The SSX Tips & Tricks

SSX Tips and Tricks Mac Picture

This section is intended to show you all the neat little features about SSX that you might not have known about. SSX has lots of tidbits that are cool, so this section is designed to tout those things which you may not know about.

Gameplay Tricks

*MANUAL RESETTING WARP: The Manual Resetting Warp, or "Select trick" involves pushing the 'Select' button at certain points in the race. Doing this will cause your racer to warp ahead on the track and save you time. The most noticeable affect of this is pushing the select button in the last shortcut in Aloha Ice Jam, the ice tunnel. Doing this will warp you ahead some 10 seconds in the blink of an eye! NOTE: There is some controversy with using this trick, because some people consider it cheating. It's up to you to decide whether to use this, but for the purposes of this section we will list it, since the majority of competitive racers do use this trick. However, according to the Twin Galaxies SSX Tricky World Record contest rules, using this in official contest racing is ILLEGAL and will invalidate your score. (http://www.twingalaxies.com/firebrandx/ssxttg.htm)

*TAP BOOSTING - one little known feature in SSX is the ability to tap the boost button during a race. Doing this will extend the life of your boost significantly and allow you to keep top speed for much, much longer. Try it - build up some boost, find a straightaway, and tap your boost button, watch how much longer it lasts when you tap.

The Pipedream "Hidden Path"	Download the video for the Pipedream Hidden Path: Hidden Path Pipedream Video
An entirely hidden path in Pipedream - a very steep, confusing path filled with lots of twists and turns - that holds no real purpose in the game other than for an easter egg for people find, is one of the coolest features in SSX. We'll tell you how to find it here. You can also watch a movie of it at the bottom of the page. Sweet, huh? The first thing you have to realize to get to the Hidden Shortcut in Pipedream is that you must hit the "secret switch" near the middle of the track in order to gain entry to the shortcut. This secret switch is located on the far right section of the track, right before you get to the huge dropoff. So as you come out of the gate in Pipedream, take the right hand path. You can still reach the shortcut if you want to go down the middle, but it's easiest if you just go right at the very beginning when there is a track that leads that way.
2) As you turn 90 degrees right, ski to the far wall ahead of you and take a left. You're entering the very far right section of Pipedream, skiing along the very right-hand wall of the area. You'll drop down a few slopes and see a rail in front of you - you can grind this rail in a complete 360 if you feel like it, but it only gives you style points, it's not needed to reach the Hidden Path. Go through this area here and come off a small jump into a large flat plane.
3) As you board down this narrow route, slow down as you come to the jump - this is the area where you "drop down" to the lower section of pipedream to get to the second half with all the jumps, but you DON'T want to do that. Right past this jump, on the ledge right below you is the switch. If you didn't head right at the very beginning, ski down the middle until you reach this small ledge. DO NOT drop down to the lower area, you want to stay on that small ledge on the other side of the jump. 4) We'll assume you took the right hand path. Make a small jump onto the ledge below - remember, don't drop down to the area below. As you come off the left hand path, look for a weird, white symbol on the wall directly opposite where you are. THIS is what you need to hit in order to activate the Pipedream Path. 5) Get some decent speed, even by turning around, boosting, then coming back, and jump and HIT that symbol. You'll see it disappear! That is your sign that you've activated it. If you aren't sure you hit it, restart and try again, it can be a little tricky to hit the first few times.
6) After you've hit it, you can move on to the next section of the track. You can drop down to the next section below now. When you reach the area below, move towards the middle of the track, where all the arrows point.
7) As you come to the entrance to the next area, hop onto the three rails there and move to the left side of the track. You're trying to board onto the small outer lip of the big bowl next to the three rails that lead to the next section. It can be tricky, but remember to use the analog stick to get off the rail if you need to.
8) Head left and board around the small outer lip of the big bowl here. As you do so, once you reach the backside, you will notice that you'll sink into the ground, this is the entrance to the secret Hidden Path! (Watch the movie to see what I mean.)
9) Now you're in the entrance to the Hidden Path. Drop down into the large hole here, and get ready for some trippy snowboarding! The path goes around and around and you may even get lost or disoriented, but eventually you should come out near the bottom of the course, at a large jump. Jump off it with a major trick to celebrate!