Alpine Drift: Snowboard

The mountain has company. Carve past other riders — and, very rarely, a yeti.

Ride an endless golden-hour slope on your wrist.

Alpine Drift is a snowboarding game built for the Apple Watch — a full 3D descent that runs entirely on the watch, with no phone required. The sun sits low over the ranges, other riders share the piste, and the only question is how far you can get.

CARVE WITH THE CROWN Turn the Digital Crown to set your edge, or swipe across the screen if your hands are full of glove. The crown holds the angle where you leave it; a swipe springs back when you lift off. Tap to hop.

A SLOPE THAT ANSWERS BACK Turning hard across the fall line scrubs speed the way a real edge does, and drifting out of the groomed corridor bogs you down in deep powder. Speed is something you keep, not something you're given.

THE MOUNTAIN HAS COMPANY Snowboarders, skiers and sledders share the run. Slip past them the way you slip past a fir — a near miss is a boost. Tap to hop over another rider. Very rarely a yeti crosses the piste. You cannot hop the yeti.

THREADING GAPS PAYS Skim past a fir or another rider without touching them and you get a small boost and a growing combo. Ploughing straight down the middle is safe and slow. The fast line is the tight one.

CRASHES DON'T END THE RUN Clip a snowman and you lose speed and get a faceful of snow, then carry on. There is no game over screen to stare at — just the next stretch of slope and a best distance to beat.

MADE FOR A SMALL SCREEN Hamlets, tree runs, rocky pitches and open alpine blend into each other as you descend. Firs, cottages, snowmen, stumps, rocks and other people on the mountain are placed procedurally, so no two descents are the same. Everything is drawn by a renderer written for this watch-sized screen, and the game quietly trims its own detail to hold a smooth frame rate on your wrist.

No accounts. No ads. No in-app purchases. No internet connection — ever. Your best distance is saved on your watch and nowhere else.