Steep: Complete Guide

A guide to Ubisoft's open-world winter sports game as it stands in 2026: what still works online, how progression and exploration work across the Alps and Alaska, trick and wingsuit technique, earning gold medals, and a plan for the Steam achievements added in 2025.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the February 2025 Steam achievements update (live seasons ended in 2020). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Status check: Steep is still sold on Steam (base game and the X Games Gold Edition) and still requires a permanent internet connection and a Ubisoft account. Ubisoft's monthly seasons and community events ran until 2020 (the last big one was the "Legion Riders" season with the DedSec set). The Road to the Olympics DLC was removed from the game in 2022 for third-party rights reasons. In February 2025 Ubisoft added Steam achievements, syncing any you had already earned on Ubisoft Connect, and removed six achievements that required DLC no longer available.

Quick Start

Always online. You need a connection, and you will see other riders on the mountain. That is normal.
Four core sports: ski, snowboard, wingsuit and paraglider. The Extreme Pack adds speed riding, base jumping and the rocket wingsuit; Winterfest adds the sled.
Explore with the Mountain View. Zoom out to the mountain map, scan for Drop Zones and fast-travel to any you have discovered.
Discover Drop Zones by looking at them. Use the binocular/scan view from high points to reveal new areas. More Drop Zones means more fast-travel options and challenges.
Gold medals unlock more. Challenges give bronze/silver/gold; gear and reputation come with better medals.
Mountain Stories are the narrative-flavoured challenges. They are a good way to learn each mountain.
Level each field of expertise. Your ranks (Rookie up to Legend) rise per field as you play; reputation is your overall level.
Use the replay. Checking replays shows exactly where you lost a trick or a line.
Tricks score on variety and landing. Clean landings matter more than spinning forever.
Create and share lines. You can record a custom run and challenge friends with it.

Sports and What They Are Good For

Sport	Best for	Tips
Ski	Racing lines, freeride, big air	Tighter turning than snowboard; great for gates
Snowboard	Tricks, parks, freestyle	Grab plus spin combos score big
Wingsuit	Speed and proximity flying	Fly close to terrain for points; watch altitude
Paraglider	Exploration, scouting, relaxed flying	Ride thermals to gain altitude; best tool to find Drop Zones
Speed riding (Extreme Pack)	Mix of ski and parachute	Take off and land repeatedly
Base jump (Extreme Pack)	Short, technical drops	Open the chute at the right height
Rocket wingsuit (Extreme Pack)	Long, fast flights	Manage boost to stay airborne
Sled (Winterfest)	Downhill fun	Stay upright; it is harder than it looks

Regions

The Alps — the base game, centred on Mont Blanc, with multiple regions to explore and most of the achievements.
Alaska — added in a free update, with its own challenges and the Extreme Pack's base jump spots.
Japan and Korea — these mountain ranges came with the Road to the Olympics expansion (December 2017). Seasonal events in 2020 still listed Japan challenges, but access to the DLC was removed from the game in 2022 for third-party rights reasons, so do not plan around it — even if you bought it.

Progression Systems

Fields of expertise and reputation

Each field of expertise (the different ways to play) has ranks from Rookie up to Legend.
Your overall Reputation level rises with everything you do.
New gear and outfits unlock as you level.

Challenges and medals

Public challenges are the main activities: races, trick contests, wingsuit and paraglide runs.
Invitational challenges are special events with tougher requirements.
Medals are bronze, silver and gold. Chasing gold is the core loop.

Exploration

Drop Zones — spawn points you unlock by spotting them from the mountain.
Points of Interest — landmarks and hidden spots; the Alps has 149 for the Tour guide achievement.
Memorable Moments — spontaneous feats (for example big falls or long air) grouped into categories.

Trick and Riding Technique

Tricks (ski/snowboard)

Pre-load your jump by holding the jump input before the lip, then release at the edge for maximum height.
Spin and flip during the air time; combine with grabs for more points.
Land flat and straight. A sloppy landing wipes the trick score.
Doubles (double backflips) and 1080s are both achievements and big score boosters.

Racing lines

Look for the fastest line, not the shortest; avoid deep powder that slows you.
Carve early into turns and keep speed through gates.
For freeride challenges, check the route in the Mountain View first.

Wingsuit

Proximity flying close to terrain earns points but is risky; start with safer lines.
Dive to build speed, then flatten to glide. Watch your altitude.
Fly through rings/gates cleanly — clipping them costs time.

Paraglider

Use thermals and ridges to climb.
Great for scouting new Drop Zones and Points of Interest from above.

