Freeskier tests waste plant ski slope

13th June 2019, by Abi Butcher

Swedish freeskier Jesper Tjäder tested the 500m ski slope on CopenHill

With plastic and waste in the news this week, Denmark has come up with an innovative second use for a waste incineration plant in Copenhagen: build a ski slope on it.

CopenHill is a waste incineration plant with a sloping, 85m high roof which is also home to an outdoor recreation centre, with a 500m-long ski slope, the tallest climbing wall worldwide and trail running and hiking trails. Sound like an April Fool? It’s not, the facility will open later this summer and has just been tested by Swedish freeskier Jesper Tjäder, in collaboration with Audi Nines.

CopenHill — also known to locals as Amager Bakke or Amager Hill - incinerates waste from Copenhagen’s five municipalities, generating district heating for 60,000 households and electricity for 30,000. It has been designed by Danish architect Bjarke Ingels whose philosophy of “hedonistic sustainability” is more than evident in the facility. The plant was completed in 2017 and the ski slope, climbing wall, hiking and running trails will be open later this summer.

Jesper and Audi Nines created a series of custom features for the skier to navigate on his way down the roof’s switchbacking piste. He said: “This building made it so easy for me to figure out what to do for this project. It’s not really about what tricks I do, it’s skiing down a building that’s the cool thing.

Watch Jesper’s line here

• ski
• freeskier
• copenhill
• waste
• plastic
• denmark
• jesper tjäder

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