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.

What you actually see

• 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.

Honest expectations

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.