Jonny Moseley makes it snow in San Francisco

In 2001, ill-fated publisher 3DO published Jonny Moseley Mad Trix, possibly the worst reviewed winter-sports game of all time. Despite the bad press and poor sales, the game's introduction made it a so-good-it's-bad must-have among game collectors.

It begins with a video clip (viewable below) of extreme skier Jonny Moseley and his entourage crashing a party with some hilariously dated antics. During a break, young Moseley asks the question, "What if it snowed in San Francisco?" His query becomes the premise of the game, a would-be SSX that follows Moseley on a series of fictional ski trips through inexplicably snow-swept towns located in warm climes in the real world.

Snow in San Francisco?

Relive the Mad Trix intro.

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Today, though, it snowed in San Francisco for real--sort of, anyway. In a combination of marketing stunt and birthday celebration, the recently 30-year-old Moseley went sailing off a snow- and ice-covered ramp in the Pacific Heights district of the City by the Bay.

The former gold medalist, now a student at the nearby University of California, Berkeley, was one of nearly two dozen professional skiers and snowboarders participating in the event. The event required the financial backing of a major snow wax company, Nevada-based Icer, to foot the bill for the ramp, which consisted of more than 200 tons of snow and ice packed atop a fixed Styrofoam structure. The structure was built despite the protests of local residents of the upscale neighborhood, many of whom likely ski themselves.