CopenHill

Amager Bakke is a waste-to-energy plant that burns Copenhagen's rubbish to make electricity and district heating, and the architects treated its roof as public land: an eighty-five-metre artificial hill with a dry ski slope of synthetic bristle running down it, a hiking and running path with planting alongside, a climbing wall eighty metres high on one flank, and a bar at the top. Skiers use it year round without snow, and the walk up is free. It is a straightforward answer to a real problem, which is that Denmark is flat and Copenhagen has no elevation, and the view from the top over the harbour, the city, the wind turbines and across to Sweden is the best in the city that is not from a tower.

History

Amager Bakke, a combined heat and power plant that burns some 400,000 tons of municipal waste a year, opened on 30 March 2017, partly replacing the old incineration plant nearby. Its sloping roof, 85 metres high and designed by Bjarke Ingels Group, doubles as a year-round artificial ski slope, a hiking trail and a climbing wall, which at 80 metres is the tallest permanent climbing wall in the world. The chimney was first designed to release its exhaust in rings of water vapour rather than continuously, an idea later dropped for technical reasons. Copenhill was named World Building of the Year at the World Architecture Festival in 2021 (Wikipedia, Amager Bakke).

What you'll find

• A dry ski slope on a power plant - synthetic bristle piste, open year round.
• The free rooftop walking path - up eighty-five metres through planting.
• An eighty-metre climbing wall - on the flank of the building.
• The harbour view - city, turbines and the Swedish coast from the summit.

When to go

Year round; the slope does not depend on snow and the path is open in all seasons. Two to three hours. Evenings are good for the lit city view. Skiing needs booking at busy times.

Good to know

It is a working incinerator and the industrial setting is not pretty at close range. Skiing on bristle is harsh on falls and requires proper clothing. Lift and equipment hire add up. The walking path is exposed and windy at the top. It is a long way from the centre.

Nearby

Amager Strandpark is south along the coast; Refshaleoen is across the water.

Key facts