Jan Baalsrud and His Wintertime Arctic Escape

Photo By dokaspar

It almost feels like it’s threatening to snow here in Vancouver, and while other Canadians might say we never get any “real” cold here on the West Coast, it’s sure plenty chilly enough for us at Krakit Vancouver Escape Game. And hey—it’s a wet cold here, all right?

It’s gotten us thinking about people who have been forced to make escape attempts in the dead of winter, into icy banks of snow and freezing cold waters. There is one particular wintertime escape—a story of ingenuity and perseverance—that stands out above all the rest: that of Jan Baalsrud, a Norwegian resistance fighter in World War II. 

After the Germans invaded his home country in 1940, Baalsrud fled Norway, eventually landing in Britain, where he was trained in combat. He and eleven other Company Linge men undertook an operation in early 1943, with the goal of destroying a Nazi control tower in the extremely northerly town of Bardufoss.

To say the least, things did not go as planned.

Baalsrud and company approached the tower by fishing boat (laden with explosives), but they were detected—and forced to bail out into the Arctic waters. Baalsrud was the only soldier to escape the clutches of the Germans. However, he now found himself in enemy-occupied territory, in the depths of winter, in wet clothes, and with no provisions.

He spent two months (two months!) evading capture in the Arctic environment, taking shelter with sympathizers when he could. In his weeks-long escape, Baalsrud suffered frostbite, snow blindness, and more than one self-operation (to alleviate what he thought was blood poisoning and to get rid of several frostbitten toes).

Finally, on April 8, 1943, Baalsrud made it to a resistance-operated house, near the Finland border. But his ordeal was not over: because of German patrols and weather conditions, to avoid detection a sickly Baalsrud was placed outside, in the snow, on a stretcher, for weeks. Then, finally, on May 30, two Sámi reindeer herders smuggled Baalsrud across Finland and into Sweden—neutral territory. 

Following his two-month escape ordeal, Baalsrud spent seven months in a Swedish hospital. Then, he went straight back to the UK to help train other members of the Norwegian resistance.

Though our Nightmare Before Christmas room has a frosty theme, we can assure you it’s nice and toasty inside. Book your freeze-free winter escape at our Vancouver escape rooms here: http://bookeo.com/krakit.

Zombies and Puzzles and Swift! Oh my!

Pop singers routinely do intensive vocal exercises before preforming on tour. Actors repeatedly rehearse their lines before going on stage. Professional athletes practise and practise and practise some more. But how does one prepare for the thrilling challenge of the escape room? 

For success in our Vancouver escape room, Krakit has compiled a list of our top ten escape preparation tips. 

10. Sudoko 

There's a reason seniors snatch up Sudoko puzzles like they were free viagra. Sudoko keeps your mind active and alert.  The simple but challenging mind puzzles offer a break from the tech world. They also demand that your brain rely more on your memory than on your bandwidth. Think of them as yoga exercises for your mind.

9. Sit-ups

Killer abs are essential for escape room success. Tone them with simple sit-ups.

8. Source Material

Jack Skellington's adventure to Christmas Town is the source for this year's holiday escape room. Study up on the Oogie Boogie and all things Burtonesque. 

7. Pre-escape meal

Tis the season for turkey indulging, but make sure to stay away from the tasty bird before entering the escape room. Turkey is full of tryptophan, an amino acid that is renowned for inducing sleep. Load up on protein rich foods like eggs, nuts and yogurt instead. Raw vegetables are also good choices. Avoid fatty foods and sugary drinks.  

6. Sharing Circle

All of the escape rooms at Krakit in Burnaby are group orientated. Knowing your fellow players can be important for delegating tasks. A pre-escape sharing circle might shed some light on Brandon's coding talents or on Suzy's inability to handle pressure situations. 

5. Taylor Swift 

I don't know about you, but I'm feeling 22. Keep your youthful spirit jacked.  YOLO.

4. Hydration

Dehydration can seriously limit your body's ability to preform. Stay hydrated and keep your energy enzymes active. 

3. Mad Libs

You gotta stay loose before the big event. Don't let the room get in your head. Relax with some fill-in-the-blank fun. Houdini was a huge fan. Just saying...

2. Zombie Do's and Don'ts

Rule 1: Do your homework. There are plenty of movies out there to help you prep. Your list should definitely include "Dawn of the Dead," "World War Z" and "28 Days Later."

Rule 2: Don't turn your back on your friends. Especially Eddie.  

Rule 3: Do keep it together. Your first urge might be to scream in absolute terror, but where will that get you? Killed. That's where.

1. Get some sleep

Escaping the City: Haida Gwaii Fishing Charters

At Krakit we talk a lot about escaping. That’s no surprise: it’s sort of what we we’re all about.

But we’re fans of all kinds of escaping—not just the kind that involves clues and puzzles and locks and keys. Playing a round at our Vancouver escape rooms not only gives you a chance to literally escape a locked room, but a chance to escape into your mind and forget about the real world for a while. A bit of classic escapism, one might say.

But sometimes you need an even bigger escape. The holidays are hectic enough on their own, then work starts to pile up while you’re away (beware the inbox avalanche!), and the rains of Vancouver just never seem to cease as January and February roll by. Luckily, we know of a spot that’s sure to wipe the brain-slate clean.

Just a two-hour flight north of Vancouver lies the island of Graham in the Haida Gwaii, and on it, Escott Fishing Lodge.

