Escape trails in the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena: on the trail of great secrets

The moment we turned the corner and saw the reservoir, we realised: we were going to immerse ourselves in this scenario." Oliver Lohre's voice still resonates with the excitement of the discovery he and his team made while exploring the Berwang mountains. "Berggeheimnis", the name of the company he works for, develops so-called escape trails for holiday regions.

They can best be described as paths that invite you to explore off the beaten track by combining true events and authentic scenery to create an adventure. Combined with playful elements and puzzle stations, they offer access to the stories and history of a region - and provide an opportunity to leave the everyday behind. "That's why we don't translate escape as escape, but rather as escape," notes Oliver.

The Berggeheimnis team has developed and created more than 40 escape trails over the past ten years. No two are the same, each trail tells a story. They are as diverse as the events or lore that the trails recount and as varied as the landscapes through which they lead. What they all have in common: The legends and myths on which they are based are genuine from A to Z. "We don't need to invent anything," says Oliver. "Every story is self-sustaining."

Travelling back in time with Escape Trails

There are currently three Escape Trails in the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena. They cover different eras and various scenarios with a direct link to the region and its people. "The Bear Mystery" is aimed at families and alludes to the heraldic animal of Berwang and is designed to be timeless. The aim is to get to know the local plants, alpine herbs and many an animal inhabitant of the forest and meadows. "Das Geheimnis des Hochalpgeistes" is based on the diary entries of alpine dairyman Josef Sprenger, which he wrote down in 1868. Those who set out to solve "The Berwang Mystery" will in turn travel back in time to 2009, when a special unit of the mountain rescue service sets out to save the village from a catastrophe. Because there is a plot against the new reservoir.

Not only the old radio, but also all the other items in the adventure rucksack provided have an authentic background and would also be available to a real unit in an emergency. The trail combines real events with a fictional story. This means that the groups travelling along the trail not only gain new knowledge, but also plenty of material to discuss and debate. The highlight: everyone can only reach their destination together. No smartphones or the internet are needed to solve the tasks. According to the motto: If you are looking for a break from everyday life, you are guaranteed to find it offline.

Solve puzzles together on the escape trails in the Tiroler Zugspitz Arena

The "Berwang Mystery", for example, involves making decisions as a team under time pressure and standing by each other to recognise and avert dangers. This often allows you to discover completely new sides to your own thinking - exactly in line with the concept that characterises every trail: to undertake and experience an escape from everyday life together. Oliver says: "That's why only people who already know each other go on each date and trail. The steps into the unknown are big enough, so it helps if you already know each other and know where everyone's strengths and weaknesses lie." However, it has already happened that guests at an accommodation who met there decided to go on a trail tour together and had great fun. Sometimes companies also take the opportunity to give their team-building activities a new twist on these trails.

To ensure that the routes are exciting even without the elements of the trail, the Berggeheimnis teams walk each planned route several times beforehand and gather impressions. Sometimes they come up with new ideas, sometimes they come across obstacles that get in the way of the planned route or don't fit in with the planned narrative. "Then we look around and find something else," says Oliver. "Over time, we've developed a feel for this." For example, the Rinnen Gorge became a trail station, even though it wasn't originally on the plan: "The atmosphere there is far too great to leave it out," says Oliver. "Even without our puzzles, it's a place where people always have a good time."

Escape trails tell you what no hiking guide knows

Without giving too much away: Mystical signs left by animals for their shepherd point the way through the gorge as part of the Hochalpgeist trail. How is it even possible for legends and myths to be "sources of ideas" when developing a trail and to enrich the stories told there with surprising twists and unexpected content? "That's precisely the appeal of such trails: they're not in the hiking guide. Every time you go there, you experience something completely unique."

Which is why the trail designers always allow themselves a little artistic freedom to add unusual elements to the stories they tell. Oliver says: "We are storytellers and artists at the same time. Like the Brothers Grimm, we use elements that make the story easier for the audience to understand. And which ensure that the experience is transformed into lasting memories. Our aim is for a place of mystery to always be a place of well-being." The place where you put down your rucksack to puzzle should be so cosy that you can imagine having a snack or sitting down and watching the birds in the sky.

The instructions and game elements for each trail are packed in rucksacks, which are handed out at the Berwang tourist office. One per team, to keep things organised - and to allow all participants to take on the "leading role" on the trail. There is one small difference: Those who explore the "Bear Mystery" receive the game and puzzle material in special packaging. "What does the bear like best? Honey!" laughs Oliver. "So we modelled beehives and fitted them with carriers and a lid. Just like the bear on the hunt for its sweet prey, the individual play elements can be gripped via this access point." Especially in view of the fact that this trail is designed to be family-friendly, this idea is spot on. Because children have great fun with the baskets - and can empathise all the better with the role of the young bear who is exploring the mountain world of Berwang.