In Copenhagen, Skiers Are Getting Ready to Flip and Spin Down Artificial Snow
Towering above Copenhagen, Denmark, stands the Amager Bakke, a state-of-the-art waste incinerator notable for its enormous smokestacks. The plant burns around 560,000 tons of trash annually, using the energy byproducts to produce power.
But the Amager Bakke isn't an industrial eyesore pockmarking Copenhagen's cityscape, far from it. The facility features a climbing wall, cafe, and, yes, an artificial ski slope known as CopenHill. The latter will host a freeskiing competition—the Scandinavian Team Battle—next month on Saturday, June 8th.
Jesper Gronnemark
As its name suggests, the Scandinavian Team Battle splits invited skiers into teams of two by European nationality. The pairings ride the course together, and whichever team throws down the hardest wins. A release from CopenHill noted that "creativity, big sends, and general crowd pleasers are highly rewarded." If anyone remembers Orage Masters, it's a bit like that.
The loose format produced more than one zany moment last season, including a Manramp-inspired team effort. The idea—which involved a group of skiers holding a tube aloft—was great on paper, but Jakob Ebskamp, who attempted to slide the feature, hooked a tip and took an incredibly heavy bail straight to his back. Thankfully, he walked away unscathed despite slamming into a patch of not-so-forgiving fake snow.
Jesper Gronnemark
Ebskamp, who organizes the event and competes for Team Denmark, seems undeterred by the slam. "I couldn't be more stoked to once again host such amazing skiers in my home city to ski plastic in the summer sun! I believe this year's event will be the biggest one yet, and I can't wait to see it all unfold," he said.
The upcoming event will be the Scandinavian Team Battle's fourth iteration. Defending champions and Team Sweden members Jesper Tjäder and Emil Granbom will return to see if they can secure victory once again. The rest of the stacked cast is as follows:
TEAM NORWAY: Johan Berg & Mikkel BK
TEAM DENMARK: Jakob Ebskamp & Isabella Tvede
TEAM FINLAND: Harald Hellström & Elias Syrja
TEAM INNSBRUCK: Lisa Zimmerman & Tereza Korábová
We're inundated by ski video content via Instagram and YouTube these days, making it easier than ever to watch an absurd amount of high-level skiing from the comfort of your couch. But don't get it twisted: seeing this summer throwdown in person—if you happen to be in the area come June 8th—is the way to go. An iPhone screen can't capture the excitement of a live jam session featuring some of the world's best skies. Plus, Copenhagen during the summer rocks.
Our friends at Newschoolers are running live coverage via their Instagram page for those who can't make it.
Related: The First Family of Jackson Hole's S&S Couloir
Don't miss another headline from POWDER! Subscribe to our newsletter and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of skiing.
We're always on the lookout for amusing, interesting and engaging ski-related videos to feature on our channels. Whether you're a professional or just an amateur, we want to see your best footage and help you share it with the world. Submit your video for a chance to be featured on POWDER and our social channels. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch high-quality ski videos.
