DK Pass
- Not to be confused withDK Summit.
- This article is about the race course fromMario Kart DS. For its musical theme, seeDK Pass (theme).
| DK Pass | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Appears in | Mario Kart DS (2005) Mario Kart 7 (2011) Mario Kart Tour (2019) Mario Kart World (2025) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cups | Star Cup (DS, World) Leaf Cup (7) Battle (World) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tours | Winter Tour (2019) London Tour Holiday Tour (2019) Ice Tour Vancouver Tour Hammer Bro Tour Yoshi Tour (2020) Trick Tour (2020) Jungle Tour Peach Tour Exploration Tour (2020) Wild West Tour Los Angeles Tour (2020) Sunset Tour Mario vs. Luigi Tour (2020) Winter Tour (2020) Snow Tour Trick Tour (2021) Frost Tour Kamek Tour Halloween Tour (2021) Penguin Tour Singapore Tour Wario vs. Waluigi Tour Mario vs. Luigi Tour (2022) Holiday Tour (2022) New Year's Tour (2023) Sundae Tour (2023) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rallies | Spiny Rally Acorn Rally | ||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
.png)
DK Pass is the first course of theStar Cup inMario Kart DS. It takes place in a snowy mountain lined with winding roads overlooking a frozen lake. It is one ofDonkey Kong's home courses in theMario Kart series, but the only elements themed after him are the brands, all appearing in the form of trackside banners.
DK Pass reappears inMario Kart 7 as the second course of theLeaf Cup, inMario Kart Tour starting with the2019 Winter Tour, and inMario Kart World again as the first course in the Star Cup.Mario Kart World also includes a Battle course named DK Pass, located between its racing counterpart andStarview Peak.
Mario Kart DS[edit]
The stage takes the player over a mountain and back down. Numerous snowballs roll around, and racers lose their item and spin backward if they crash into one.Snowmen also appear in the course, similar to the ones inFrappe Snowland inMario Kart 64. Collision with them has an identical effect as crashing into a snowball. An isolatedItem Box appears up on a snowy cliff at the peak of the hill, after the second set of normal item boxes. The player can avoid slowing down by using aMushroom to get through the snow to the item box, but in it contains one of these items:Star, Mushroom,Triple Mushrooms, or aRed Shell. Any of them can be received in any position, but it will usually yield Triple Mushrooms or a Star.
It was one of the courses that could be played overNintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
Missions[edit]
Twomissions take place on DK Pass, both involving driving through the course in reverse.
- Mission 4-1: The player controlsWario, who has to beatDonkey Kong in a single-lap race. There are extrasnowmen added around various parts of the course.
- Mission 5-7: The player controlsToad, who had to pass through 8 gates across the snowy section within 45 seconds. There are extra oncoming snowballs rolling down the hill.
Mario Kart 7[edit]
DK Pass makes its classic course debut inMario Kart 7 as the second course of theLeaf Cup. Trees in the off-road sections were removed, and some woodenramps have been placed in the off-road area of this track, allowing players to perform atrick and gain a boost. TheDash Panel in the large jump is replaced with aGlide Ramp. Landing outside the barriers will result in an "out-of-bounds". The secret item box on the hill still holds a Mushroom, Triple Mushroom, or a Star, but will more often yield only a Mushroom than before, and no longer yields a Red Shell. Much likeDK Summit fromMario Kart Wii, the race starts out foggy in the first two laps, but the fog clears up on the final lap. It is also now snowing throughout the race, which did not happen in the original.
A shortcut can be performed by leaning off the log ramp on the right before the Glide Ramp, using aMushroom and tricking to gain air time, and bypassing the cliff to the right to land behind the finish line. The player now must simply cross back over the finish line in the right direction to make the lap count.[1]
Mario Kart Tour[edit]
DK Pass returns inMario Kart Tour, first appearing in the2019 Winter Tour. The tunnel at the start of the course is redesigned, being of a rounded shape. Near the end of the track, the small village was redesigned and made more visible. Similar toMario Kart 8, theMario Kart logo uses a modern design instead of the classic design. Due to Stars not being present and the Triple Mushrooms being a special item, the secret Item Box only gives normal items. From its debut up until part two of the2019 Holiday Tour, afestive tree is found by the small village.
