GCN DK Mountain

DK Mountain is the fourth and final race track of the Star Cup in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. The course takes place in the middle of the jungle, though the track mostly runs along of two volcanoes of it. The centerpiece of the track is a giant Barrel Cannon that shoots racers to the upper part of an active volcano. The course itself is complex, containing several curly paths, dangerous, tight turns and an uneven ground where drifting is difficult to control.

The course reappears as the third course of the Lightning Cup in Mario Kart Wii, but in this game, some elements were added, such as ramps, and some of the deep grass was replaced by mud. Also, the sign that says "Donkey Cannon" in Double Dash!! now says "DK Cannon". DK Summit, another racetrack of Mario Kart Wii, is very similar to DK Mountain; it even has a sign that says "DK Mountain". Also, on the course map, the straight line declaring players being fired out of the DK Cannon was removed. DK Mountain is in the background of Baby Park and Dino Dino Jungle.

Course layout

All players start the race in the jungle. As they start the race, the players go to the base of an inactive volcano and take a curved path surrounded by the crater of this volcano. Racers are soon fired at 195mph / 314km/h (GCN version) by the DK Cannon, onto an active volcano. While airborne, racers are invulnerable to items. After landing near the top of the mountain, drivers now have to drive downhill on rugged terrain.

In Mario Kart Wii, the slope of the active volcano has wooden ramps for racers to perform a trick. Racers can also either stay on track or go off-road without losing speed, granting an advantage to avoid other racers and hazards set in the slope.

Almost at the base of the active volcano, racers will happen on a road prone to falling boulders. They roll downhill and bowl over any kart that collides into them. In Mario Kart Wii, only giant boulders flip the karts, whereas the smaller ones disintegrate into dust if a vehicle collides with them, slightly decelerating it. Also in the Wii rendition, racers can use some trick ramps in some curves of the track while descending to the base of the mountain.

After descending from the volcano, players take a zigzagging path, where more boulders roll down hills. During the first turn, racers should avoid falling off the cliff while swerving around. A second turn surrounds a deep ravine, where players may fall into and remain out of the race for a few seconds. Lastly, the third tight turn leads racers to a swaying, windy rope bridge (the bridge barely shakes in the Wii version) high above a deep canyon. Afterward, racers return to the spot where the finish line is at.

The course has one shortcut during the descent of the zigzagging portion. Just after the first tight curve, players can instantly jump across the ravine to reach the other end of the second turn. This saves them a few seconds in the race.

Official descriptions

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

• Official website: “Go off-roading on DK Mountain as you fly with reckless abandon down a volcano, through ridiculous curves, and across a twisting log bridge. Oh, and you get shot out of a cannon too.”
• Official European website: “Dense jungles, rickety bridges, slippery slopes, rolling boulders and, erm, a sulking volcano... It can only be DK Mountain.”

Mario Kart Wii

• Official European website: "If getting fired to the top of a huge volcano isn't dangerous enough for you, the cliff-side drops and ramshackle bridges might increase the fear factor as you race around DK Mountain."

Tournaments

The GCN DK Mountain tournament.

In Mario Kart Wii, a tournament took place on this track. Players had to pass through a total of 20 gates, with the bridge being replaced by Mushroom Gorge mushrooms. It was the second tournament of January 2010, and it was restricted to Wii Wheel controls. It was later repeated as the second tournament of September 2011, the first tournament of December 2012, though without any control restrictions, and the second tournament of February 2014, with the Wii Wheel restriction kept.

Gallery

GCN version

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  The track logo.

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  The track icon.

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  The start of the race.

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  The road to the cannon.

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  Racers get fired from the cannon.

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  Going downhill.

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  Boulders pop up around the sharp turns.

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  Going around the ravine.

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  The moving bridge.

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  Boulders are much less common in a multiplayer race.

Wii version

• DK Mountain.PNG

  The Mario Kart Wii version of DK Mountain.

• MKwiidkmuntain.jpg

  The racers on the wooden ramps.

• GCNDKMountain1-MKWii.png

  The road to the cannon.

• GCNDKMountain2-MKWii.png

  Racers get fired from the cannon.

• GCNDKMountain3-MKWii.png

  Trick ramps have been added at spots.

• GCNDKMountain4-MKWii.png

  The sharp turns have more room to work with.

• GCNDKMountain5-MKWii.png

  The circular turn with the ravine.

• GCNDKMountain6-MKWii.png

  The moving bridge.

Trivia

• In the overview map on the official Mario Kart: Double Dash!! website, as well as the picture at the top of the page, the wooden bridge is missing.
• This track's background music is identical to that of Dino Dino Jungle's.
• Part of this track's music is a remix of the Donkey Kong Jr. stage music.