Marcel Hirscher Wants Vienna To Build A Year-Round Ski Facility

Decorated former World Cup alpine racer Marcel Hirscher shared in a Facebook post today that after visiting Denmark's artificial ski slope Copenhill, he'd decided that he would like to see Austria, Vienna, construct a similar year-round skiing operation.

From the caption: "I couldn't resist and had to strap on the skis. Cool slope with a different view. I would like to see such an ingenious facility for Vienna as well."

CopenHill, Copenhagen, where Hirscher visited, is a unique dry slope constructed atop a heat and power plant. Over the past few years, the facility has hosted the Scandinavian Team Battle, a summertime freestyle skiing competition. Check out the highlights from last year's event below.

Hirscher hails from Austria, so it makes sense that he wants to see his home country get on the artificial slope train.

While not comparable to real snow, dry slopes allow athletes like racers to train year-round. For the more casual skiers among us (myself included), they also provide an opportunity to ski long after the snow's stopped falling.

In response to Hirscher's desire: I'm with it, particularly in the North American context. Europe is leagues ahead of the U.S. when it comes to summer dry slope offerings. And I, like Hirscher, would like more dry slopes on my home turf.

Sure, as I've noted before, they can't fully recreate the winter skiing experience, but the prospect of strapping into my skis over the summer remains tantalizing.

Would-be dry slope barons, if you're reading this, build a dry slope in Missoula, Montana! And, while you're at it, throw Marcel Hirscher a bone, too.

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