Super Mario 64 Cool, Cool Mountain Stars Guide

Cool, Cool Mountain is an unfitting name for this icicle nightmare from Super Mario 64. The hills are very slippery, and the old-school controls of Super Mario 64 do not mesh with it. We have a guide for those who will struggle with this level. 

Cool, Cool Mountain - Slip Slidin' Away

Go into the chimney and fall straight down. Once there, start sliding down the snowy hill in front of you. Mario will precariously navigate through the slide. There are no rails so be careful! Stick to the center of the slide, slowing and speeding whenever you need to by going forward or back with the left thumb stick. Don't get too carried away while slowing down though, because Mario will lose his momentum and slip into the black abyss.

You want to keep sticking to the middle because at the end of the course, there is a tricky glass bridge that Mario will need to slip through. Once you've done that, go to the left and out the door. A star will be greeting you outside. Grab it!

Cool, Cool Mountain - Li'l Penguin Lost

This mission is infamously hard, at least for my childhood self playing Super Mario 64 anyway. Get on top of the roof again and climb up to the mountain cliff above. There, you'll see a baby penguin. Grab it by pressing the attack button. The goal is to return it to its baby on the bottom of the hill. This will get tricky. Go back to where Mario started and go left until you hit a slope.

Use your newfound skills of sliding to reach the bottom of the hill. Try to break as much as possible to carefully slide down the icy hill with the baby in hand. If you fail and lose the baby, go to the start menu and exit the course; you’ll have to make Mario completely still and then it will give you the option. 

Once you've reached the snowball with a face, jump up to stop. There's a wooden bridge to the left. You'll see a couple of annoying snowmen that are bouncing up and down. Wait until they are on the ground and then quickly jump over it when the time is right. You can also try to run under them, Bowser style.

It should be smooth sailing from here. Go down the staircase and reach the bottom, while avoiding a flower enemy. Then place the baby down in front of the mother! She will give you a star in exchange of your help! 

Cool, Cool Mountain - Big Penguin Race 

Go back down the chimney and you'll find a penguin ready and eager to race you. You'll have to go full speed ahead while sliding but be careful! Look ahead and expect the turns. Slow down at minimal moments to get the best time against this pesky penguin. This guy's challenging, so you might have to try a few times; this challenge will make you miss checkpoints! 

Cool, Cool Mountain - Frosty Slide for 8 Red Coins

You'll have to retread previous areas to get these 8 red coins. Be careful. If you fall on a slippery slope, because you'll lose all your progress! You can't miss the first one by climbing on top of the tree in front of Mario. Next, go down the icy hill and reach the bottom again. You'll see a red coin by the left-hand side in an angled corner.

The third is to the right of the bodyless snowman. Behind two trees lies a path. Go down it to find the third coin by a lift. Pass the annoying jumping snowmen again and you'll find the fourth red coin on a broken bridge once you've crossed over.

The fifth is on a tree at the bottom of the hill nearby the mother penguin to the left of the shack. Follow the path to the right and another red coin lies in wait on an an isolated island with wooden bridges surrounding it. Keep going right and you'll see the next red coin in the corner.

The last one is tricky. Go back to where you found the isolated island with two wooden bridges. Go to the end of the broken part and you'll be mysteriously transported to the top. Now read this carefully. Walk off the face of the bridge you are on and break as much as you can while Mario slides down the hill. Reach the bottom of the area and immediately jump to stop Mario from steering off the ledge. Once Mario has safely stopped, go to the icicle and walk around it to find the last red coin. 

Once you've got that, a star will show up in a very precarious area. Will this ever end? Jump down to the sand-colored area below and reach the broken bridge. The star is on the other side. Make sure you have a run up and use a long jump to reach the other side of the bridge. You might want to practice the long jump first before attempting it. Remember it’s ZR + the jump button. Once you land the tough jump, have a sigh of relief and collect the star. I’m here if you need emotional support after that.

Cool, Cool Mountain - Snowman’s Lost His Head

Go to the top of the hill again where you find the baby penguin and slide to the left-hand side. It will be on a wooden platform with two snow capped trees in front of it. Somehow the snowball talks to Mario and begins to slide by itself. Super Mario 64 is a weird game. The idea is to lead the ball to the head on the bottom of the hill. First, follow the snowball from behind until there is an upwards slope. And then, when you have the opportunity, sneak right by it and follow the lead. Keep sliding until you reach the head. Stand by the middle of it. 

Cool, Cool Mountain - Wall Kicks Will Work

For this star in Super Mario 64, you will need the help of the pink bob-omb. To reach it, go to the absolute bottom of the hill with the mama penguin. Go to the lift and carefully board it until you see the pink bob-omb on the right. Carefully make your way around the tiny island to talk to it (thanks for not remaking the controls, Nintendo). The cannon is now available!

 Ride the lift down once it has returned to your area. Now get into the cannon by the lift. Under the cliff face, you will see another snow-capped tree above some fencing on the opposite side of your area. Shoot the cannon a thumb’s length above where the tree is. The next step (and the most scary part) is a narrow path that lies ahead with two flower monsters patrolling it. Carefully jump over them and get to the next area. Long jump the way ahead where the coined arrow is laid out. Go up the hill and wall jump to the higher platform. 

This might seem ridiculous, but you’ll now have to triple jump by tapping A three times at the correct time and then wall jump. You can do it! Make a run up and go for it! Now...very very slowly walk across the icy platform to reach the star. Ever so slightly tilt left stick to go across the narrow icy bridge. Don’t worry, I hate the supposed Cool, Cool Mountain too. It's one of the worst levels in Super Mario 64.

Congrats! Don't forget to run through it one more time and collect 100 coins if you haven't already for yet another star. You now have all seven stars from this area!

Now grab a cup of tea or a coffee and relax for a bit. Take a break from Super Mario 64. You deserve it.