This animated map traces the evolving route of the Red Bull X-Alps paragliding race from 2003 to 2021. See the map in situ here.
Previous routes recede into the background, in order to provide historical context and to highlight the increasing length and complexity of the route. Since the race traverses rugged alpine landscapes, the basemap emphasizes physical terrain over cultural features such as borders and cities. In the absence of accurate tracking data, I applied the Wave symbol effect to the routes to evoke meandering movements of the contestants as they glide from one turnpoint to the next.
