Snow Climbing Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Overview
• Setup
• How to Play
  • Phase 1: Dawn
  • Phase 2: Climbing
  • Phase 3: Camp
  • Phase 4: Avalanche Check
• Equipment
  • Compasses (Cyan Cards)
  • Tents (Purple Cards)
  • Ropes (Red Cards)
  • Protective Gear
• End of the Game
• Advanced Variant: Blizzard
• Difficulty Adjustment
• Appendix: Mountain Tiles
  • Level 1
  • Level 2
  • Level 3
  • Level 4
  • Level 5

Components

• 40 Game Cards (7 Tent Cards, 6 Rope Cards, 7 Compass Cards, 4 Carabiner Cards, 4 Glove Cards, 4 Goggles Cards, 4 Helmet Cards, and 4 Boot Cards)
• 7 Backpack Cards
• 4 Player Aids
• 2 Snow Markers (1 Basic and 1 Advanced)
• 1 Leader Marker
• 5 Protective Gear Tokens
• 13 Mountain Tiles (3 Level 5 Tiles, 3 Level 4 Tiles, 1 Level 3 Tile, 3 Level 2 Tiles, 3 Level 1 Tiles)

Overview

Snow Climbing is a cooperative game in which players take on the roles of climbers attempting to reach the summit of a snow-covered mountain without triggering an Avalanche. Each round, players must use their cards as efficiently as possible to avoid losing too much equipment in the snow. Each Mountain Level introduces new loss conditions, making the climb more challenging as the team ascends. At the end of each round, if the cards in the Snow Area meet any condition shown on a revealed Mountain Tile, an Avalanche occurs and the players lose the game.

Setup

1. Turn all Mountain Tiles face down and sort them by Level. Shuffle each Level separately, then randomly select 1 tile from each Level. Keeping them face down, arrange the selected tiles to form the Mountain, with the Level 1 Tile at the bottom and Levels 2 through 5 in ascending order above it. Return all unused Mountain Tiles to the box without looking at them.
2. Place the Protective Gear Tokens face down, shuffle them, and place them next to the Mountain.
3. Shuffle the Game Cards and place them face down near the Mountain to form the draw deck. Leave space next to the deck for the Climbing Stack.
4. Set aside an area of the table for the Snow Area. Place the Basic Snow Marker at the top of this area.
5. The player who most recently saw snow becomes the first Leader and takes the Leader Marker.

Return the Backpack Cards to the game box unless you want a more relaxed game (see Difficulty Adjustment).

How to Play

A game of Snow Climbing lasts up to 5 rounds. Each round represents one stage of the team's climb up the Mountain and consists of 4 phases, resolved in this order:

1. Dawn
2. Climbing
3. Camp
4. Avalanche Check

Phase 1: Dawn

Reveal the Mountain Tile for the current round: Level 1 in the first round, Level 2 in the second, and so on.

The revealed Mountain Tiles show the conditions that can trigger an Avalanche during the Avalanche Check Phase.

In the third round, also place 2 random Protective Gear Tokens face up in the designated spaces on the Level 3 Tile.

Next, each player draws 7 cards from the draw deck to form their hand.

IMPORTANT: Until the Camp Phase, players may not show the cards in their hands to other players or tell other players which cards they have.

Then, all players simultaneously choose 1 card from their hand and pass it face down to the player on their left. Each player adds the card they receive to their hand.

2-PLAYER GAMES: Each player draws 10 cards to form their hand, then both players simultaneously choose 2 cards to pass to the other player.

Finally, the Leader chooses 1 card from their hand and plays it face up in the center of the table to start the Climbing Stack.

Example 1: Aurora has the Leader Marker and starts the Climbing Stack by playing Tent #2.

Phase 2: Climbing

Players take turns in clockwise order, starting with the player to the Leader's left.

On your turn, you must perform one of the following actions:

• Climb: Play 1 card from your hand with a number higher than the number on the top card of the Climbing Stack. Place it on top of the Climbing Stack.
• Change Route: Play 2 cards from your hand that show the same equipment type. Their numbers must add up to more than the number on the top card of the Climbing Stack. Place the lower-numbered card on top of the Climbing Stack and resolve any abilities it triggers. Then place the higher-numbered card in the Snow Area.

NOTE: Game Cards have abilities that can change how these actions are performed. See Equipment for more details.

Example 2: On Bernardo's turn, Tent #2 is on top of the Climbing Stack. He decides to Climb by playing Carabiner #8 on top of it.

Next, Cristal decides to Climb by playing Boot #19.

Aurora then decides to Change Route using Glove #8 and Glove #13. The two cards total 21, which is higher than 19.

She places Glove #8 on top of the Climbing Stack and Glove #13 in the Snow Area.

If you can perform either action, you must do so, even if doing so puts you at a disadvantage.

