New Ski Resort Simulator Game Is Completely Free To Play

Stories of mountains that didn’t quite make it pepper the annals of skiing. Maybe poor management sunk them, or a shiny new resort down the road snuffed them out. 

Either way, when each ski area disappears, they leave a void in our collective memories. From finally tackling a double black diamond to simply discovering the joy of skiing, all those moments start to melt away.

Wouldn’t it be nice, then, if you could snap your fingers and bring some of those ski areas back?

This is the premise of Ice Coast Revival, a free, browser-based game that recently surfaced on r/icecoast, a subreddit dedicated to Northeast skiing.

In it, players revive real ski areas sourced from the New England Lost Ski Areas Project (NELSAP), such as Boston Mills or Maple Valley. 

It’s not quite that simple, though. Ice Coast Revival joins the tradition of other tycoon-style management simulators. That means would-be ski area owners have to deal with real-world challenges.

When I booted it up, I discovered that my lifts could break down, visitors could get smarmy if the lines grew too long, and I needed to invest in snowmaking. Cutting down trees to make room for new trails is expensive, apparently, too. Who knew?

Before long, though, I was cruising. I added a few t-bars, two chairlifts, and expanded parking. In the spirit of capitalism, I cranked up ticket prices to bring in more cash.

Afterward, I took out a million-dollar loan and used it to buy another ski area, beginning to feel very much like a resort business bigwig. Soon, the crusty, jaded skier left my body. I just wanted to add zeroes to my bank account with a honkin’ gondola to match. As the crowds picked up, my starting mountain started to resemble a mosh pit with no room to move, but as long as the ticket revenue kept going up, I didn’t care.  

Needless to say, it’s pretty easy to get carried away playing Ice Coast Revival, which bodes well for the little project. 

Before you hop on yourself, though, a word of caution. While the game is playable, its creator noted that it isn’t finished yet. You’ll probably find some bugs. For instance, when I took out that loan, I discovered that when I switched to a new mountain, I didn’t need to pay it back (as far as bugs go, I liked this one). Other instances of endearing jank may apply.

Now, with that disclaimer out of the way, I have a ski area empire to build. You can join the fun here and offer feedback here.

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