Sherbet Land (race course)

Sherbet Land is a snow and ice themed racetrack found in Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. Both Sherbet Lands differ widely from each other; one has Penguins sliding across the ice throughout the entire track while the other has Shy Guys skating in one part of the track and Freezies in another. Every place that has "Sherbet Land" in its name is usually associated with ice.

Sherbet Land also appears outside the Mario Kart series such as Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games as a course in a Dream Event along with several other courses such as Mario Circuit.

Appearance in Mario Kart 64
Penguins litter the track, causing spin-outs if a racer hits them. A player can cut a corner by hopping over a small crevice in some spots, but risks falling into the ice-cold water below. A cave with many penguins marks the halfway point of the track.

Appearance in Mario Kart Wii
This course returns in Mario Kart Wii. The graphics have improved on this track like all the other Retro courses. A trick ramp has been placed near the locate of the hidden item boxes and Dash Panels have been placed in the cave. It appears as the first course of the Banana Cup.

Instruction manual description
''A very slippery world of ice populated by annoyingly playful penguins. With all the penguins, one might think its location is near the South Pole. This is not a course for the faint of heart. You should take care not to slip and fall into the sea, which will result in your being temporarily frozen.''

Tournaments
In Mario Kart Wii, a tournament took place on this course. It was a GP race, which added more penguins, and crates were also added. It was the first tournament of February 2010.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
This course takes place in a different environment rather than racing in ice and water in Mario Kart 64. It takes place in an ice rink, a snow area and soon, another icy place with Freezies, that stay still in the road, but they freeze the driver and the kart by contact. In the ice rink are Shy Guys skating around. It is possible to knock them into the water, but only if the player has the time and items (such as a Star, shells, and some Special Items) to do so, which permanently knocks the Shy Guys out of the track.

Course layout
The course starts out in a snowy road, in between two brown walls with faces on them. After the first twist with some Item Boxes there is a slight right curve into the ice rink area, with blue and red Shy Guys skating around. Any contact with the Shy Guys will spin the player out unless they have a projectile item like a Shell, or using a Star, which will knock the Shy Guys apart. On the right of the ice rink is a large opening in the ice, which will lead the player directly into frozen water. Falling into the water, Lakitu appears to take them back to the ice, whilst unfortunate racers remain within an ice cube before touching ground. A couple of red Shy Guys skate around in front of the entrance of the ice tunnel which players enter after crossing the ice pond.

Inside the tunnel, there is a twisted road, containing some item boxes in it. Racers first take a turn to the right to happen upon an ice column in the middle of the road. Players surround the ice pillar taking the left or the right. The left side has an item box while the right side of the column has two. After the ice pillar is a very slight twist to the left that leads outside.

Outside, the player will swerve left and then right in and S-turn. The road is less slippery here since the player races in the snow rather than ice. Just after this turn, the player go in a short straight piece of the road, with some item boxes there until turn to the right to enter another zone covered in ice.

In this zone, the Freezies stay still on the road, but when the player makes contact with one, it will freeze the kart that touched them and slide around, either freezing solid any other unaware player nearby or move towards a wall, breaking into pieces. Once frozen, the kart cannot move briefly and the items in possession drop on the road. Certain items just bounce off them, though some powerful items can budge or destroy them completely, such having the star in effect.

Following the twisting ice road first to the right, left and then right, players leave the ice road and run straight over solid ground to the finish line and the start of lap two.

This track counts with one shortcut located in the Freezies' ice road. Just before taking the first turn, a player can get into a secret path behind the ice tower and so skipping a part of the road infested of Freezies. A Mushroom on hand is needed, as the path is covered by rough snow that decreases the kart's speed.

Official descriptions

 * Instruction booklet: “A beautiful course covered a blanket of white snow. Don’t be lulled into complacency though—the ice is very slippery! Careless driving may result in multi-kart pileups.”
 * Official website: “Race across the frozen tundra of Sherbet Land as you avoid ice-skating Shy Guys and Flash-Freezing icebergs. Be sure to bring your mittens!”
 * Official European website: Brrr. It’s so cold in the sh-sh-shivering Sherbet Land, even the sh-shu-Shy Guys need ice skates to get around.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, Sherbet Land from Mario Kart 64 appears in the game for the Dream Curling event, which is played out similarly to bowling.

Trivia

 * In Mario Kart Wii, the player can get to the giant Penguin's ice platform by hopping off the ice and using a Bullet Bill. However, once the player reaches the platform, Lakitu immediately takes the racer back to the road.