NOTE: You may Change Route even if you have a card that allows you to Climb.

If you cannot perform either action, the Climbing Phase ends. Take the Leader Marker and return all cards from the Climbing Stack face down to the top of the draw deck. Then proceed to the Camp Phase.

Example 3: Cristal cannot Climb or Change Route on her turn. She announces that it is time to make camp and takes the Leader Marker from Aurora. All cards in the Climbing Stack are then returned face down to the top of the draw deck.

Phase 3: Camp

During this phase, players try to Protect as many of the cards remaining in their hands as possible.

Protected Cards are returned to the draw deck and may be used in future rounds. Any cards that are not Protected are placed in the Snow Area.

NOTE: Cards played onto the Climbing Stack during the previous phase are already Protected and were returned to the draw deck.

All players reveal their remaining cards and place them face up on the table. Each pair of cards showing the same equipment type may be Protected and returned to the draw deck, even if the two cards belong to different players (except Rope Cards; see Ropes). If an equipment type appears on an odd number of cards, the players decide together which cards to Protect. If they cannot agree, the Leader has the final say.

Place all cards that are not Protected in the Snow Area.

Example 4: At the beginning of the Camp Phase, everyone reveals their remaining cards. Cristal had two cards: Helmet #2 and Carabiner #18. Bernardo had three cards: Goggles #3, Helmet #6, and Carabiner #8. Aurora has only Helmet #11.

The two Carabiners (#8 and #18) form a pair, so they are Protected and returned to the draw deck. There are three Helmets (#2, #6, and #11), so only one pair can be Protected. After discussing it, the players choose to Protect Helmets #6 and #11 and return them to the draw deck.

Finally, the unprotected cards—Helmet #2 and Goggles #3—are placed in the Snow Area.

Phase 4: Avalanche Check

Now determine whether the team has completed the current Mountain Level without triggering an Avalanche.

Check the cards in the Snow Area. If they meet any condition shown on a revealed Mountain Tile (see Appendix: Mountain Tiles at the end of the rulebook), an Avalanche occurs and the players immediately lose the game.

NOTE: All conditions on revealed Mountain Tiles remain active. Meeting any one of them triggers an Avalanche.

If no Avalanche occurs, the players successfully complete the round and are safe for the night.

If this is the fifth round, the players immediately win the game! Otherwise, shuffle the draw deck and proceed to the next round. The cards in the Snow Area remain there. Begin the next round with the Dawn Phase.

Example 1: In the first round, only the Level 1 Mountain Tile is revealed, showing the condition "12+ cards of any type." The Snow Area contains two cards: Helmet #2 and Goggles #3. Because the condition is not met, no Avalanche occurs and the players proceed to the next round.

Example 2: In the third round, the Level 2 and Level 3 Mountain Tiles have also been revealed, showing the conditions "3+ Tents" and "1+ Gloves and 1+ Goggles." Neither of these conditions is met. However, the Level 1 condition is still active, and it is met because there are 12 cards in the Snow Area. An Avalanche occurs, and the players lose the game.

Equipment

Each Game Card represents a piece of climbing equipment and shows one or more numbers. Each type of equipment has an ability that can help the team reach the summit.

Compasses (Cyan Cards)

During the Climbing Phase, when you play a Compass from your hand on top of another Compass on the Climbing Stack—whether by Climbing or Changing Route—the players may Recover 1 card from the Snow Area. Together, If they do, they choose 1 card together and place it on top of the Climbing Stack. If they cannot agree, the next player has the final say.

IMPORTANT: If this ability is triggered while Changing Route, resolve it before placing the higher-numbered Compass in the Snow Area.

Example: Compass #11 is on top of the Climbing Stack. On Bernardo's turn, he decides to Change Route using Compasses #5 and #7, which total 12. He places Compass #5 on top of Compass #11, triggering the Compass ability. Since Glove #4 is the only card in the Snow Area, the players Recover it and place it on top of the Climbing Stack. Finally, Compass #7 is placed in the Snow Area.

Tents (Purple Cards)

During the Camp Phase, each pair of Tents allows the players to Protect 1 additional card that is not part of a pair. If they do, the players choose the card together and return it to the draw deck. If they cannot agree, the Leader has the final say.

Example: During the Camp Phase, only three cards remain: Tent #2, Tent #7, and Glove #13. The two Tents form a pair and are Protected. The pair also allows the players to Protect 1 additional card, so they Protect Glove #13, which would otherwise be placed in the Snow Area. All three cards are returned to the draw deck.

Ropes (Red Cards)

Each Rope shows three numbers.

Whenever a Rope is involved in a Climb or Change Route action, choose 1 of its three numbers to use for that action.

IMPORTANT: You cannot end the Climbing Phase if any number on a Rope in your hand or on top of the Climbing Stack would allow you to perform an action.