InMario Kart Tour, it is the first course to serve as the signature course in two tours (the 2019 Winter Tour and theJungle Tour). Like with most other courses, the course has variants known asDK Pass R (reversed),DK Pass T (with ramps), andDK Pass R/T (reversed with ramps); the former two debuted alongside the regular variant in the 2019 Winter Tour, while the latter debuted in theIce Tour.
In the R/T variant, racers drive across a pair ofmushroom trampolines.
Appearances[edit]
For this course's tour appearances, seeList ofDS DK Pass tour appearances inMario Kart Tour.
Top-tier and middle-tier items[edit]
Select "show" to reveal the drivers, karts, and gliders for whichDS DK Pass and its variants are alwaysfavored or favorite courses. For instances in which additional drivers, karts, and gliders temporarily had this course and its variants as favored or favorite courses, seeList ofDS DK Pass tour appearances inMario Kart Tour.
| Course | Three-item drivers | Bonus points ×2 karts | Combo bonus ×3 gliders | Two-item drivers | Bonus points ×1.5 karts | Combo bonus ×2 gliders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Normal variant |            |                 |             |      *   ** **  |           *   ** **   *** * |  ** **   *    *     |
     |   |  |      |  |  | |
   |  | |||||
 R variant |          |          |     |    **  *  * |   **    **  ** * |  * *  *   *** |
  |    |   |  | |||
 |    | |||||
 T variant |     |    |     | *  *  ** |   *     ******* |  **   ****** |
   |   |  |  | | ||
| |  | ||||
 R/T variant |          |      |         |   **** *** * |  **** * *** *** |   *** *    ****  |
|   |  |  *  | |||
| * indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 3. ** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 6. *** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 8 for High-End items. | ||||||
Bonus challenges[edit]
| Ring Race | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver | Chosen kart | Chosen glider | Grand Star scores | Tour appearances | Cup |
 | Regular |  Wario |  Pipe Frame |  Super Glider |
| Ice Tour |  Wario Cup |
| New Year's Tour (2023) |  Waluigi Cup | |||||
| Note: There is a lone ring (with aRed Coin in the center) on the snowy shortcut at the first hairpin turn; when passed through, 7 more rings spawn ahead of the driver in a row. Prior to this area, there is a row of Item Boxes that only provideMushrooms, which the player can use to reach said rings if they have Smart Steering enabled. | |||||||
| Do Jump Boosts | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver | Chosen kart | Chosen glider | Grand Star scores | Tour appearances | Cup |
 | Regular |  Donkey Kong |  Pipe Frame |  Super Glider |
| Winter Tour (2019) |  Bowser Jr. Cup |
| Wild West Tour |  Wendy Cup | ||||||
| Halloween Tour (2021) |  Peach Cup | |||||
| Big Reverse Race | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Icon | Course variant | Opponents | Tour appearances | Cup | ||||||||
| 7th | 6th | 5th | 4th | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | Extra | |||||
 | Regular | Driver |  [2] |  [2] |  [2] |  [2] |  [2] |  [2] |  [2] |  [3] | Exploration Tour (2020) |  Yoshi Cup |
| Kart |  |  |  |  |  |  | |  | ||||
| Glider |  |  |  |  |  |  | |  | Frost Tour |  King Boo Cup | ||
| Goomba Takedown | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver | Chosen kart | Chosen glider | Item Box type found | Number of item slots | Grand Star scores | Tour appearances | Cup |
 | Regular | Donkey Kong | Pipe Frame | Super Glider |  Green Shell  Bob-omb | 3 |
| London Tour | Peach Cup |
| Kamek Tour |  Kamek Cup | |||||||
| Glider Challenge | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver | Chosen kart | Chosen glider | Grand Star distances | Tour appearances | Cup |
