is a special location that has no skier slots and can hold any number of skiers. When you move to the Hotel, you must stop there (see "Reaching the Hotel" on the next page).
Reaching the Hotel
Once you reach the Hotel, you must stop there. When you do, immediately perform the steps below to get ready for tomorrow.
- Step 1 — Draw Cards: Draw new slope cards from the top of the deck and add them to your hand. The number of cards you draw is based on tomorrow's weather (the marker on the next day of the weather track).
- (a) If tomorrow is sunny: Draw 7 slope cards.
- (b) If tomorrow is snowy: Draw 5 slope cards.
- (c) If tomorrow is icy: Draw 4 slope cards.
- Step 2 — Buy Gear: You may spend fame to purchase 1 faceup gear card from the row. Each gear card's fame cost is shown at the top right. Do NOT reveal a new gear card to replace the one you purchased.
- Step 3 — Return to Mountain: Move your skier back to a lodge on the mountain. The lodge you move to is based on tomorrow's weather.
- (a) If tomorrow is sunny / icy: Place your skier on lodge 1 at the base of the mountain.
- (b) If tomorrow is snowy: Place your skier on any lodge (your choice).
Important! When you draw slope cards at the Hotel, you always draw random cards from the deck. You may not take faceup cards from the row during this step.
Important! Once you reach the Hotel, you may not take any further actions until the end of the Après-Ski phase.
Gear Cards — Gear cards give you ongoing abilities you can use throughout the game. All gear cards must be kept on the table in front of you.
Each gear card's ability is written on the card and detailed on pg. 16 of the rulebook. Each gear card is also worth victory points at the end of the game (printed in the top right corner).
Starting the Next Day
Once all players have reached the Hotel, the Après-Ski phase ends, and the next day of Ski Fest begins.
To start the next day, follow these steps:
- Pass First Player: Pass the first player marker to the next player in clockwise order.
- Flip Weather Marker: Flip the current day's weather marker facedown to show the day has ended.
- New Gear: (On day 1 only) Discard any unpurchased gear and reveal 4 new gear cards.
- Daylight: Reset the daylight tracker to 4.
The Weather Track
The markers on the weather track determine the conditions on each day of Ski Fest.
| Weather | Slope Cards | Starting Lodge |
|---|---|---|
| Sunny | Draw 7 slope cards | Start at lodge 1 |
| Icy | Draw 4 slope cards | Start at lodge 1 |
| Snowy | Draw 5 slope cards | Start at a lodge of your choice |
End of Game
The game ends at the end of the Skiing phase on the 3rd day. There is no Après-Ski phase on the last day.
Final Scoring
Before determining the winner, players score the following end-game victory points:
- Leftover Fame: Score 1 victory point for every 3 fame you have.
- Gear: Score the victory points printed on all gear cards you've acquired.
- Awards: Players earn the following awards for claiming the most runs of each difficulty rating, and the most runs total. If any players are tied for an award, they split the points evenly, rounded down.
| Award | Victory Points |
|---|---|
| Most Easy Runs | 8 |
| Most Advanced Runs | 6 |
| Most Expert Runs | 4 |
| Most Total Runs | 4 |
Remember! Only the top token on each run counts for claiming it.
Tiebreakers
If several players tie for most victory points, the tied player who has the most fame wins. If still tied, the tied player who has the most slope cards left wins. If still tied, the tied players share the victory.
Ski Village Locations
I. Hot Tub
- Cost: Discard 1 slope card.
- Action: Gain 3 fame.
II. Yodeling
- Cost: Pay 1 fame.
- Action: Swap any 2 style bonus tokens. In a 2-3 player game, you may swap tokens that are not on the mountain. AND Gain 1 explosive token. On your turn during the Skiing phase, you may discard an explosive to trigger an avalanche.
III. Happy Hour
- Cost: Discard 1 slope card and pay 2 fame.
- Action: Take 3 slope cards. You may choose each card from the faceup row or the deck. Immediately replace each faceup card you take. If you take a faceup Yeti, it counts as 2 cards.
IV. Ski Swap
- Cost: Pay 1 fame.
- Action: Gain 1 lift ticket token. On your turn during the Skiing phase, you may discard a lift ticket to use a lift without spending an action.
V. Let It Ride
- Cost: Pay 1 fame.
- Action: Name a color. Reveal 3 slope cards from the deck and add them to your hand. If none of the cards match the color you named, draw another 2 slope cards from the deck and add them to your hand. Remember there is no hand limit.
Gear Cards
Each gear card lists its fame cost, its end-game victory point value, and its ability.
| Name | Fame Cost | Victory Points | Ability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avalanche Alert | 2 | 1 | When an avalanche is triggered, you may pay 1 fame to avoid sliding down. You may do this regardless of who triggered the avalanche. |
| Blazing Boots | 5 | 2 | Gain 1 extra fame each time you ski a run. |
| Bling Bindings | 6 | 3 | You may play a set with 1 fewer slope card to complete or steal any advanced run. |
| Emergency Tent | 2 | 1 | Gain 1 fame each time you trigger an avalanche. This includes using an explosive. |
| Field Journal | 4 | 2 | When taking slope cards, you may take a faceup Yeti card and still take another card. The 2nd card you take may not be a faceup Yeti. This applies when using Happy Hour (the first faceup Yeti you take counts as 1). |
| Heated Gloves | 8 | 3 | In order to steal a run from you, other players must play a set with 1 additional slope card. |
| Night Goggles | 2 | 1 | At the end of each Skiing phase, after the last player's turn, you may take 1 extra action. If you ski a run to the bottom of the mountain, you still earn a Waning Daylight bonus of +1 fame. |
| Precision Goggles | 8 | 1 | When skiing a run, you may pay 1 fame to earn 1 extra victory point. You may use this at most once per run. You may not use fame you earn from the run to pay for this ability. |
| Ramp | 4 | 2 | Once on each of your turns, when skiing a run, you may play any 2 slope cards as 1 card of a different color or style. |
| Season Pass | 7 | 3 | When you ride a lift, reveal the top card of the slope deck. If it is a Yeti, add it to your hand. Otherwise, discard it. |
| Ski Poles | 4 | 2 | Once on each of your turns, you may use an action to move up a run as if it were a lift. You may use this when using a lift ticket. This triggers the Season Pass ability, if you have it. |
| Sno-Pro Camera | 5 | 2 | When you ski a run that doesn't have a style bonus token using a set of all red slope cards, earn double fame. |
Credits
Game Design: Jason Klinke, Kip Noschese
Development: Andy Van Zandt, Alex Cutler
Illustration: Gica Tam
Graphic Design: Stevo Torres
Rules Editing: Jeff Fraser
Special Thanks: Anne Kinner, Danni Loe, Brian Lewis, Sara Perry, Bodhi Klinke, Linh Ly, Craig Stockwell, Rob Newton, Stefan Barkow, Shannon Noschese, Teo Noschese, Keaton Noschese, Andrew Kuplic, Mitchell Waldbauer, Nikki Lott, and Lumeryn
© 2022 Pandasaurus Games, LLC. All rights reserved.
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