N-Gage goes on ski tour

Nokia is taking its maligned N-Gage phone/handheld games console on a whistle stop tour of European ski resorts, starting next week in Harmagor, Austria, and covering 27 winter sports locations in total across Austria, France, Finland, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and Sweden.

At each stop the tour will offer skiers the opportunity to play Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, FIFA 2004, Rayman 3, Splinter Cell and Red Faction on the taco-shaped handheld. The top players at each event will win N-Gage units, skis and snowboards, with the overall winner taking the grand prize of a one-week ski resort vacation for two - which might seem a little redundant for an event hosted at a ski resort, but will no doubt take the winners somewhere exclusive and expensive.

In fact, skiers will be rewarded just for standing in line, with supplies of the "Battery" energy drink on hand from tour partners Oy Sinebrychoff Ab (which sounds demented in cockney) and big-screen entertainment from winter sports equipment folks Salomon, who may even ship in some of its professional sportsmen and women.

The N-Gage Snow Tour kicks off on February 13th and runs until April 10th, so if you're thinking of hitting the slopes in the next few months, take a look at the official site for more details. Specifics should be announced on Thursday February 12th.