 | Regular |  Shy Guy |  Pipe Frame |  Super Glider |
| Winter Tour (2019) |  Lakitu Cup |
| Frost Tour |  Monty Mole Cup | ||||||
| Sundae Tour (2023) |  Dixie Kong Cup | ||||||
| Steer Clear of Obstacles | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver | Chosen kart | Chosen glider | Obstacles | Tour appearances | Cup |
 | Regular |  Toadette |  Pipe Frame |  Super Glider |  Snowball | Winter Tour (2019) |  Morton Cup |
| Snow Tour Holiday Tour (2022) |  Dry Bowser Cup | ||||||
| Vs. Mega Donkey Kong | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Icon | Course variant | Mega opponent information | Tour appearances | Cup | |||
| Driver | Kart | Glider | Items used | ||||
 | Regular | Donkey Kong |  Pipe Buggy | Super Glider[4] |  Bananas[4]  Giant Bananas[5] 100cc and higher only | Winter Tour (2019) |  Peachette Cup |
| Winter Tour (2020) | Morton Cup | ||||||
| Smash Small Dry Bones | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver | Chosen kart | Chosen glider | Grand Star scores | Tour appearances | Cup |
 | Regular | Donkey Kong | Pipe Frame | Super Glider |
| Hammer Bro Tour |  Birdo Cup |
| Penguin Tour |  Daisy Cup | ||||||
| Break Item Boxes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver | Chosen kart | Chosen glider | Item Box type found | Number of item slots | Grand Star scores | Tour appearances | Cup |
 | Regular |  Mario |  Pipe Frame |  Super Glider |  Fire Flower  Coin | 2 |
| Vancouver Tour |  Metal Mario Cup |
| Singapore Tour |  Lemmy Cup | |||||||
| Time Trial | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver | Chosen kart | Chosen glider | Grand Star scores | Tour appearances | Cup |
 | Regular |  Morton |  Pipe Frame |  Super Glider |
| Holiday Tour (2019) |  Baby Rosalina Cup |
| Los Angeles Tour (2020) |  Toad Cup | ||||||
| Mario vs. Luigi Tour (2022) |  Mario Cup | |||||
| Combo Attack | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver | Chosen kart | Chosen glider | Highest combo counts | Tour appearances | Cup |
 | T |  Birdo |  Pipe Frame |  Super Glider |
| Yoshi Tour (2020) | Birdo Cup |
| Mario vs. Luigi Tour (2022) | Yoshi Cup | |||||
| Take them out quick! | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver information | Item Box type(s) found | Opponent information | Starting time | Grand Star times | Tour appearances | Cup | ||||||||
| Driver | Kart | Glider | Number of balloons | Number of item slots | Driver | Kart | Glider | Number of balloons | Items used | |||||||
 | Regular |  Metal Mario |  Pipe Frame |  Super Glider | 3 | 1 | Green Shell  Red Shell Fire Flower  Frenzy (Green Shell) |  Bowser |  Yellow Offroader |  Safety Glider | 5 | Banana Giant Banana | 1:15.00 |
| Sundae Tour (2023) |  Boomerang Bro Cup |
Mario Kart World[edit]
DK Pass makes its home console debut inMario Kart World, appearing as the first course of theStar Cup. It is the first classic course in the series' history to be in the Star Cup. The course is also the second checkpoint of theSpiny Rally and the final destination of theAcorn Rally. Unlike its previous incarnations, DK Pass has a skiing theme, now better resemblingDK Summit fromMario Kart Wii, complete withSnowboarding Shy Guys being present, replacing the snowmen that previously occupied the area. The secret Item Box has been removed entirely. The section leading up to the jump has been straightened, as the last left turn has been removed, and the right turn before it is now sharper to accommodate this change. On the downhill portion of the track, snowballs no longer roll alongside racers, though a few still roll in the uphill portion. The Glide Ramp present inMario Kart 7 andTour has been replaced with three Dash Panels in a row, and the road after the Dash Panels is now ahalf-pipe.
