Who are the new generations? What challenges does climate change pose for us? How to reconcile quality of life, business enterprise, and environmental protection? As we await the final event of the Dolomiti Paganella Future Lab, scheduled for 29 October, we asked some Altopiano della Paganella residents to give their own views about the 4 tough questions that underlie the project: the DNA of our holiday destination, new generations, climate change, and tourism in balance.
- Who is Ilenia Romeri?
I am the director of the mountain biking school Paganella Bike Academy. I got to know the bike project right from its foundation, because during the first year of opening of the Fai Zone I was working in the bar at the lift departure station, and seeing all these bikers coming and going made me curious. As a result I started working at the mountain bike hire shop in Andalo and ended up becoming one of the guiding staff. Today I work in the organization and management of the school.
- You witnessed the birth of the Dolomiti Paganella Bike Area in a resort traditionally dedicated to skiing. What led you to think of working in this new sector?
The first things that attracted me to the biking world were friendliness, fun, and respect for the mountains. I very much wanted to make it my summer activity.
- How does the Dolomiti Paganella Bike Park contribute to the economy of the Altopiano della Paganella?
I believe that our bike park has become an excellent resource for our resort because the success of a summer season, unlike winter, is not so closely tied to the weather. Thanks to biking the summer now has many possibilities to grow, allowing the season to extend over more months. The trails can be followed in spring and autumn, and with the arrival of e-bikes it is not even necessary for the lifts to be open.
- Looking 30 years ahead to the effects of climate change, how do you think tourism linked to mountain bikes will evolve?
Certainly with ever shorter and more unreliable winters, biking will become the flagship product, increasingly allowing us to work 3 seasons out of 4, and it could enable us to achieve a more sustainable form of tourism over the winter. In what way? By leaving it to nature to decide whether or not to bless us with a winter season, and without necessarily having to impose a ski season using artificial snow machines in order to earn a living for ourselves.
Listen to the fifth episode of the “FUTURO – La destinazione che sarà” podcast
Research by the Dolomiti Paganella Future Lab has revealed a widespread conviction on the Altopiano della Paganella of a need to sustain the beauty of the local area. But what does this mean?
Why does looking after the beauty of the local area become even more important during the period of ecological transition we are living through? And what does ecological transition mean?
(Italian audio only)
#5 Pillola dal Futuro
‘Pillole dal Futuro’ is an editorial project created to guide the community to the final event on October 29, a way to keep the discussion alive on the 4 tough questions of the Future Lab through the voice of some relevant figures of our destination. The six ‘pills’ were delivered to the homes of all residents during the summer months.
