Snowpoint City: Candice's Snowy City, the Icicle Badge and Regigigas's Temple

In Snowpoint City, winter never ends. In the far north of Sinnoh, this small snow-covered city is home to the region's seventh Gym, a temple where Regigigas slumbers, and the port where the ferry to the Fight Area sets sail.

Contents

• Snowpoint City, a City Caught in Endless Winter
• Candice's Gym and the Icicle Badge
• Snowpoint Temple, Where Regigigas Sleeps
• Trades and Shopping with the Locals
• Platinum and the Remakes: What Changes from One Version to the Next
• Snowpoint City on Screen and in the Manga
• Snowpoint City at a Glance
• Frequently Asked Questions

Snowpoint City, a City Caught in Endless Winter

Snowpoint City sits at the northernmost tip of Sinnoh, a stop you reach late in Diamond and Pearl, Platinum and Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. The city has only a handful of buildings: a Pokémon Center, a Poké Mart, a couple of houses, the Gym at its center and, at the far north, a temple with strictly limited access.

This white landscape has nothing to do with the seasons. The storms that sweep down from the summit of Mt. Coronet sustain a winter that never endsthere, and make the trek along Route 217 an ordeal. In Diamond, Pearl and Platinum, the entrance sign calls it the "City of Snow." Once, though, the scenery changed: on January 12, 2008, diamond dust, not snow, fell on the city in Diamond and Pearl, a nod timed for Junichi Masuda's 40th birthday.

On the sea side, a small port opens the city to the outside world. A ferry waits there for Trainers, but it doesn't set sail for the Fight Area until you've won the League. Finally, to the west, Snowpoint City looks out onto the shore of Lake Acuity.

❄️ Winter never leaves Snowpoint City: brave the cold with our Pokémon beanies.

Candice's Gym and the Icicle Badge

In the heart of the city, Sinnoh's seventh Gym specializes in the Ice type. Its Gym Leader, Candice, rewards those who beat her with the Icicle Badge, along with TM72 Avalanche.

This badge has a practical use: it lets you use Rock Climb outside of battle, and so scale the rock walls that had been blocking certain paths. Once Snowpoint City is behind you, only one badge remains before the League, as covered in our feature on the Gym Leaders and the Elite Four.

Snowpoint Temple, Where Regigigas Sleeps

North of the city stands the building that made Snowpoint City famous: a temple housing the Legendary Pokémon Regigigas. To rouse the giant from its slumber, you need to bring the three golems together in your party: Regice, Regirock and Registeel.

You still have to get through the door, though. The temple's keeper turns all visitors away until they've obtained the National Pokédex; once that's done, Candice comes in person to talk to her, and the sanctuary finally opens to the player.

The temple has a long history behind it. It already stood in the days of Hisui, in the Alabaster Icelands of Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and Regigigas already lived there. The giant and the three golems that awaken it have their place in our feature on legendary trios and duos.

Trades and Shopping with the Locals

In the northwest house, a girl is looking for a Medicham and offers in return her Haunter, nicknamed Gaspar. The Pokémon comes holding an Everstone: so it won't evolve into Gengar, even though trading normally triggers that evolution.

The northeast house is home to a man who teaches you new words, which you can then slip into your Mail or interviews. For the home stretch, the Poké Mart is also worth a stop: besides its healing items, it sells Dusk Balls, Quick Balls and Timer Balls, then adds Max Potions at the seventh badge and Full Restores at the eighth.

Platinum and the Remakes: What Changes from One Version to the Next

Platinum adds a Move Tutor in the northeast house, who teaches eight moves in exchange for Shards, including Synthesis, Magnet Rise, Spite and Swift. This version also changes the items you can pick up: an Ultra Ball lies near the crane, and it's a Rare Candy, no longer a Hyper Potion, that you find east of the city.

Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl give the city a new sign, which in the French version hails it as a snowy city that sparkles, and once again hide a Hyper Potion on the east side. The Gaspar trade is kept: the Haunter arrives at level 33, still holding its Everstone, and knows Shadow Ball, Payback, Sucker Punch and Confuse Ray.

Snowpoint City on Screen and in the Manga

In season 12 of the anime, Ash Ketchum, Dawn and Brock reach the city in episode DP126: there they meet up again with Zoey and get to know Candice, who also runs a Trainers' School. Ash beats her in episode DP127; the Battle Pyramid of Brandon then lands near the city in DP128, and the action of DP129 centers on the temple.

The city returns much later in Pokémon Journeys. In episode JN008, Ash and Goh line up at the start of the Pokémon Iceberg Race, and Goh takes the opportunity to catch a Mantyke.

In the Pokémon Adventures manga, the heroine Platinum goes there with Maylene to thank Candice, who had gotten her out of trouble. Mistaken for a challenger, she first has to beat the Gym's Trainers, then ends up challenging the Gym Leader: her Empoleon, her Rapidash and her Lopunny take on Snover, Froslass and Abomasnow from Candice's team. Candice believes she has won, but she has forgotten about Rapidash, which comes back to knock Froslass out. The Gym Leader then sets off with them toward Lake Acuity. Defeated by Jupiter, the three Trainers later fall back to the temple, where Platinum catches Reg, a Regigigas destined for Diamond's team.

Snowpoint City at a Glance

Frequently Asked Questions

• What type of Pokémon does the Snowpoint City Gym use?
  The Ice type. Candice, the Gym Leader, awards the Icicle Badge, along with TM72 Avalanche.
• How do you get into Snowpoint Temple?
  You need the National Pokédex. Without it, the keeper refuses entry; with it, Candice comes to talk to her and the temple opens to the player.
• How do you wake Regigigas in Snowpoint City?
  Go before it with Regice, Regirock and Registeel in your party. Without these three golems, the giant stays asleep.
• How do you get to the Fight Area from Snowpoint City?
  By the ferry docked at the city's port. It only sets sail for the Fight Area once you've won the Sinnoh League.
• In which anime episodes does Snowpoint City appear?
  In episodes DP126 to DP129, where Ash battles Candice and discovers the temple, then in episode JN008 of Pokémon Journeys, during a Pokémon Iceberg Race.

In short

Snowpoint City is small, but it carries a lot of weight in the final stretch of your Sinnoh adventure: the second-to-last badge before the League, a temple reserved for National Pokédex holders and the ferry to the Fight Area. Between its eternal snow and the Regigigas sleeping there, it keeps plenty of reasons to come back long after the end credits.