Battle[edit]
This course also appears as a stage inBattle mode and uses an arrangement of "Battle Course" fromMario Kart DS as its music. LikeDino Dino Jungle, the battle course is not directly on the racing track, instead being nearby. The Battle course takes place on some ski slopes on the route between the DK Pass racing course and Starview Peak. This battle course is driven through between Wario Shipyard or Cheep Cheep Falls to Starview Peak during either of their VS Race routes, and the VS Race route between Dandelion Depths and Sky-High Sundae. It is also used in theIce Rally between Dandelion Depths and Starview Peak, despite DK Pass itself not being a checkpoint in the Ice Rally.
Routes[edit]
Entering DK Pass through a route leading fromWario Shipyard orSalty Salty Speedway will cause the course to be driven backwards. The route fromStarview Peak takes racers through DK Pass' Battle variant. The route fromMoo Moo Meadows passes throughDandelion Depths at about the halfway point, causing its second half and the Dandelion Depths route to be identical in layout.
FromStarview Peak
FromSky-High Sundae
FromWario Shipyard
FromDandelion Depths
FromMoo Moo Meadows
A composite map of all routes leading to DK Pass
Brands[edit]
Mario Kart DS[edit]
Mario Kart 7[edit]
Mario Kart Tour[edit]
Mario Kart World[edit]
Profiles[edit]
Mario Kart DS[edit]
- Website description:
- English (United States):
Covered with snow and ice, DK Pass is as dangerous as it gets. Tight turns and runaway snowballs make for nail-biting fun on DK's home turf. - English (United Kingdom):
Brr, it's chilly in them thar hills... Pack your winter woollies through for this sub-zero speed through snow-capped peaks, as you dodge rolling snowballs and negotiate rows of rock-solid snowmen that bring your kart to an abrupt halt. Keep moving or your engine might freeze up...
- English (United States):
Mario Kart Tour[edit]
- Mario Kart Tour Twitter: "As soon as the race begins, the once-peaceful slopes of DK Pass transform into a fighting frenzy for first place! Grab your kart and hit the hill in#MarioKartTour!"[6]
Gallery[edit]
Mario Kart DS[edit]
The starting line
Dry Bones going up the mountain pass
Donkey Kong races down the mountainside.
The segment near the finish line
Yoshi driving up the mountain pass in anolder, removed version of the course
Mario Kart 7[edit]
Donkey Kong at the start of the race
Afirst-person view of the starting line
The tunnel immediately after the start
Donkey Kong going up the mountain pass
Donkey Kong going down the mountain
Toad driving further downhill in first-person during a Grand Prix. The image can be viewed in 3D on a 3DS; see the guide atCategory:Stereoscopic images
Donkey Kong gliding
The gliding segment near the finish line
.jpg)
Mario Kart Tour[edit]
Course icons[edit]
- For this subject's image gallery, seeGallery:Mario Kart Tour race course icons (DS courses) § DK Pass.
The course icon
The course icon of the R variant
The course icon of the T variant
The course icon of the R/T variant
Screenshots[edit]
View of the starting line
View of the cliffside
Another view of the cliffside
View of the section leading to the glide ramp
View of the cabins
View of asnowperson andfestive tree
View of a festive tree during the 2019Winter Tour
Donkey Kong participating inGoomba Takedown
Donkey Kong participating in Goomba Takedown
Mario (Santa) tricking in theCheermellow
Shy Guy participating in the Glider Challenge
Pink Gold Peach boosting in theWildfire Flyer
Black Shy Guy and Mario racing on the course
"Thank you" message for the Winter Tour
Yoshi (Reindeer) tricking in theJingle Bells
Yoshi (Reindeer) gliding in the Jingle Bells with theGift Glider
"Happy Holidays" message
Ice Mario using anIce Flower on the R variant
Donkey Kong tricking in theIce-blue Poltergust
Donkey Kong boosting in theSnow Skimmer
