The stage is somewhat a combination of [[GCN DK Mountain|DK Mountain]] from ''[[Mario Kart: Double Dash!!]]'' and [[DS DK Pass|DK Pass]] from ''[[Mario Kart DS]]''. Like DK Mountain, it has a Barrel Cannon aimed at a mountain and a zigzagging, crevice-filled path to the goal line, and like DK Pass, it is covered in snow and has various small snow piles that slow the player down if they run into them, as well as numerous [[Dash Panel]]s.
The stage is somewhat a combination of [[GCN DK Mountain|DK Mountain]] from ''[[Mario Kart: Double Dash!!]]'' and [[DS DK Pass|DK Pass]] from ''[[Mario Kart DS]]''. Like DK Mountain, it has a Barrel Cannon aimed at a mountain and a zigzagging, crevice-filled path to the goal line, and like DK Pass, it is covered in snow and has various small snow piles that slow the player down if they run into them, as well as numerous [[Dash Panel]]s.
DK Summit reappears in ''[[Mario Kart Tour]]'' starting with the [[Snow Tour]], and in ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]'' as the third course of the [[Fruit Cup]] in the ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass|Booster Course Pass]]''.
DK Summit returns in ''[[Mario Kart Tour]]'' as a [[classic course]] starting with the [[Snow Tour]], and in ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]'' as the third course of the [[Fruit Cup]] in the ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass|Booster Course Pass]]''.
Mario Kart Wii Mario Kart Tour Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Staff ghost(s)
Wii
Nin★mokke
2:34.693
Wii Expert
Nin★KOZ★
2:17.546
8DX 150cc
Nin★Fausti
2:22.680
8DX 200cc
Nin★Massim
1:53.372
DK Summit (known as DK's Snowboard Cross in British English versions) is the third race course of the Flower Cup in Mario Kart Wii. The track takes place on a snowy mountain winter sports resort which appears to be popular among Shy Guys. This is the first race course in the Mario Kart series to have a different name between the American and British English localizations. This course is unique as it begins in a foggy environment that blocks most of the player's view, but as the race progresses, the fog clears until the final lap where the clear sky is visible.
The stage is somewhat a combination of DK Mountain from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and DK Pass from Mario Kart DS. Like DK Mountain, it has a Barrel Cannon aimed at a mountain and a zigzagging, crevice-filled path to the goal line, and like DK Pass, it is covered in snow and has various small snow piles that slow the player down if they run into them, as well as numerous Dash Panels.
The course takes place in a mountain filled with snow and some snowboarding Shy Guys. Racers begin by taking a 90° turn to the right towards a set of automatic barriers and Item Boxes, which lead towards a Barrel Cannon. After landing from the cannon, racers make a U-turn to the left, with half-pipes lining both sides of the track. Racers then reach a set of ramps, with a large dash panel ramp on the right side and three consecutive simple ramps on the left side. Both include Item Boxes floating above. Afterwards, racers take a slight left turn while avoiding two pink-striped drifts of deep snow. Along this turn, racers pass a large wooden statue of Mario snowboarding. If a player is playing as a Mii, the statue's head will be replaced with a Mii's head.
Racers then reach a widened area with a large number of moguls that racers can trick off of. The area also has four dash panel ramps, each of which has a single Item Box on top. The track then narrows again and racers must make a U-turn to the right around a chasm. On the outside of the turn is a half-pipe with three Item Boxes above it. Racers must then make a U-turn to the left around a second chasm that is significantly larger, before reaching a straightaway where the track widens again.
Between this straightaway and the end of the track, half-pipes line both sides of the track. In the middle of the track, racers encounter two wide dash panels followed by two large drifts of deep snow. To avoid the drifts, racers must either swerve around them or use the half-pipes. On both sides of each snow drift, above the half-pipes, is a set of Item Boxes, further incentivizing the use of the half-pipes. However, this area also contains three Shy Guy snowboarders as obstacles. Each one goes back and forth across the width of the track, and hitting one will make the player spin out. One is between the two snow drifts, and two are close together right after the second snow drift. After this section, racers must make one last right turn before the half-pipes end, the track narrows one last time, and racers reach the finish line.
