Copenhill

Urban mountain sport!

Photograph: CopenHill Urban Mountain FB page

Text: Mariano Anthony Davies

Copenhagen has its own unique district heating centre that, at the same time, has turned an industrial building that turns waste to district heating energy into a unique winter sports tourist centre with breath-taking views of the city.

Skiing and snowboarding

The city wanted to create a community centre at CopenHill, so they created SKI365, Denmark's new skiing location. SKI365 is for everyone who loves skiing and snowboarding. Here, like-minded people can enjoy benefits, offers and events that all focus on being active together.

Whether you are a beginner or experienced does not make a difference. There is something for everyone. The upper part of the ski slope is characterised as a black/red piste, while the middle and lower parts are characterised as a blue/green piste.

In addition, there is a slalom course, freestyle park and an area for children with 4 lifts - the bottom 3 are magic carpet lifts, while the upper to the steep section is a plate lift.

If you do not have your own equipment, don't worry. CopenHill has ski rental and the facility has many years of experience in ski care, settings and service, so you'll get a great start with your skiing experience. It is also possible to use your own equipment.

The surface is made of Neveplast (green plastic), so it is essential to grease skis on the silicone mats every time you ride down the ski slope. This prevents frictional heat from occurring underneath the skis.

"The climbing wall is the tallest in the world at 85 meters tall with a width of 10 meters, offering various obstacles along the way to the top."

Running

At CopenHill, you can also enjoy numerous other opportunities to be active. One of them is mountain running up and down the "CopenHill Track". As you run up the route at CopenHill, you automatically want to improve your performance, see if you can run all the way or beat your own personal record. Therefore, competitions are held regularly for those who wish to run the fastest to the top of the CopenHill Track. In addition, exciting running series are organised with the focal point around "mountain running", so everyone can try out the slope's steep percentages of between 5% and 35%.

Hiking

For those interested in simply enjoying the green natural landscape at CopenHill, there are plenty of opportunities to do so, as you can use the path systems or the stairs on both sides of the ski slope to walk to the top. The routes take you through an exciting green landscape, which suggests activities such as a lovely picnic in the bush, a mountain hike at sunset, or simply enjoying the view of Copenhagen at an altitude of 85 meters.

Amager Bakke is open to the public within business hours, which means you can go up the CopenHill Track, the trail systems, the staircase and the elevator free of charge. This is, of course, subject to an events calendar as well as wind and weather.

Urban training

If you have more energy after a hike or run to the top, you can combine your workout with urban training - street fitness at the height of 78 meters. CopenHill has installed various fitness racks that contain the possibility of doing pull-ups and arm walks as well as other alternative workouts. There is also yoga and more during peak periods with a relaxing and idyllic view of Sweden over Øresund.

Climbing and rappelling

One side of CopenHill is used for an extreme activity that completes the mission of doing mountain sports in a big city without any significant altitude.

The climbing wall is the tallest in the world at 85 meters tall with a width of 10 meters, offering various obstacles along the way to the top. The climbing wall is designed and decorated to resemble a natural mountain wall with various overhangs and routes to the top.

A climbing wall of this height is unique in itself, especially in Denmark, and a multi-pitch certification is required to climb the wall. This means that only experienced and trained climbers are allowed to climb to the top. Children and youths under the age of 18 may only climb multi-pitch on the climbing wall with an experienced adult of 21 years or older - both must be certified.

CopenHill is Copenhagen's epicentre for urban mountain sports.