Whether it’s summer or winter, watching the Olympic Games is one of my favorite things to do. No matter the sport, you have to admire the hard work, dedication and determination of these athletes. I’m nothing short of amazed by their talents—extreme talents in some cases. So, it was no surprise that I sat there on the edge of my seat last night watching the men’s halfpipe, holding my breath every time an athlete performed an alley-oop, releasing that breath with an audible “shew” once they came through. As extreme as the halfpipe may be, there’s at least one company that found a way to take it to a whole other level–and yes, it involves glass.

A few years ago we shared a link on USGNN.com™ about a company called Signal Snowboards that decided to make a snowboard out of glass. The company’s founder traveled to Italy where he worked with glass companies to fabricate a laminated glass snowboard, which they ultimately took to the slopes. Not only was it impressive to see, it was also a testament to just how incredible a material glass is.

If you missed it the first time, or just want to watch it again, you can check it out here:

Speaking of impressive, you may have heard about Danish architecture firm BIG’s sloping waste-to-energy plant, Amager Resource Center (ARC) in Copenhagen. The facility is located in an industrial area that’s become somewhat of an extreme sport destination. In fact, the facility itself is getting in on the action. When designing the new ARC building, BIG chose to “mobilize the architecture and intensify the relationship between the building and the city—expanding the existing activities in the area by turning the roof of the new Amager Resource Center into a ski slope for the citizens of Copenhagen.” The ski slope will be ready this coming October.

Photo credit: Christoffer Regild

Photo credit: Christoffer Regild

Personally, I’ve never skied, nor have I ever been on a snowboard, but that’s one project I’d definitely like to put to the test.

Now, to get that glass snowboard onto this architectural ski slope…