The idea for a trail came when a men’s gymnastics club decided to start training in the forest using natural obstacles, such as tree stumps and logs. But forest workers would clear the paths and the men would return to find their trail dismantled. So they approached the community with a proposal to create a permanent fitness trail, or parcourse. The idea was accepted and the trail found a sponsor, an insurance company by the name of Vita (now Zurich Insurance).
Today there are 499 Vita ParcoursExternal link in Switzerland. The average trail extends for about two kilometres and has 15 stations equipped with various exercise equipment. The exercises suggested at each stop promote strength, endurance and agility. These have been simplified over the trails’ 50-year history to allow families and non-athletic types to also enjoy the trails.
In 1993 the “Vita Parcours” Foundation was established. Every two years it undertakes checks of the trails for safety and stability. Municipalities or private organisations are in charge of maintenance and care of their local parcouses. Zurich Insurance provides the funds for equipment and trail construction.
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The original trail was built in 1968 near Zurich. Today, Switzerland boasts about 500 across the country and there are an estimated 2,500 worldwide. Nearly all of the Swiss trails, consisting of a series of obstacles and exercise stations set up along a jogging path, are found in forests on the edge of towns and…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.