As one might expect, when we moved from the first area in Over the Hill, Emerald Lake, to the second, Gimli Ridge, there was a bit of a step up in challenge. Starter zone is easy and things get more difficult from there.
So we were expecting another step up in difficulty when we moved from Gimli Ridge to Asgard Mountain, the third of the three Canadian maps in the game.
Over the Hill
Of course, the game can’t punch you in the face the moment you come through the tunnel from Gimli Ridge. You get a cabin location right off the bat and if you keep following the trail you quickly run into Crazy Gunther, where you can select and configure your vehicle.
That led into a first point of interest (in the middle of an ice covered pond, so you can play slip and slide games) and the first challenge trail, the Blanshard Ridge Trail, which is a fairly modest ascent. That trail wasn’t a complete gimme, but Potshot did it with a very modestly upgraded Das Rust Ox on the first try… though I did have to winch him up a couple of times.
Heading up the first challenge trail
Beyond that however, things started to ramp up noticeably. The marked trails on the map started to be a challenge on their own. There were narrow sections, tight corners, steep ascents requiring winch use, and always the looming cliff and the possibility of a fall.
Das Rust Ox on the razor’s edge
After a few misadventures, Das Rust Ox went back into storage.
Das Rust Ox fell off again…
I was not spared that either, even in the Scout, which is the vehicle I am most comfortable with for these sorts of things.
The Scout takes a tumble down a long slope
After that we got a little more serious about sticking to trail vehicles, though I did do a fair amount of stuff in the Blazer. While it is not as nimble on a trail, it does move better… and faster… when you’re out on the wide open fields of snow.
Snow Blazer
You will certainly get your 20km of snow driving for the achievement on this map.
Potshot and I had something of an adventure just going up a marked trail to get to a cabin and an actual challenge trail. There was a stretch of rock climbing on the way that featured the “Reddit famous” crack, featured in so many posts about people getting stuck.
But first we had to get there, which is a bit of a chore in and of itself, climbing up some rocks.
The first of several winch points
We managed to get all the way to the infamous crack and Potshot had even remembered to pack planks, which are a necessity for crossing the gap. See, we did learn something from reading Reddit.
Planks are, like winch points, one of the tools you can bring along with you to help you on your way. So we got up to the point which was obviously the crack and Potshot laid down a plank.
Plank across the gap
Somehow we only got one plank, laying planks is non-obvious. But one was enough. I went first and managed to bounce across. Potshot followed and made it as well. No problem!
There were just a couple more points to get over, including another short gap that I powered over. Potshot got his approach wrong on that one and over the side he went, rolling over and over and ending up quite a ways away.
Potshot way down the hill
There was nothing for it but for him to start again. I took a moment to go hit the cabin, unlocking the fast travel point at the top of the trail. Then I joined Potshot down the hill for another run, taking out The Brick for the run this time.
We arrived back up where we had left off, the plank and winch point still available to us,
On the second run
However, in a moment of distraction, Potshot again went over the side.
Well, there he goes again…
So time for round three. This time I declined to take the run all the way up again. Instead I swapped back to the Scout, my one fully upgraded vehicle, and sat up at the top, ready to help winch Potshot back up to the point where we could once again attempt the crack.
Time to get back up to the final segment
At that point I had been over the crack three times, twice going up, once coming back, so it was no small irony that, on reaching it for the fourth time I managed to bungle the approach and found myself wedged into the spot so often pictured on Reddit.
This time I am in the crack
Potshot started to try and winch me out, but I told him to just make the run to the cabin. He crossed the plank successfully and made it up the final bit, getting to the cabin and the fast travel point. Mission accomplished. It was time for a break.
We had made one early goal and past one well known obstacle, but the Asgard Mountain region is a big map with a lot of places to explore. There was still much more to be done.