When you live in the Villé Valley, it is a well-known place that often brings back memories of a day spent with family or friends.
Located on the heights of Breitenbach, between Pays de Barr and Vallée de Villé, the Alsace Aventure Park is a place of fun and thrills, nestled in a magnificent forest crisscrossed by numerous hiking trails.
The park's flagship activity is tree climbing, but as you will see in the following lines, there are about ten activities on offer.
The group has two parks: one in Breitenbach (note, Breitenbach in the 67 – there is a village of the same name in the Haut-Rhin), the other in Ostwald, 5 minutes from Strasbourg.
The story began in 2001. More than 20 years later, it continues and evolves to offer you incredible moments in the treetops, behind an arch, or even suspended from a zip line.
We spoke with Matthias Kasser to introduce you to the Alsace Aventure Park, which he co-manages with his partner Mickaël Walter.
Hello Matthias,
Could you start by introducing yourself?
My name is Matthias Kasser, I am 41 years old, I live with my partner and am the father of 2 children. Passionate about outdoor leisure activities, I studied STAPS in Strasbourg before spending a few years in Haute-Savoie managing a tourist office in a ski resort.
I missed Alsace and so I returned to the region to join the Alsace Aventure group in 2010.
How long have you been working at Parc Alsace Aventure and what is your position there?
I joined the Alsace Aventure group in 2010 as director of our Ostwald park, then for a few years I held a sales and development position for the entire group.
Since 2017, I have been co-manager of the structure with my partner Mickaël Walter.
Can you tell us a little about the history of the park?
The Alsace Adventure Park in Breitenbach has existed since 2001 thanks to the initiative of its founder, Dominique Bocquillon. Initially, only treetop adventure courses were offered. With no shortage of ideas and projects, other activities were added, starting with the Zipline Valley and then the Extreme Tower!
In the early 2010s, new ground-based activities developed such as paintball, archery, and a challenge area.
In 2017, the founding manager having decided to retire, we decided to continue the adventure with Mickaël Walter by pursuing the development of leisure activities in the forest.
In figures, Alsace Aventure is:
-How many employees? Between 10 and 15.
-How many hectares of developed space? Nearly 3
-How many visitors on average per year? Between 20 and 25000
Your structure consists of two parks, the Breitenbach park and the Ostwald park.
What are the differences between the two places?
The fundamental difference is the environment, the scenery! While the activities may seem relatively similar, the view from the Kreuzweg Pass is unique!
Ostwald Park is an urban park, accessible by tram, bus or cycle paths, and truly offers a corner of adventure in the heart of the city! Perfect for adventurers wanting to let loose for a few hours.
In Breitenbach, in addition to the activities, our visitors come to get some fresh air in the mountains for half a day and often for a full day!
You launched the 2022 season on April 2nd.
How is the start of the season going and how are preparations being made for the upcoming summer season?
The season finally started a week later than planned due to the late snowfall in early April. But since then, we have enjoyed favorable conditions and customers have been coming in droves.
We are preparing for the summer season which is fast approaching.
Until this year you offered 8 activities but this year your visitors will have the pleasure of having two more, the E-trott adventure and the explore game.
Can you tell us about these new features?
My pleasure !
Explor Games is an adventure game that's a cross between an orienteering course and an outdoor escape room. Participants are equipped with a tablet and set off in teams to immerse themselves in a scenario where zombies have invaded the world! Various challenges and (very real!) stages are required to reach the end of this adventure, which is suitable for ages 7 and up! Perfect for families!
With E-Trott Aventure, we offer guided off-road electric scooter tours to discover the Kreuzweg Pass and the splendid panoramas of the village of Breitenbach and the Villé Valley! This activity is accessible from 12 years old.
Are these two activities offered in both parks?
An Explor Games experience is also offered at Natura Parc Ostwald, but with a completely different storyline! In Ostwald, participants embark on a quest in a medieval fantasy world and must confront an evil wizard!
E-Trott Adventure, on the other hand, is exclusive to the Breitenbach park!
As we mentioned before, you offer other activities and services.
In addition to the E-trott adventure and the explore game, visitors can try: tree climbing, the zipline valley, the extreme tower, archery, paintball, the ant trail, the children's area and the gourmet adventure.
(More information on the website @: www.alsace-aventure.com)
What activities do people enjoy the most?
All of our activities are popular with our visitors, but it's true that the adventure courses and the Zipline Valley remain the top choices. The other activities primarily offer a variety of experiences and the opportunity to discover new things, sometimes completely unique to the region.
Matthias, what is your favorite activity in Breitenbach?
Without hesitation, the jump from the Extreme Tower! It's a truly insane experience, and every time we hesitate, but we go for it, and the thrills are undeniable! Plus, the Extreme Tower is a magnificent structure, and the view alone makes it worth the climb!
You also offer full and half days to celebrate bachelor/bachelorette parties and birthdays at your home.
Can you tell us about these services?
We do indeed offer themed packages for birthdays and stag/hen parties.
These are specific programs with one or more activities and additional services such as a snack or a meal.
The park also offers facilities for seminars, groups or works councils, as well as facilities for schools and young people.
Does everyone have access to these services and how do they work?
In addition to our opening hours for individual visitors, we also welcome all kinds of groups with flexible opening times during the week.
School groups from age 3 onwards for half a day or a full day, but also works councils with catering services.
Finally, for seminars, we work in collaboration with Villa Mathis for groups wishing to have a meeting room before letting loose in the forest.
On your website @ we can read that you offer "home services".
Can you tell us about this offer?
This is our MOBIPARC, a mini adventure course on poles designed for children aged 3 to 12. It's a structure that we build and offer for sale and rent.
This structure allows us to organize around fifteen events throughout the year across the region: village festivals, fairs and exhibitions, festivals, company parties, etc.
The offer is really very comprehensive.
But since you apparently like to be kept busy, you have another service that is less known to the general public but is nevertheless very interesting.
If I am not mistaken, you also offer the creation, installation and therefore the sale of treetop adventure courses throughout France.
Absolutely! In addition to operating our parks, we also have a division specializing in the construction of adventure courses and elevated leisure facilities. We have already completed projects in several European countries, both indoors and outdoors.
Since last year, we have also opened a company specializing in the construction of treehouses under the brand CABANOPEE. You can discover our expertise on www.cabanopee.com
The last few years have been quite terrible for the health of our forest. Drought, strong winds, heavy snowfall. Many trees have fallen.
How have you been impacted and, more importantly, how are you adapting to this situation?
Indeed, between bark beetles, droughts, and winter storms, the last few years have been challenging. We closely monitor and maintain our forest under the guidance of experts with whom we collaborate to manage it as effectively as possible.
The setting in which you find yourself is nonetheless magnificent and ideal for a day out with family or friends.
What could you say to entice our readers (if it's still necessary given the quality of the offer).
I simply invite them to discover the Kreuzweg Pass; the surroundings are truly magnificent. And if it's not for an activity, everyone is also welcome to come and discover LA CABANE, our new snack bar/bar area which will offer entertainment during the summer.
Matthias, we thank you for your time and effort.
We hope that the 2022 season will be good, full of sunshine, without storms, with rain only at night to allow your customers and teams to move around daily within the Alsace Aventure Parks.