During the first lap of the course, snow is falling heavily, and the background and distant objects cannot be seen. By the third lap, snowfall clears up and all scenery can be clearly seen. This concept is reused for DS DK Pass in Mario Kart 7.
There are three Item Boxes underneath the S-bend section that can be seen through hacking or with a glitch, but they cannot be obtained without hacking as Lakitu takes the player back to the track before the Item Boxes can be reached.[1][2]
Shortcuts
The first notable shortcut is not an intentionally designed shortcut, but is a faster alternative to clearing the second turn of the course, and is mentioned in the Prima Guide for Mario Kart Wii. The player can jump over the left side of the hill by using a half-pipe, where they can perform a trick.
The second notable shortcut can be found just after the second item set, where a Mushroom can be used to cut across the thick snow on the following turn.
The third notable shortcut can be just found after the moguls. Simply by drifting right before the U-turn, the player can clear the first chasm and use the fence on the other side to correct their angle afterwards if needed. Alternatively, the player can slow down to cancel their drift, clear the first chasm and then drive off of the raised section ahead while avoiding the fence to clear the second chasm. Both shortcuts can be done without the use of a Mushroom, but having one may make the second shortcut much easier.
Lastly, time can be saved on the last turn of the course by using the half-pipe and wrapping around the corner, sticking to the invisible wall.
Tournaments
December 2008's second tournament required players to pass through 25 gates on DK Summit. The tournament was later repeated as the second tournament of December 2010, the first tournament of April 2012, and the second tournament of June 2013.
Mario Kart Tour
Wii DK Summit in Mario Kart Tour
DK Summit makes its classic course debut in Mario Kart Tour, introduced in the Snow Tour (making this the first Wii course to make its classic course debut in Mario Kart Tour). The Mario Kart logo on the starting banner now uses its modern version instead of its classic one, the starting banner itself is made completely out of metal instead of wood, the metallic grids around the start are replaced with plastic fencing, and there is a snowcat stationed by the starting grid. The gates racers pass through before entering the cannon now emit the sound of an airhorn (which was previously heard in Super Bell Subway and Tokyo Blur 3, and later in Tokyo Blur 4) as they open, rather than a bell sound. The sign that says "DK Cannon" now uses the Super Mario logo font.
On the course, the wooden snowboarding Mario statue near the moguls area is replaced with a stone Donkey Kong statue, most of the trees are absent, and the launch after the start/finish line now encompasses a glide ramp. A stretch of half-pipe ramp between the second chasm turn and the final stretch of the course was removed, and there is only one Dash Panel instead of two before entering the final section. An additional patch of snow was added to the right side of the road at the beginning of the section, while the other two patches of snow were made more uniform in shape and size. The falling snow mechanic has been removed, with the course now being sunny throughout the whole race. The course's map has also been rotated 180°, with the starting line at the bottom of the map.
The course also appears as DK Summit R (reversed), DK Summit T (with ramps), and DK Summit R/T (reversed with ramps) The former two debuted alongside the regular version in the Snow Tour, while the latter debuted in the 2022 Holiday Tour. In the T and R/T variants, the Shy Guy Snowboarders are gone, and there are instead several dash panels up against the half-pipes.
Select "show" to reveal the drivers, karts, and gliders for which Wii DK Summit and its variants are always favored or favorite courses. For instances in which additional drivers, karts, and gliders temporarily had this course and its variants as favored or favorite courses, see List of Wii DK Summit tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.
Course
Three-item drivers
Bonus points ×2 karts
Combo bonus ×3 gliders
Two-item drivers
Bonus points ×1.5 karts
Combo bonus ×2 gliders
Normal variant
********
********
*******
R variant
***
**********
********
T variant
****
*********
********
R/T variant
****
******
* indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 3. ** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 6. *** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 8 for High-End items.