As much as we at Krakit Escape Game love delving into the worlds of zombies and Jigsaw and Halloweentown, sometimes you just can’t beat the total escape offered by spending an entire day out on the fishing boat, casting the old rod, and pulling in a salmon or halibut or two. Then, passing the evening back in the lodge by playing pool, eating and drinking with friends, and hunkering down in a big comfy bed.

Ah, we’re making ourselves relaxed just thinking about it.

Maybe you need a chance to unwind far away from the city, surrounded by some of the best Mother Nature has to offer. Maybe you just need an escape from all the zombies and monsters in your life (OK—that may just be us, maybe the cast of iZombie, too).

Either way, a voyage out to the calm and beauty of Haida Gwaii and Escott Lodge, where there’s nothing to do but fish, will do you just right.

We’d be remiss if you didn’t let you in on this little secret of ours. But we still expect to see you back in our Vancouver escape room, when you get back!

Christmas Miracles: Five Daring Holiday Escapes

Now that we’re fully in holiday mode here at Krakit—with our newly opened Nightmare Before Christmas room and a general feeling of good (if spooky) cheer—we’ve been thinking of other daring Christmastime escapes.

Though we usually associate this time of year with lazily sitting around in darkened living rooms, with a cup of cider in hand, there’s more escape action at the holidays than you might think—not only in pop culture, but also in real life.

Ancienne prison Winter à Sherbrooke, Québec (Photo: Michel Gagnon CC)

1. Marv and Harry’s escape from the house in Home Alone

Let’s start the list off with a bang (and a fall and a blowtorch to the head). Young Kevin McCallister was clearly ahead of his time, making a topnotch escape room from things he just happened to have lying around the house.

Marv and Harry do manage to escape Kevin’s house of horrors, but ultimately are nabbed by the popo and placed in the clink.

2. Four Orlando prisoners bust out Christmas Day 1955

Prison escapes seem to be a much more common thing back in the day, with lots of planning on the part of successful inmates. This particular Florida crew—all imprisoned for cheque forgery—knew that their best chance of escape was Christmas day.

Why? Because the carol singing would drown out the sound of their hacksaws and drills. The glory didn’t last long, as they were nabbed a few days later.

3. The Von Trapps escape Nazi-occupied Austria

We all know the film Sound of Music as a holiday staple, but the real Von Trapp family actually did escape to America during the holiday season.

The family didn’t tramp through the Alps as the film shows, but Maria, Georg and their ten kids did use their musical act to fool the authorities. The Von Trapps told people they were going to America to perform, heading for Italy by train one day before the Austrian border closed, eventually landing in the US on December 30, 1942.

4. Red Hugh O’Donnell bests Queen Elizabeth I on Christmas Eve 1591

A much older Christmas escape comes courtesy of Red Hugh O’Donnell, or more correctly, Aodh Ruadh Ó Domhnaill. The future Irish rebellion leader found himself imprisoned in Dublin Castle, after falling into an English trap at age 15. Three years later, O’Donnell and other inmates used the distraction of Christmas Eve to escape their captors, climbing down the castle by rope and swimming the freezing cold moat.

Although he lost his friends (and a toe) to frostbite, Red Hugh lived and went on to lead the Nine Years War (1594–1603) against England and Queen Elizabeth I.

5. John McClane wins freedom for all in Die Hard

When terrorists overrun a Christmas Eve party at his estranged wife’s work, NYC cop John McClane has none of it. Hans Gruber takes all the festive cheer right out of the event by taking everyone hostage—except for John, who manages to get away and save the day in what many people call their favourite Christmas film.


Give the gift of a thrilling Krakit escape this year with our Vancouver Escape Room gift certificates, which you can pick up in person or have emailed in digital form.

What’s This, What’s This? Nightmare Before Christmas at Krakit

We’re officially in December, and the holiday season is fully upon Vancouver and the rest of the Lower Mainland. The Lights of Hope at St. Paul’s hospital went on with a bang, the Stanley Park Christmas Train is running every weekend, and the Christmas caterpillar has moved into Coquitlam Town Centre Park.

Though Halloween may be our favourite holiday at Krakit Escape Game, we’re equally given to holiday cheer. And, so, we’re really excited for the return of our popular Nightmare Before Christmas room.

There’s broken toys and missing stockings—and Oogie Boogie tricks are everywhere. It looks like Halloween is here to stay. But not if you have anything to say about it! You and your team get 45 minutes to stop Halloween from taking over and save the true spirit of Christmas.

Though it didn’t take us quite as long to build our Nightmare Before Christmas escape room as it took Tim Burton to film his stop-motion masterpiece (two years!), we’ve put tons of effort into making it equal parts Halloween scare and Christmas sparkle, just like Halloweentown. Plus, we threw in some brian-scratching riddles for good measure.

Also, families should take note that we’ve made a few changes for the 2015 version, with one of the biggest being that we’ve dialed the rating down from “hard” last year to “average” this year.

However, you’ll be relieved to know that, unlike Jack Skellington, we at Krakit aren’t at all bored of frightening people. Our Zombie Apocalypse, Saw, and Asylum rooms are also open through the holiday season.

Book a session at Krakit Escape Game, located on the border of Burnaby and Coquitlam and near to Lougheed Town Centre Station, here: http://www.bookeo.com/krakit.