Achievement Plan (41 on Steam)

Achievement	Requirement	Tip
You're ready now	Complete the onboarding	Comes naturally
Upside down / You spin around	Double backflip / 1080	Pre-load jumps on big kickers
Scoring master	2000+ points in one jump	Chain a spin, flip and grab
Seek... / ... and you shall find	10 / 110 Drop Zones in the Alps	Paraglide to high points and scan
Tourist / Tour guide	10 / 149 Points of Interest in the Alps	Methodical region-by-region sweeps
Once upon a time / Road to mountain knowledge / Mountain legend	1 / 15 / 30 Mountain Stories in the Alps	Do them as you unlock regions
Baby steps	Rookie rank in any field of expertise	Comes naturally
The memory remains / Red-letter day	1 Memorable Moment of each category / 15 different Memorable Moments	Check the Memorable Moments list and tick off categories deliberately
The end of the World	Reach the end of the Alps game world	Fly or ride to the map edge
Like the back of your hand	100% exploration of one Alps region	Pick your favourite region and sweep it
Challenge accepted!	115 bronze medals on Alps public challenges	Bronze is enough — finish every challenge once
Gold-plated / 14 carats / 24 carats Gold challenger	12 / 58 / 115 gold medals on Alps public challenges	The long grind
Shinier than Gold	7 golds in Alps invitational challenges	Save for when your skills improve
Legend / The legend was not enough / Legendary legend!	Legend rank in 1 / 3 / 6 fields	Play varied activities
Halfway there / The legend starts here	Reputation 10 / 25	Comes with play
Crash Test	Endure a 90–99.9 G fall	Find a big cliff and aim for the rocks
Shaked by the bell	Ring the village church bell while wingsuiting	Needs precise flying
No more secrets	110 Drop Zones, 115 challenges and 149 POIs in the Alps	The completion capstone

DLC achievements that remain require the Extreme Pack and Winterfest:

DLC	Achievements	Requirement
Extreme Pack	Riding rabbit	Take off and land 5 times in one speed riding run
Extreme Pack	I am an eagle!	Fly for 5 minutes with the rocket wingsuit — boost sparingly
Extreme Pack	Are you ready for this?	Finish Trial Rogue 4
Extreme Pack	The Extreme Five / The Extreme Ten	Gold in 5 / 10 Extreme Pack challenges
Extreme Pack	I can see my house from up there	Safely land jumps from all 7 base jump spots in Alaska
Winterfest	Mush!	Stay on the sled without falling for 30 seconds
Winterfest	The Dragon, The Fratelli Twins, Super Savoyard, Lincoln Black, King of the Winterfest	Defeat each Winterfest opponent; King of the Winterfest is for beating The Beast

Suggested order: onboarding and first Mountain Stories, then paraglide sweeps for Drop Zones and POIs region by region (Tourist, Seek..., The end of the World), then trick achievements on a big kicker, then DLC sets, and finally the medal grind (Challenge accepted!, 24 carats Gold challenger, No more secrets). The completion achievements have unlock rates around 0.1%, so they are the true long haul.

Editions and DLC (what to buy in 2026)

Product	What you get	Verdict
Steep (base)	The Alps plus the free Alaska region	Enough for most achievements
X Games Gold Edition	Base game + Season Pass Year 1 + X Games Pass	Best value when on sale; covers every achievement DLC
Season Pass (Year 1)	Winterfest, Extreme Pack and Adrenaline Pack content	Needed for the DLC achievements
X Games Pass	X Games DLC, Rocket Wings DLC and 90's DLC	Extra events and cosmetics; not needed for achievements
Winterfest Pack / Extreme Pack	Sold individually too	Buy these two alone if you only want achievements

Deep discounts are common (the base game and Gold Edition regularly drop by 90% or more), so wait for a sale. Road to the Olympics is no longer sold or playable.

Live Service History

2016–2019: launch in December 2016, free Alaska region, Year 1 Season Pass, Road to the Olympics (Dec 2017), then the X Games content in later years.
2019–2020: monthly numbered seasons with weekly Ubisoft Club challenges, "Yeti" community-made season specials, PvP playlists and Steep World Tour tournaments. Season 13 (Christmas is All Around), Season 14 (X Games 2020), Season 15 (Superbloom) and the April 2020 Legion Riders season were the last announced.
2022: Road to the Olympics access removed.
March 2023: installer update for the Ubisoft Connect client.
February 2025: Steam achievements added and synced from Ubisoft Connect; six achievements tied to unavailable DLC removed.

Season-exclusive gear (such as the DedSec set) was only obtainable during those events, so do not expect to earn it now.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Ignoring Drop Zones. Without them you waste time walking or flying across the map.
Always going for spins. Clean landings and variety score better than over-rotating.
Wingsuiting too close too early. Learn the line, then fly closer.
Skipping the paraglider. It is the best scouting tool.
Grinding gold on the hardest challenges first. Build skill on easier ones.
Forgetting about the replay. Replays show exactly where runs go wrong.

Advanced Tips

Pre-load and timing are the core of big airs; practise on one jump until consistent.
Chain tricks into combos across a run to multiply scores.
Use the Mountain View to plan routes for races and freeride challenges.
Photo mode is excellent; the community ran photo events with #SteepPhotoMode.
Custom challenges: record your own lines and share them with friends.

FAQ

Is Steep still online? Yes. It is still sold on Steam and requires a permanent internet connection.

Can Steep be played offline? No, the store states a permanent connection is required.

Is Road to the Olympics still available? No. It was removed in 2022 to comply with third-party rights.

Do my Ubisoft Connect achievements carry over? Yes. Since February 2025, launching the game syncs previously unlocked Ubisoft Connect achievements to Steam.

Which edition should I buy? The X Games Gold Edition includes the Season Pass Year 1 and the X Games Pass; worth it for the Extreme Pack and extra content if on sale.

Are the monthly seasons still running? No. Regular seasons and tournaments ended in 2020.