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Vail Valley Escape Room opens in Avon

The Vail Valley Escape Room takes groups of two to eight people on an immersive adventure discovering hidden objects, solving puzzles and finding clues on the way to solving a mystery. The Vail Valley Escape Room is located in Avon.
Ross Leonhart | rleonhart@vaildaily.com |

If you go …

What: Vail Valley Escape Room.

Where: 110 E. Beaver Creek Blvd., Suite 201 (above Beaver Liquors).

When: Open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Bookings are recommended, but walk-ins are welcome.

Cost: $30, or $20 for locals.

More information: The Vail Valley Escape Room currently has one escape room, with plans for more and an expansion to allow company meetings.

AVON — Nestled in the heart of town is the Vail Valley Escape Room, an immersive, interactive experience for friends, family and coworkers.

The adventure puts a group of two to eight people in Henry Beaver’s old ski shop with 60 minutes to solve the mystery and escape from the room. No special knowledge is needed, and the game is designed for intense cooperation and teamwork for people of all ages.

“We wanted to do something where we were giving some type of entertainment or activity to the local population up here,” said co-owner Zach Brandiff, who opened Vail Valley Escape Room four weeks ago with Sam Walker, both originally from Florida.



Escape rooms bring a unique experience, creating a physical fantasy world and have been gaining popularity across the world since 2008. Escape room themes range from horror to toy rooms to different time periods. The Vail Valley Escape Room’s first adventure is based off something almost everyone here experiences — a ski shop.

The story goes like this: Henry Beaver, owner of a treasured ski resort, just passed away, leaving the future of the mountain uncertain. His two sons are fighting over the ski hill — Bobby wants to shut it down to mine for gold, and Billy wants to keep it open to continue living the ski bum life. In Henry’s old ski shop is a will that gives Billy the mountain. The fate of the ski mountain is in your hands, but find it in an hour before the guard comes by on his routine checks.

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“That was based mostly off of my background here,” Brandiff said. “I started off working in ski shops five years ago when I first came here.”

Brandiff and Walker have plans for another room to open in June and a third challenge before the next ski season.

“The only thing I can say about the theme for the upcoming one is that we’re going to be basing it mostly off the gold mining and prospecting industry,” Brandiff said.

Located above Beaver Liquors in Avon, the two owners have plans to add a conference room area, fitting for business outings and team building.

COMMON QUESTIONS

Here are some frequently asked questions about escape rooms.

• Am I really locked in a room? The room does have a locked door to exit from, but an emergency exit will always be available.

Do we need special skills or knowledge? No. This escape game only requires the ability to observe, open your mind to creative thought and apply logic.

• Can I take pictures? Taking pictures or video of the room is strictly forbidden. Pictures can be taken in the lobby upon completion, or failure.

Can I use the bathroom? Participants are asked to use the restroom before entering to keep the game authentic, but there is an open door just in case.

• Are there clues? Yes, but it’s important to investigate the entire environment.

“We wanted to bring something new to the valley and simultaneously break ourselves out of the service industry life and live the lifestyle that we want to live out here in the valley,” Walker said.

For more information and deals, follow Vail Valley Escape Rooms on Facebook or visit http://www.vailvalley escaperoom.com.

Reporter Ross Leonhart can be reached at 970-748-2915 and rleonhart@vaildaily.com. Follow him on Instagram at colorado_livin_on_the_hill.


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