Take A Hike! Columbia Hike Society Sets Off in Berlin
Berlin isn’t typically the first place that comes to mind when one pictures hiking. No alpine switchbacks or wildflower meadows, no vertiginous cliffs peeking out from the clouds. But on a blustery spring day this past weekend, an intrepid group of urban hikers gathered at the Highsnobiety flagship store to prove otherwise. Welcome to Columbia Hike Society.
The event marked Columbia’s first European-wide celebration of hiking as a social language. From the iconic peaks of Mont Blanc to the windswept hills of Great Britain, the festival activated three countries with one spirit: hiking not as sport, but as ceremony. For the German edition, what better place to mark the trailhead than the ever-evolving core of Berlin?
Here, the concept of the trail was flipped on its head and rewritten with new expectations of what hiking can be. Infusing the city's brutalist contours, sprawling parks, and the forested fringes that frame its borders, the route chose not to retreat from civilization but to instead embrace it. A gesture toward redefining what the outdoors can look like, the day was designed to frame hiking not as performance, but as practice.
Guiding the hike was a group of voices reshaping the cultural landscape of the outdoors. Explorer and IREMTOUR founder Irem Erdem brought a spirit of mindful travel and transformation, while Berlin native and community organizer Tsellot Melesse grounded the journey with deep ties to BIPoC and LGBTQIA+ spaces. Denis Olgac, co-founder of the creative studio Sucuk & Bratwurst, infused the route with his signature surrealist flair, and artist-content creator Anuthida led the final “paint and sip” moment with quiet intention. Rounding out the crew was Highsnobiety’s own Eren Demirel, keeping the day’s energy dialed in from start to finish.
The morning began at the Highsnobiety Flagship store. From our very-own homebase, backpacks were filled with snacks, dried fruit, water, and just enough caffeine to kickstart the day. The springtime Berlin weather, naturally, was chaotic: sunshine, gusts, light rain, a hint of hail—all in rotation. No matter. Columbia’s gear handled the shifts with ease.
We first moved west toward the iconic Brandenburg Gate, pausing briefly for photos beneath its neoclassical arches before slipping into one of Berlin’s most storied green spaces: the Tiergarten. Underneath towering trees and down winding paths, we meandered the park before arriving at a nice sunny patch where we laid out blankets with our friends from Romeo’s to enjoy a midday picnic. From there, Café am Neuen See offered a dose of caffeine and calm before we moved back into the city.
Leaving the calm canopy of Tiergarten behind, the group eased back into the urban pulse of town, having now stepped into the buzz hub of Zoologischer Garten. From there, we traced the famed boulevard of Ku’damm, its wide sidewalks lined with chic luxury storefronts and historic cafes along a thoroughfare that once served as the city’s most important artery.
As we moved down Ku’damm and stepped outside the Ringbahn, the city’s texture shifted beneath our feet—the steady hum of traffic and people gave way to quieter sounds and cooler air. Buildings became shorter and farther apart, and eventually, bushes, trees, and lakes enveloped us. Then, before we knew it, we found ourselves in the forest again winding upward toward our final destination: Teufelsberg. This forest-shrouded hill, built entirely from the rubble of post-WWII Berlin, once housed a Cold War listening station used by Western forces. Today, however, it stands abandoned and layered in graffiti, and has been slowly reclaimed by both nature and nature-seeking Berliners.
Having made the trek in one piece, the mood was undoubtedly celebratory. Rewarded with some nice natural wines and even an opportunity to paint from this incredible vantage point over Berlin, it was the perfect conclusion to a long day on the move. Berlin’s skyline glowing golden beneath the setting sun, there’s no denying we’d earned it.
Columbia’s Hike Society will be launching fully in Germany next spring, and promises to take hikers on even more exciting trips like this one. Watch our channels to learn more about what Columbia has in store.
