Posted: February 06, 2013

In response to all of the backlash regarding the overuse of the word “Epic”, we have decided to expand upon the meaning of our brand name, Epic Europe.

Despite the abuse of the word “Epic”, the Alps of Europe still can indeed be considered as such. Our focus is on telling the authentic (ouch, another overused, but still most relevant term here) story of the European Alps. The adventures we create and share with our clients are comparable to an Epic tale, including all of the standard elements: a hero – our guest, and a series of great achievements – scaling peaks and descending in deep untracked powder, experiencing a new culture or learning a new language, following the route of the Tour de France on bicycle, these are all great feats. And the theatre in which we experience these adventures, the majesty of the mountains, is incomparable.  

Ok, enough justifying ourselves. The real story behind our name is much more interesting; our business is actually formally titled Epicurus SàRL (a LLC in Switzerland), and you may have noticed that our blog is called Epicurus Life, our corporate travel and events site is listed asEpicurus Events, and our accommodations site Epicurus Collection. 

Epicurus himself was an ancient Greek philosopher (341–270 B.C), as well as the founder of the school of philosophy called “Epicureanism”. 

Not to be confused with several modern contexts: 

“Epicure”; 1: one with sensitive and discriminating tastes, especially in food or wine.

Or its archaic meaning related to the wealthy Sybarite city of ancient Greece. 

“Epicure”; 2: one devoted to sensual pleasure. 

    - Merriam-Webster Dictionary

For Epicurus, the purpose of his brand of philosophy was to attain the happy, well-rounded and tranquil life, characterized by ataraxia - peace and freedom from fear, and aponia - the absence of pain - and by living a self-sufficient life surrounded by friends. He advocated the pursuit of pleasures that can be enjoyed in moderation. And it is important to note that his school was the first of the ancient Greek philosophical schools to admit women as a rule, rather than an exception.

This plays precisely into our brand identity - the pursuit of the good life, spent in the outdoors with good friends, pleasurable experiences, and good food and drink. The fact that this can be done in the “epic” setting of our backyard, the Swiss and European Alps, is no coincidence. 

Ever since the most recent economic crisis, travel companies have been looking for a way to bring more substance to their offerings; the pre-crisis pure-luxe gluttony is long gone, and we are looking for substantive and experiential ways to honor the Epicurean philosophy every day.