SkiStar Create Magic Through Audio Stories

Location-Based Troll Stories Delight Nature Wanderers in Sälen

Swedish Alpine Giant SkiStar set out to breathe new life into Trollskogen—the legendary enchanted forest filled with hand-carved wooden trolls that have enchanted children and parents for generations.

As part of SkiStar’s strategic vision to attract more families to spend their summer holidays in the Swedish Alps, they were looking for a new reason to visit Sälen beyond the ski slopes.

By enriching the Troll Forest hike with location-based audio stories and playful troll sagas, SkiStar aimed to:

• Encourage more families to explore nature together
• Share their beloved mascot Valle’s values of kindness and environmental care
• Offer a unique summer attraction in Sälen

20+ Stories and Songs That Entertain and Educate

With hundreds of trolls scattered throughout the expansive Troll Forest, SkiStar and Trales began by selecting the most notable ones—factoring in walking distance, audio pollution (some trolls already had sounds playing nearby), and the overall story flow.

Then the Creative Process Began…

Story scripts were crafted based on interviews with locals and elders who remembered the origin of each troll. We dug into online folklore archives and devoured Johan Egerkrans’ epic book “Nordiska Väsen” on Nordic spirits.

Given the ambitious timeline and volume of content, we used AI tools to support production—always with the goal of delivering magical, immersive tales that reflect Valle’s values.

The Content Challenge: One Forest, Many Ways to Wander

Early on, we realized that visitor behavior varied significantly:

• Some listened to the full saga, start to finish
• Some dipped into just a few stories along the way
• Some visited during summer (walking from bottom to top), others in winter (skiing top to bottom)

The solution? Every troll was given its own standalone story—each with subtle connections to an overarching narrative. And each of the three story chapters includes location-independent intros and outros, letting listeners start from either direction.

The Studio Magic

Once the scripts were finalized, they entered the Trales studio, where:

1. A warm narrator carried the overarching tale
2. Trolls—silly, wise, mischievous, and even a little spooky—spoke directly to the children
3. Layered sound effects and music created a rich, immersive audio book experience unlike anything else on the trail

A Nature Adventure in Three Chapters

Some families only had time (or energy) for one chapter in the lower forest. Others returned the next day for chapter two. Some tackled all three in one go.

By dividing the saga into three flexible chapters, we could match the adventure to each family’s pace—and keep them coming back for more.

Goofy Technical Add-Ons That Kids Love

Every troll got its own… fart.

Yes, you read that right. Through a tactile, vibrating button in the media player, kids could make the trolls let one rip.

This quirky addition was a booming hit—with nearly 10,000 farts played in the first few months alone.

The Result: A Saga Loved by Thousands

Beautifully hand-crafted wooden signs, each with a QR code, made it easy for families to access the experience right there on the trail. SkiStar seamlessly blended technology with tradition, staying true to their mission of enhancing nature adventures with smart, digital storytelling tools.

Since its summer 2024 launch, the saga has been streamed tens of thousands of times, offering families a fresh reason to return to the Swedish mountains.

Meet the Trolls of Sälen

So the next time you find yourself in Sälen’s Troll Forest, don’t miss:

• Lissola, who wins the dreaded Fasaloppet ski race
• Orvar and Svea, locked in a fierce pooping contest
• Åke Skidor, the towering giant who uses a magic wand as a ski pole

Media Buzz

This innovative take on family-friendly nature storytelling caught the attention of Sweden’s biggest media outlets, including:

• Svenska Dagbladet (SvD)
• Sveriges Radio (SR)