Rope Cards cannot be Protected during the Camp Phase, either as part of a pair or with the Tent ability. They must be placed directly in the Snow Area.

During the Avalanche Check Phase, consider all three numbers on each Rope in the Snow Area when checking the conditions on the Mountain Tiles.

Example 1: Compass #9 is on top of the Climbing Stack. On Aurora's turn, she Climbs with Rope #8/9/10 because one of its numbers, 10, is higher than 9.

On Bernardo's turn, he plays Tent #10 on top of Rope #8/9/10. This is allowed because 10 is higher than two of the Rope's numbers: 8 and 9.

Example 2: During the Avalanche Check Phase, one of the Mountain Tiles shows the condition "6+ even-numbered cards." The Snow Area contains 5 even-numbered cards and Rope #15/16/17. Because 16 is even, the Rope counts as an even-numbered card, bringing the total to 6. The condition is met, and the players lose the game.

Protective Gear

Glove, Boot, Goggles, Helmet, Carabiner

During the Climbing Phase, when you play a Protective Gear Card from your hand on top of a matching Protective Gear Card on the Climbing Stack—whether by Climbing or Changing Route—the players must Clear the Climbing Stack by returning all cards in it face down to the top of the draw deck. Those cards are Protected. The next player may Climb or Change Route as if a card numbered 0 were on top of the Climbing Stack.

Example: Glove #8 is on top of the Climbing Stack. On Cristal's turn, she decides to Climb with Glove #13, triggering the Protective Gear ability. The matching Gloves Clear the Climbing Stack, so all cards in it are returned face down to the top of the draw deck and are Protected. Aurora, the next player, may now Climb or Change Route as if a card numbered 0 were on top of the Climbing Stack.

End of the Game

During the Avalanche Check Phase, if the cards in the Snow Area meet any condition shown on a revealed Mountain Tile, the players trigger an Avalanche and must immediately head back to base... and lose the game. At least everyone makes it back without any serious injuries.

However, if the players complete the fifth round without triggering an Avalanche, they reach the summit and win the game! Their feat will be remembered for years to come!

Advanced Variant: Blizzard

For a greater challenge, try climbing the Mountain in a blizzard! Play as usual, with the following changes:

• During setup, use the Advanced Snow Marker instead of the Basic Snow Marker.
• Twenty Game Cards show a snowflake in addition to their number and equipment type. During the Avalanche Check Phase, the players also lose if the cards in the Snow Area show a total of 7 or more snowflakes on the cards in the Snow Area, the players lose the game.

Difficulty Adjustment

Climbing a mountain like this isn't easy, especially the first time. You can use Backpack Cards to make the climb a little easier.

During setup, shuffle the Backpack Cards and reveal a number of them next to the Mountain based on how much help you want:

• A Little Help — 2 cards
• Some Help — 3 cards
• Lots of Help — 4 cards

During the Avalanche Check Phase, if the cards in the Snow Area meet any condition on a revealed Mountain Tile, the players may discard 1 revealed Backpack Card to Save 1 card in the Snow Area that matches the characteristic shown on that Backpack Card. Return the Saved card to the draw deck.

After using a Backpack Card, check all revealed Mountain Tiles again. If any condition is still met, the players may use another Backpack Card, repeating as needed. If any condition is still met after they stop, an Avalanche occurs and the players lose the game. Otherwise, proceed as normal. If this is the fifth round, the players win the game!

The following Backpack Cards are available:

• Save 1 Rope Card.
• Save 1 Tent or Compass Card.
• Save 1 Protective Gear Card.
• Save 1 card showing at least one even number.
• Save 1 card showing at least one odd number.
• Save 1 card showing at least one number from 1 to 10.
• Save 1 card showing at least one number from 11 to 20.

Appendix: Mountain Tiles

Each Mountain Tile shows a condition. During the Avalanche Check Phase, if any condition on a revealed Mountain Tile is met, the players immediately lose the game.

Level 1

• There are 12 or more cards in the Snow Area.
• There are 4 or more cards showing the same equipment type in the Snow Area.
• There are 7 or more cards showing at least one number lower than 15 in the Snow Area.

Level 2

• There are 3 or more Compass Cards in the Snow Area.
• There are 3 or more Tent Cards in the Snow Area.
• There are 4 or more Rope Cards in the Snow Area.

Level 3

• The Snow Area contains at least 1 card matching each Protective Gear Token on this Mountain Tile.

Level 4

• There are 2 or more cards showing at least one number lower than 7 in the Snow Area.
• There are 2 or more cards showing the same type of type of Protective Gear in the Snow Area.
• There are 2 or more cards showing the same number in the Snow Area.

Level 5

• There are 6 or more even-numbered cards in the Snow Area.
• There are 6 or more odd-numbered cards in the Snow Area.
• The cards in the Snow Area show 6 or more different equipment types.