Paganella Bike Park’s existing map was broken into three separate zones, making it difficult for riders to understand how the resort connected as a whole. While each area was shown accurately, the overall experience of moving between Molveno, Andalo, and Fai della Paganella was lost. The challenge was to bring these areas together into one cohesive map that made the entire resort easier to understand and explore.
Early in the project, it became clear that a site visit would be an important part of the process. Satellite imagery and reference photos could get us most of the way there, but to truly understand how the resort connected, we needed to experience it ourselves.
-2.jpg)
The previous Paganella Bike Park map presented the resort across separate map views.
We arrived in Paganella just in time for the bike park’s annual community gathering, and it turned out to be the perfect way to begin the project.
The evening brought together trail builders, instructors, guides, lift operators, resort staff, and local riders. Conversations focused on what was working well, what could be improved for the following season, and where the bike park was headed. For us, it was an opportunity to listen, meet the community, and better understand the people behind the resort.
One thing stood out immediately. This wasn’t simply a bike park. It was a place people had invested years of their lives into. More importantly, it was home. That sense of ownership and connection reinforced the responsibility we had to represent the place with care.
The following day, we spent the entire day riding the resort with our guide, Gianmarco.
Before arriving, we had already spent many hours studying the mountain using Google Earth, Trailforks, Mowi, and their existing maps. We knew where the trails were, how the lifts connected, and the general layout of the resort, but riding the mountain changed our understanding completely.
Paganella is made up of three distinct riding areas: Molveno, Andalo, and Fai della Paganella. On paper, they appear almost separate, each facing a different direction. The existing map reflected this separation by illustrating each zone independently.
Once we rode the mountain, we realized they didn’t feel separate at all.
Andalo acts as the central hub, linking the other two areas together. Molveno offers long, flowing trails overlooking Lake Molveno, while Fai della Paganella feels steeper, rougher, and more technical. Each area has its own character, but together they create a single riding experience.
That realization became one of the guiding principles behind the new map. Rather than illustrating three individual trail networks, we wanted to show the resort as riders actually experience it, one connected destination. To achieve that, we carefully reshaped and rotated parts of the landscape so all three areas could be shown together in a single, easy-to-understand composition while still remaining true to the geography.
The biggest surprises weren’t the trails themselves, even though they are some of the best we’ve ridden.
They were the landscape and villages around them.
We hadn’t appreciated the scale of the Brenta Dolomites or how much they defined the identity of the resort until we were standing at the top soaking in the view. The forests were darker, denser, and more lush than we expected, and every lift ride revealed another view that helped explain why people return here year after year.
Charles and I have been fortunate to ride bike parks across Europe and North America, and Paganella genuinely stands alongside our favorites. It has everything from fast flow trails like Willy Wonka to steep natural descents like Giada Line, all set against one of the most impressive mountain backdrops we’ve experienced.
Those are the kinds of details that don’t appear on satellite imagery, but they influence how you choose to illustrate a place.
After our ride, we met with the resort directors, trail builders, designers, and cartographer.
We arrived with an early sketch, but more importantly, we brought questions. We hung the large sketch on the wall and worked through it together, using Post-it notes to identify challenges, priorities, and opportunities across the mountain.
What absolutely needed to be shown? Why was a new map needed? How could it better serve visitors?
Those conversations helped us understand the goals behind the project and gave us confidence that we were solving the right problem rather than simply creating a new illustration.
Over the next few days, we walked trails, visited viewpoints, flew our drone, and photographed the mountain from every angle.
We wanted to understand the terrain well enough that every decision back in the studio was based on firsthand experience rather than assumptions.
By the time we returned home, we had thousands of photographs, hours of conversations, and a much clearer understanding of the landscape.
The site visit shaped every stage of the bike park map.
It helped us understand how the resort connects, what makes each riding area unique, and what the Paganella team wanted visitors to experience when they arrived.
Since completing the bike park map, we’ve had the opportunity to continue working with the resort on their new hiking and winter ski maps. Returning to Paganella with a deeper understanding of the landscape has given us an even stronger foundation as we continue to build a family of maps that helps visitors explore the resort throughout the year.
Looking back, we’re grateful for the trust the Paganella team placed in us. Spending time with the people who build, maintain, and care for the mountain gave us a perspective we couldn’t have gained from behind a computer, and we believe the final maps are stronger because of it.
