Danes test out ski slope on top of waste plant
(15 Feb 2019) LEADIN:
It may not be the Alps... or snowy.
But Danish skiers and snowboarders are testing out an artificial ski slope above an incineration plant that doesn't emit toxins and rises 85 meters (279 feet) above the flat landscape of Copenhagen.
STORYLINE:
The lower half of the slope at the Amager Resource Center opened to the public on a snow-less day for two days of test runs to coincide with the week-long winter Danish school holiday.
The surface is a special all year material, that feels very slippery, just like snow !
Skier, Sergei De Sandial says, it's like a very slippery, icy piste, but it's super fun and once you have tried two or three runs, it feels more and more natural. I think I´m going to take at least 10 or 20 more and hopefully, I will feel a little at home again, but it's fantastic to be in the middle of Copenhagen and being able to ski.
Eventually, the entire run will be divided into three slopes with a green sliding synthetic surface, plus a recreational hiking area and an 80 meter (264 foot) climbing wall.
Chief Executive of CopenHill, Christian Ingels says, we have super positive reaction of skiing in the middle of Copenhagen. Denmark is flat like a pancake almost, but we have 600,000 skiers in Denmark so to be able to ski in your own backyard is extraordinary.
The 4 billion kroner ($516 million) project, which sits on top of a plant that has been producing heating for homes since 1970, began in 2013.
It has been delayed by scandals, including alleged misuse of taxpayer money, and no opening date has been set.
The plant now processes waste from 550,000 residents and 45,000 businesses and produces electricity and heating to approximately 150,000 households.
Louis Jorgensen snowboarding skills are a little rusty but still finds the experience enjoyable.
I have been, I think, 3 weeks on the snowboard, and that's eight years ago, and I'm able to do it and I'm seeing people, people jumping around and making tricks. Well everyone can stay here and I'm just excited for the big park (the entire slope) to open, Jorgensen says.
Once the whole project is completed, the roof will contain ski slopes, green spaces and hiking trails. The slopes will have ski lifts to take people up to the top of the runs.
Ingels explains: We are lacking the last one-third of the hill. When that's done, we can test that and then we are ready to open for the public. And we can open the ski slope. We also have a restaurant, a climbing wall, the world's highest climbing wall, with a running path alongside the hill and a hiking path. And we have an after-ski ski school.
So, we are like a mountain resort just narrowed down in a small area and that is what we want to give people, the feeling of being on vacation just for four hours.
Its highest point is in the west at Yding Skovhoej, which is 174.5 meters (572 1/2 feet) above sea level.
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