Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders captures the cozy fun of snowy slopes

You take a deep inhale of the crisp air atop a mountain blanketed in untouched snow. Pines, ponds, and the occasional boulder the size of a pickup truck decorate the powder. Your only obligation is to reach the valley below. Depending on your sensibilities (and skiing experience), you’re either on vacation or on the cusp of soiling yourself.

Most skiing video games focus on channeling the thrill and danger of the sport. Fighter-jet speeds. “Do not attempt this in the real world” stunts. Blaring Warped Tour soundtracks. Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders captures that thrill too — but not at the expense of the chill.

Snow Riders opens with the player atop the mountain with the familiar goal — reach the bottom — but there’s no competition and no NOFX. Just you and the snow.

Like to explore? Leave the trail and chart a path through nature, dodging branches and unexpected cliffs. Prefer a challenge? Take the shortcut off a 40-foot drop and splat on the crags. Then try again and again until you land the perfect leap. The game’s instant reloads make each fatal drop a painless affair. Personally, I enjoy the sensation of gliding down a hill, sticking to the widest, softest hills, keeping my bones intact and my anxiety low.

The creators of Snow Riders want you to enjoy the pleasure of skiing — in whatever form that “enjoyment” takes.

In time, Snow Riders’ progression system — which unlocks more routes and mountains — incentivizes players to improve their speed, incorporate tricks, and compete against up to six other players. But these challenges come gradually, and the game’s designers never resort to stinginess with its unlocks.

Nor do they overlook the meditative pleasure of being on a mountain that dwarfs everything humans have ever made. Rest points, speckled throughout the paths, invite the player to stop skiing and gaze at nature — beautifully rendered in the game like a polygonal diorama.

Snow Riders is the spiritual sequel to the mountain-biking game Lonely Mountains: Downhill. That game had a similar fascination with capturing the holistic feel of its real-life counterpart, not just its most adrenaline-spewing aspect. But Downhill demanded skill from the start, challenging players to navigate exponentially difficult terrain. (Our initial impressions dubbed it the “Dark Souls of mountain biking.”) With Snow Riders, the designers have, wisely, created a game that invites more players into the experience without sacrificing the challenge for those who crave it.

Want something relaxing this winter? Set a kettle on the burner, grind the coffee beans, and open a YouTube fireplace in a browser tab. Want something more Xtreme? Crack a Dew and blast the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater playlist on Spotify. In either case, the mountain awaits in Snow Riders, ready to match whatever vibe you bring.

Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders is now available on Windows PC and Xbox Series X. The game was reviewed on PC using a copy provided by Megagon Industries. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.