Continuing Ace’s early adventures, the second story in the Wicked boxset is The Price of Snow. Written by Katharine Armitage, it follows The Doctor and Ace as they travel to the near future, to a ski resort whose visitors have a funny habit of disappearing into the snow.

Ski resort Val du Cam Belle is ‘the place to be’ for the 1% of the near future. But the Doctor and Ace discover sinister shadows beneath the surface of this winter wonderland.

The sun is too hot, the shade is too dark and nothing is quite what it seems…

Big Finish Synopsis

At its heart, The Price of Snow is a very traditional style of Doctor Who story. There’s a chilling mystery to solve, and The Doctor and Ace have arrived just in time to investigate and stop a menacing alien threat that has decided to make Earth its feeding ground.

Albeit a generic-sounding plot, there’s plenty in this story that piques interest. One of these aspects is its setting. Set on a ski resort popular with the world’s 1%, Armitage has used this to her advantage, utilising it to create tension between the characters who work at the resort and those who’ve come to enjoy its many amenities. Throughout the drama, these tensions arise by way of the 1 per cent’s ill treatment of the resort and its people, creating a constant undulating current that adds a sense of grounding to the story.

These tensions also find their way to create some early-stage character development for Ace. Not too keen on the rich herself, given her less-than-fancy background, she’s more than happy to help the locals sling mud their way. However, this doesn’t do anyone any favours in a crisis that affects everyone. Through the Doctor’s gentle prodding and time spent with Mhairi, the daughter of the resort’s owner, she comes to understand that everyone has their own unique perspective and problems and that cooperation is the only way that everyone can survive.

While the complex inner workings of the resort make for great tension and development, the story is ultimately let down in the climax by its alien threat, The Slips. Lacking in both menace and depth, these creatures help to keep the resort of Val du Cam Belle cold, all for the low, low price of a little nibble on 10% of the guests. As the story progresses, these creatures do little more than their description and never come close to causing any harm to any of the main or side characters beyond throwing some snowballs.