PLAYSTATION Sports Snowboarding 1997

Cool Boarders 2

Reviewed by Marcus Webb & Elena Castillo · Updated June 2025

UEP Systems' 1997 PS1 snowboarding sequel and the game that established Cool Boarders as PlayStation's flagship winter sports franchise — Cool Boarders 2 expands trick variety, adds half-pipe competitions, more courses, and the trick selection system that made it the definitive early PlayStation snowboard experience.

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💡 Cool Boarders 2 — Key Facts

→ Cool Boarders 2 was developed by UEP Systems and published by Sony Computer Entertainment
→ Released in 1997 on PLAYSTATION
→ Genre: Sports, Snowboarding
→ We rate it 8.4/10 — highly recommended
→ UEP Systems' 1997 PS1 snowboarding sequel and the game that established Cool Boarders as PlayStation's flagship winter sports franchise — Cool Boarders 2 expands trick variety, adds half-pipe competitions, more courses, and the trick selection system that made it the definitive early PlayStation snowboard experience.

Overview

Half-pipe. Slope race. Two discs’ worth of snowboard culture at the moment X-Games made it mainstream.

Cool Boarders 2 was the 1997 answer to what PlayStation players wanted from winter sports: tricks more than simulation, competition more than recreation.

The Half-Pipe

The slope is a test of navigation. The half-pipe is a test of air.

Launch from one wall. Grab the board. Spin. Land. Launch from the other wall. Grab differently. Spin more. The sequence of moves that judges score is the sequence the player builds from the game’s trick vocabulary — face button combinations that produce different grabs and rotations depending on what’s pressed mid-air.

The scoring is theatrical: judges hold up numbers. The Japanese aesthetic of snowboard judging made the half-pipe mode feel like performance rather than pure competition. The trick combination wasn’t just mechanically optimal; it was watched and evaluated.

The X-Games Era

1997 snowboard culture was X-Games culture. Tony Hawk was in it. Snowboarders wore those specific late-1990s wide-leg pants and beanies. The aesthetic was deliberate rebellion from mainstream skiing — a different crowd, a different music, a different relationship to the mountain.

Cool Boarders 2’s soundtrack and visual presentation reflected this exactly. The licensed music, the character designs, the attitude of the unlockable boarders — all calibrated to the peak of snowboard culture’s mainstream crossover.

PlayStation’s Snowboard

Before 1080 Snowboarding arrived on N64 in 1998, Cool Boarders 2 was what PS1 players had. Sony’s first-party franchise occupied the winter sports space before Nintendo’s alternative created the comparison.

For a year, if you wanted to snowboard on a home console, Cool Boarders 2 was where it lived.

Our Review

8.4

Excellent / 10

🎮

Gameplay

★★★★★

🎨

Graphics

★★★★★

🎵

Audio

★★★★★

🔄

Replay

★★★★★

Gameplay

Cool Boarders 2 is a snowboarding game featuring slope races and half-pipe competitions. Slope races time the player down mountainside courses with gates, jumps, and obstacles. Half-pipe mode scores trick performance on a U-shaped snow structure — executing grabs, spins, and aerial moves within the half-pipe for judged scores. Controls use face buttons for trick input combinations. The game features multiple boarders to unlock, each with different stats (speed, air, trick ability). Two-player split-screen mode enables head-to-head racing. The expanded trick selection vs the first game makes aerial variety accessible.

Graphics

Cool Boarders 2's PS1 visuals deliver convincing mountain environments — slopes, powder effects, and half-pipe structures read clearly. Snow particle effects and board movement animations were state-of-the-art for 1997 PS1 snowboarding.

Audio

Cool Boarders 2's soundtrack features licensed music including nu-metal and alternative tracks appropriate to late-1990s snowboard culture. The music complements the X-Games era aesthetic.

Replayability

Multiple courses for both racing and half-pipe, boarder unlocking, two-player mode, and score attack on half-pipe create lasting engagement for snowboard enthusiasts.

Historical Significance

Cool Boarders 2 (1997) was the best-selling Cool Boarders title and the game that established the franchise's identity. The series eventually ran to Cool Boarders 4 (1999) and became Sony's first-party winter sports answer. Cool Boarders 2 arrived in the same year as 1080 Snowboarding was in development (released 1998 on N64) — it defined PS1 snowboarding before Nintendo's alternative. The X-Games era of snowboarding culture was at its peak influence in 1997, and Cool Boarders 2 reflected that aesthetic.

✅ Pros

+ Half-pipe competition mode as well as slope racing
+ Expanded trick variety from the original
+ Multiple unlockable boarders with stat differences
+ Two-player split-screen for head-to-head racing
+ Defined PS1 snowboarding before 1080 Snowboarding arrived

❌ Cons

- Controls require button combination memorization for trick variety
- Slope racing less deep than later snowboard simulations
- Some courses feel similar in later progression
- PS1 polygon graphics dated vs later generation

Also Known As

Cool Boarders 2 PlayStationCool Boarders II PS1

Cool Boarders 2 FAQ

What is the difference between slope racing and half-pipe in Cool Boarders 2?

Cool Boarders 2 features two distinct competition types. Slope racing is a timed descent — the player navigates down a mountainside course through gates, over jumps, and around obstacles, with the fastest completion time determining performance. Racing favors speed and efficient line selection. Half-pipe competitions evaluate trick execution — the player boards up and down the U-shaped pipe, launching into the air at the lip to execute aerial grabs, spins, and combination moves, which are scored by judges on criteria including height, difficulty, and execution. The two modes require different skills: slope racing rewards navigation precision while half-pipe rewards trick variety and timing.

How do the boarders differ in Cool Boarders 2?

Cool Boarders 2 features multiple boarders with different stat distributions across speed, air (height of jumps), and trick ability. Starting boarders provide balanced attributes; unlockable boarders include specialists weighted toward one stat over others. A speed-focused boarder excels in slope racing where raw velocity and gate navigation matter; an air-stat boarder achieves higher half-pipe launches enabling more complex aerial tricks; trick-focused boarders have more combination options. The stat differences create meaningful selection based on the competition type entered — the boarder choice for slope racing may differ from the optimal half-pipe choice.

How does Cool Boarders 2 compare to 1080 Snowboarding?

Cool Boarders 2 (PS1, 1997) and 1080 Snowboarding (N64, 1998) represent the early snowboard game options on their respective platforms before each developed further. 1080 Snowboarding emphasized physics-based simulation — board control, carving mechanics, and realistic snow interaction. Cool Boarders 2 emphasized trick variety and accessibility — the half-pipe mode and unlockable content were more gamified than simulation-focused. 1080's physics feel more authentic to actual snowboarding; Cool Boarders 2's trick system is more immediately accessible. The platform split meant most players experienced one or the other based on console ownership.

Is Cool Boarders 2 available on modern platforms?

Cool Boarders 2 was available as a PS1 Classic on PlayStation Store for PS3/PSP in some regions. Physical PS1 discs are available through retro game stores. The Cool Boarders franchise continued through Cool Boarders 4 (PS1, 1999) before the series concluded. No modern remaster or re-release has been announced. Sony's first-party winter sports catalog from the PS1 era has not received the same re-release treatment as some other Sony properties. The franchise's UEP Systems developer no longer exists. Physical PS1 media remains the primary access method.