The route from Davos to Filisur is actually an old hand among mountain bike routes. It has been ridden since the beginnings of the sport in the 1990s and is a challenging route with an exceptionally high proportion of single trails. It has never attracted much attention. Although it was first described as the "Landwasser Tour" in the Singletrail Maps in 2004, it otherwise went largely unnoticed. The magazines didn't jump at it, it was just one of many in the route guides and it didn't fit in with the local tourism organization.

It was 2013 when the inconspicuous pearl was kissed awake. Shane Wilson, an employee of the International Mountain Bike Association (Imba), was visiting Davos and was out and about on the route in question. He was so taken with it that he subsequently made sure it was included in the Epic Trails Hall of Fame. The Sleeping Beauty was thus knighted virtually overnight.Now the tourism organization pricked up its ears. It was the director Reto Branschi himself who recognized the marketing potential of this route. However, the name "Landwasser Tour" would not win a flower pot. The route was therefore immediately renamed the "Alps Epic Trail Davos" and the start was placed on the summit of the Jakobshorn. This means an even longer route, but above all more added value. The marketing machine was generously fired up, turning the little-known route into a tourist beacon. The result: there are hardly any mountain bikers today who don't know the route.The "Alps Epic Trail Davos" is an example of how to generate a marketable product from an existing infrastructure. How to turn a mountain bike trail into a cult brand. And how you always need an outside perspective to recognize your own potential.

Tour Alps Epic Trail:

ride.ch/en/tours/alps-epic-trail-davos

Alps Epic Trail in the Singletrail Map:

map.ride.ch

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