CopenHill – Skiing on a power plant


CopenHill – Skiing on a power plant
CopenHill is an artificial ski hill in Denmark’s capital city Copenhagen. It was opened in October 2019 and is built on the roof of the waste-to-energy plant Amager Bakke in the industrial zone of the city. With a height of 85 meters, it attracts various target groups for many different purposes. The main attraction is an artificial ski slope with various magic carpets and a plate lift where skiers of all abilities can ski. The slopes range from a more difficult slope (black/red) at the top to an easier slope (blue) at the bottom. Also, there is a gate-run where the time can be measured as well as a small freestyle park. You can also find a ski school and a rental center for equipment as well as a Café. As Copenhagen only very rarely sees snow, the ski slope is made of Neveplast (green plastic) which allows to ski all-year even without snow. For those who are more interested in running up the hill, there are different running trails to the top (steep percentages 5% - 35%) and running competitions are held regularly. Guests who like to experience this attraction more slowly can hike up the hill – either on the path systems or the stairs on both sides of the ski slope. At the top, everybody can enjoy the view over the city. As a cultural approach to the project, CopenHill also offers guided tours that inform about the entire building, its background, the architecture, the vision, sustainability and thoughts behind. These tours are available in English and Danish twice a week.

An additional feature in the near future is a climbing wall, which will be the tallest in the world at 85 meters. It includes obstacles and various overhangs along the way. However, as it is a wall of difficult category, a multi-pitch certification is required to climb the wall. The official time of opening is spring 2020. The future plans also include a restaurant at the top that serves healthy Danish dishes.
The facility is available to the public during business hours which means that there is no entry fee to use the lift, trails or the stairs. Furthermore, it is easily accessible with public transport from the city center.
Background: Amager Backe is a very modern waste-to-energy plant, opened in 2017. By using the newest technology, the plant can provide electricity for  30.000 households and central heating for 72.000 households yearly. This is mainly done by burning waste and turning it into energy. The entire project is an expression of Copenhagen's efforts to achieve CO2 neutrality by 2025.
Type of Innovation: Product-Innovation
Dimension of Intensity - How new?
CopenHill is a radical innovation as it is the first time that a recreational outdoor area with a ski slope available all year has been built on the roof of a waste-to-energy plant.
Subjective Dimension - For whom is it new?
It is new for the company as well as for the market. It is a unique project that aims to provide a ski area to Danes as well as a tourism attraction outside of the city center that helps to slightly shift tourism flows.
Dimension of Content - What is new?
Building an attraction on top of a facility that serves the public and inhabitants of a city has not been realized before. It is also unique in the way it combines different kinds of sports and opportunities to engage.




Possible learnings about the innovation process
This innovation is an efficient utilization of space, combining two different industries at the same place and giving back to the community.


Sources:

Copenhill. (2019). Welcome to CopenHill | CopenHill. Retrieved January 13, 2020, from https://www.copenhill.dk/en
Copenhill. (2019a). COPENHILL PRESS KIT 2019 [Press release]. Retrieved from https://www.copenhill.dk/en/info/press/Press%20Kit%202019.pdf

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