What Is Max Vert?
Max Vert is a card game about skiing after the ski day is over. You sit down with friends, pick your lines, build a loadout, and decide whether to bank reliable vertical or send it for a bigger score.
The idea came from tracking ski days. I use Slopes to keep an eye on runs and vertical, and I enjoy having a number to chase. Max Vert turns that pursuit into a game: a shared mountain, a hand of cards, and just enough uncertainty to make every decision matter.
How it works
The cards are divided into five stacks:
- Runs are the lines you can ski.
- Conditions change the mountain for everyone.
- Skis, gear, and skills make up your personal hand.
You start with six cards: two skis, two gear cards, and two skills. Each round reveals a condition and a selection of runs. You choose a run, assemble your loadout, and calculate your Control against its Difficulty.
If your Control is high enough, you can ski the run safely and collect its listed vertical feet. Or you can send it. A style attempt uses a 2d6 roll, modified by your Send and the Risk you have taken on. The outcome can be a crash, a sketchy half-score, a clean run, or a stomp worth double.
That is the central choice: take the dependable line, or push for a better result while accepting that the mountain might push back.
Max Vert is meant to capture the moment at the top of a run when you are capable of making it down—but not completely sure how hard you want to commit. The cards provide the equipment and options. The dice provide the uncertainty. You decide how much risk to carry.
It is a game about skiing, but also about the people around the table: the friends who play it safe, the ones who always want one more run, and the ones who insist they have a plan right up until the dice come out.
Learn more at playmaxvert.com.