DK Summit returns in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as part of Wave 4 of the Booster Course Pass. It appears as the third course of the Fruit Cup. Its design is based on its appearance from Mario Kart Tour, only with significant visual upgrades and modifications. For example, the jumbotron at the end of the halfpipe has been brought back to the course after it was removed in Tour, now sporting a redesigned look. The Barrel Cannon is now shown to have visible frost on itself. The giant snowboarding Donkey Kong statue is still present, but it is now made out of wood instead of stone. The sky and background for the course has been slightly desaturated to appear slightly less blue compared to how it looks in Tour. The mountains in the background have also been redone to appear less cartoony and less two-dimensional, with more depth and shading applied to them; they are also a darker shade of brown, like in Wii. On the mogul field, a red fence with Toads as spectators has been added, beneath the Donkey Kong statue. Coins on the downhill section have moved to all be closer together.[3] Additional Shy Guy Snowboarders can be seen sliding downhill in the background. The falling snow returns, although the fog mechanic does not. The course map has also been flipped 180°, so that the starting line is at the top of the map like in Mario Kart Wii. In addition, the shortcuts over the chasms between the mogul fields and the halfpipe can be performed once again. The music for the course now features more loud, low-pitched bass synths, notably during the opening of the song.
The course is once again referred to as "DK's Snowboard Cross" when the Nintendo Switch console region is set to Europe or Australia/New Zealand, making it one of two courses in the Booster Course Pass to have a different name in British English compared to American English, the other being 3DS Rock Rock Mountain (or 3DS Alpine Pass). Additionally, this course is one of three in the Booster Course Pass to not have its minimap rotated so that drivers start facing straight up on it, the other two being DS Shroom Ridge and DS Mario Circuit, and it is the only course to have its starting line on a horizontal stretch of the minimap.
Internally, DK Summit is referred to as "Cnsw_42", implying it may have originally been intended to be the second course of the Fruit Cup.
Prior to its official reveal, DK Summit was among the courses featured in an internal bannerMedia:MK8DX BCP Leak.jpg for the Booster Course Pass located within the game's data in version 2.0.0.
Profiles
Mario Kart Wii
Website bios:
"A challenging downhill course with a long series of halfpipe-style boost ramps for tricking over heavy snow banks."
"The giant cannon that fires you to the mountaintop is just the first part of an incredible trip on this snow-covered track. Avoid the deepest drifts and look out for snowboarders as you pull off stunts on the half-pipe!"
Mario Kart Tour
Mario Kart Tour Twitter: "On the Wii DK Summit course, you'll blast through a barrel cannon to a mountaintop only to be met with winding hairpin turns and snow mounds that want to slow you down! Use the various ramps to finish the race in style!"[4]
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Nintendo Switch News app (US):
This course first appeared in the Mario Kart Wii game.
Taking place on the slopes of a snowy mountain, you'll launch to the top at the beginning of each lap and race down to the bottom.
Get air on the half pipes for some helpful speed boosts.
Speaking of half pipes, is it just us or does this course feel like you're snowboarding?
Nintendo Switch News app (UK):Catch thrills and chills in DK's Snowboard Cross! Here's a closer look at another course released as part of the fourth wave, which is available now: DK's Snowboard Cross. Originally making its debut in Mario Kart Wii, this ski-slope-based course gets off to a literal flying start as you're blasted from a cannon to a snowy summit. From there you'll enjoy a breathtaking descent littered with half-pipes. Catching some radical air could be the key to victory, so this course is just the thing if you're up for an acrobatic thrill-ride!
**
*
***
**
**
*
*
*
***
***
*
***
**
*
*
**
***
*
*
*
***
**
"A challenging downhill course with a long series of halfpipe-style boost ramps for tricking over heavy snow banks."
"The giant cannon that fires you to the mountaintop is just the first part of an incredible trip on this snow-covered track. Avoid the deepest drifts and look out for snowboarders as you pull off stunts on the half-pipe!"
