Pickwick Lake now has a virtual twin you can carry in your pocket. A new, free Pickwick Lake game from independent app creator Art Joyce lets players learn to water-ski on the lake or sit back for a narrated boat tour past real marinas and landmarks where Mississippi, Tennessee, and Alabama meet.
The app, One Hot Summer: Ski Pickwick, went live in Apple’s App Store on Oct. 19 for iPhone and iPad, according to its App Store listing and a report by the Daily Corinthian. It’s listed under developer Arthur Benton Joyce and rated for all ages.
Inside the Pickwick Lake Game: Ski Pickwick
The main mode is set in the summer of 1990. Players follow Gavin, an 11-year-old learning to ski over nine summer days, from his first time up on skis on Memorial Day weekend to a final run on Labor Day. Along the way he crosses the wake, jumps it, drops to one ski, and finally stands up on his dad’s old wooden slalom ski.
Features listed by the developer include:
Steering by tilting your phone, like a real skier leaning into a turn, or by dragging a thumb
Three scoring challenges: Buoy Run, Wake Jam, and Trick Run
A “pass the phone” family ski-off for up to four players
Weekly Game Center leaderboards
An instant photo from “Mom” at the end of each day, with a note on the back
A Narrated Tour for Non-Gamers
For people who’d rather ride than ski, the Tour Pickwick mode puts players in the boat while Dad drives, a puppy rides along, and the radio plays. A tour guide narrates the real marinas, restaurants, and landmarks as you pass. Players can stop anywhere or pick a spot and head straight there.
The developer says the lake is drawn from the real Pickwick, with its bluffs, coves, a waterfall up a creek, and the old chalk mine. The Daily Corinthian reported that the tour takes riders around the lake past the marinas, state parks, Pickwick Dam, and the lock. Players can also write their own lake memory on the back of a virtual snapshot and share it.
Free, With Updates Coming
The app is completely free, with no ads, no purchases, and no tracking, according to the listing. “I made it simply to share with others,” the developer wrote.
Joyce told the Daily Corinthian he grew up spending weekends on Pickwick Lake with his family and water-skiing as a kid. He said he used AI tools to help build the game, and that he’s working on updates to make the water and locations more true to life. The latest update, released Nov. 2, added new challenges for each summer day and moved Ski Pickwick to the front of the opening screen.
Pickwick Lake, on the Tennessee River, borders Tishomingo County and is home to J.P. Coleman State Park, making it one of northeast Mississippi’s best-known recreation spots.
Jon R Myers is the executive editor of Alcorn County News and the founder of the Mississippi News Group, which he started in 2013 to cover communities across North Mississippi. He also founded the Mississippi Sports Group in 2006, which grew from a single community publication into a statewide network covering high school and college athletics. He reports on local government, public safety, schools and community life in Corinth and Alcorn County, working from public meetings, agency records and interviews with the people involved. Contact him at editor@alcornnewsms.com with news tips or corrections. For a correction, include the article link and supporting source material.
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