Skiing is a sports game released by Activision for the Atari 2600 in 1980. Bob Whitehead designed and programmed this title, making it one of the earliest third-party games for the console. Players guide a small skier down a vertically scrolling mountain course, weaving between flags and dodging trees as they race toward the bottom. The game presents two main play styles, with the goal being to complete each run as fast as possible. Despite the simple graphics and tiny program size, Skiing delivers a tight and demanding arcade experience that rewards quick reflexes. Bob Whitehead used clever tricks to fit the scrolling slopes, the skier sprite, and the obstacle patterns into just two kilobytes of memory. The game became a popular pick for home gamers in the early 1980s and helped establish Activision as a leading studio for the Atari 2600 platform, proving that third-party developers could match or beat the quality of first-party releases.
Updated: Jun 22, 2026
Screenshots

0 MB · Atari 2600 ROMs
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Specifications
| Platform | Atari 2600 ROMs |
|---|---|
| Genre | Multiplayer |
| File Size | 0 MB |
| Release Year | 1980 |
| Developer | Activision |
| Updated | Jun 22, 2026 |
Overview
Skiing is a sports game released by Activision for the Atari 2600 in 1980. Bob Whitehead designed and programmed this title, making it one of the earliest third-party games for the console. Players guide a small skier down a vertically scrolling mountain course, weaving between flags and dodging trees as they race toward the bottom. The game presents two main play styles, with the goal being to complete each run as fast as possible. Despite the simple graphics and tiny program size, Skiing delivers a tight and demanding arcade experience that rewards quick reflexes. Bob Whitehead used clever tricks to fit the scrolling slopes, the skier sprite, and the obstacle patterns into just two kilobytes of memory. The game became a popular pick for home gamers in the early 1980s and helped establish Activision as a leading studio for the Atari 2600 platform, proving that third-party developers could match or beat the quality of first-party releases.
Skiing offers ten different game variations split between two modes. The Slalom mode tasks players with passing through pairs of colored flags on the way down, with the timer pausing if a gate is missed. The Downhill mode removes the flag requirement, letting skiers focus purely on speed while avoiding bumps, rocks, and trees scattered across the slope. Each variation features a different course layout and difficulty rating, giving players plenty of reasons to keep trying for better times. The joystick controls the angle of the skis, letting players tilt left or right to carve smooth turns or take sharp cuts around obstacles. Two players can take turns, comparing their best run times to settle who holds the fastest record. The clean presentation, tight controls, and focus on time attack scoring make Skiing a classic example of early sports gaming on home hardware. Its replay value comes from chasing personal best times rather than long campaigns, and it remains a fun pick for retro gaming fans.