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Escape room is newest attraction in Nakusp

Teams must solve puzzles to beat the game
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Unkaged hosts Anji Jones and Milton Begin. The Unkaged escape room was custom built in Red Deer using a portable highway trailer and is parked for the season at the KBR Campground. (Photo Trisha Shanks)

Owner Milton Begin is excited to offer two brand new escape rooms; a unique, indoor entertainment attraction for locals and tourists this summer. Participants will enjoy the mental challenge of solving riddles and puzzles to open locks and move themselves forward through the game. The clues are the key to obtain ‘freedom’ from the room. Begin is quick to say, “You are never really, truly locked in. You can always go backwards.”

According to Wikipedia, “an escape room is a physical adventure game in which players solve a series of puzzles and riddles using clues, hints and strategy to complete the objectives at hand.” Players are given a set time limit of 25 minutes on these particular games to unveil the secret plot which is hidden within the rooms. Most cities now have multiple escape room businesses for players to enjoy; the concept is inspired by the “escape-the-room” style of video games.

“Here at Unkaged we have two rooms, serving up to 12 people at a time, to help you with your team building. It is a fun way to practice working together. KBR campground has room for your group BBQ while teams have fun,” says their Facebook page, Unkaged.

The idea came to Begin because he had gone through an escape room at his previous home of Red Deer. “I thought it would be a nice thing to have available in the Kootenay area as an option of different things to do for the tourist season. Nobody has really heard of a [mobile] escape room game. Usually they are in physical buildings. [The mobile version] can be in Nakusp, Nelson, Kamloops, wherever it might do well. I think it is a benefit to the community for tourist entertainment.”

Concepts for the two different games available in Nakusp were brought forward by Red Deer’s Lockdown Escape Rooms Inc., the designers who fitted Unkaged’s highway van and sell franchises for their games internationally. Begin, who uses a large trailer from a long-haul truck unit, had the trailer delivered to KBR Campground by tractor unit.

Begin is a motorcyclist and a camper. He said, “I’ve been in and out of the Kootenays for a lot of years on holidays or motorcycle trips and always liked the clean quietness of Nakusp moreso than the Okanagan or the Shuswaps.” Now he calls the area home.

He approached Mike and Christy Dodds, the new owners of the campground with the idea because they had ‘that wide open space against the highway,” which he thought would be the perfect place to try it out.

“Their kids had to inform them of [what it was] and they thought it was a really good idea that would work with a campground, campers can enjoy the entertainment in the evening” after they have visited the beach, done their sight seeing and before they settle down to their campfires.

Unkaged opened for the season during the first week in May and plans to run through until October, although Begin doesn’t rule out winter use by arrangment for days when bad weather prevents skiers from getting out. Hours are 3:00-9:00 P.M. Wednesday through Sunday. Admission is currently on an introductory rate of $10.00/person.