Alpiner is a third-person action game where the goal is to climb safely to the top of various mountains without falling. Each mountain has its own set of obstacles, such as falling rocks, avalanches, wild animals, trees, and brush fires, which must be avoided to progress. If these obstacles are encountered, the player will lose progress and potentially fall down part of the mountain, losing a life.
The game provides voice synthesis warnings when danger is near, helping the player anticipate obstacles. Each mountain has a time limit, but the timer only counts down when the climber is not moving. As the player progresses through levels, the mountains become higher and the obstacles become faster and more numerous.