Donkey Kong gliding in theDK Jumbo with theBarrel Hanafuda on the R/T variant
Bowser Jr. gliding in theBolt Buggy with theSuper Glider
Morton tricking in thePipe Buggy andDiddy Kong tricking in theRambi Rider
Donkey Kong collectingevent tokens by hitting Mario with aBanana
Wario (Hiker) andPeach (Wintertime) gliding
Racers gliding inPipe Frames with theBaby Mario Hanafuda and its variants on the R/T variant
Penguin Luigi and Penguin Toad tricking on the course
Penguin Mario and Penguin Luigi drifting on the R/T variant
Dry Bones (Gold),Kamek, andPeach (Vacation) tricking on the course
Donkey Kong doing the "Do Jump Boosts" Bonus Challenge
Mario Kart World[edit]
World map icon
Course icon
Icon in theAcorn Rally
Icon in Battle mode
Bowser in the tunnel
Baby Peach on the course
Rosalina on the course
The last turn
Naming[edit]
Internal names[edit]
| Game | File | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Kart DS | snow_course | Snow Course | |
| Mario Kart 7 | Gds_DKPass | Grand PrixDS DK Pass | |
| Mario Kart Tour | |||
| Mario Kart World | DKPass[7] | DK Pass |
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | DKスノーマウンテン[8] DK Sunō Maunten | DK Snow Mountain | |
| Chinese | DK雪山[?] DK Xuěshān(Mandarin) DK Syutsān(Cantonese) | DK Snow Mountain | |
| Dutch | DK's Piste[?] | DK's Ski Slope | |
| French | Alpes DK[9] | DK Alps | |
| German | DK Alpin[10] | DK Alpine | |
| Italian | Vette di DK[11] | DK Peaks | |
| Korean | DK 스노 마운틴[?] DK Seuno Mauntin | DK Snow Mountain | Mario Kart World |
| DK 스노우 마운틴[12] DK Seunou Mauntin | FromMario Kart DS toMario Kart Tour | ||
| Polish | Przełęcz DK[13] | DK Pass | |
| Portuguese | Passagem DK[?] | DK Pass | |
| Russian | Перевал ДК[14] Pereval DK | DK Pass | |
| Spanish | DK Alpino[15][16] | Alpine DK |
Notes[edit]
- DK Pass is the only course in the Leaf Cup fromMario Kart 7 not to appear in theMario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass.
- Kalimari Desert appears as the third course in the Turnip Cup.
- Daisy Cruiser appears as the second course in the Feather Cup.
- Maple Treeway appears as the final course in the Rock Cup.
References[edit]
- ^new MOMIジ (April 24, 2020).[MK7 WR Replay] DS DK Pass (Glitch) 1:54.946.YouTube (English). Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- ^abcdefgAndruidus (July 22, 2020).Mario Kart Tour - Exploration Tour: Yoshi Cup.YouTube. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- ^TheMadWeazel (July 15, 2020).Exploration Tour “Yoshi Cup” - Mario Kart Tour.YouTube. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- ^abTheMadWeazel (November 30, 2019).Winter Tour “Peachette Cup” - Mario Kart Tour.YouTube. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
- ^Andruidus (December 6, 2019).Mario Kart Tour - Winter Tour: Peachette Cup.YouTube. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
- ^mariokarttourEN (November 22, 2019).Post on X.X (English). Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ^File name of the course'ssticker on theJapaneseMario Kart World online events website,Sign_DKPass.png. All course stickers use the prefix "Sign_". Retrieved September 1, 2025.
- ^【DS】マリオカートDS 実況プレイ！ めざせ全カップ優勝！編【生放送】
- ^Mario Kart World in-game name from French localization (Uploaded 5 Jun. 2025 onYouTube by Siphano)
- ^Let's Play Mario Kart DS [Grand Prix / 150 ccm / Deutsch] (Part 5): Stern-Cup!
- ^Mario Kart DS nel 2025 è un trip nostalgico
- ^마리오 카트 DS #1 : 추억의 마리오 카트 달려보자!
- ^In-game name.Mario Kart World (Ver. 1.5.0). Nintendo. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
- ^In-game name fromMario Kart 7 andMario Kart World.
- ^Nintendúo.Jugamos la VERSIÓN FINAL de MARIO KART WORLD (4:40).YouTube (European Spanish). Retrieved June 3, 2025.
- ^BRCDEvg.Estrenando juntos MARIO KART WORLD (17:24).YouTube (Latin American Spanish). Retrieved June 5, 2025.
