Lake Placid Skiing
Skiing - Lake Placid, New York The privileged location of Lake Placid within the Adirondack Mountains in the northern part of New York State, which makes the village a sports-rich region where birding, golfing, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, fishing, hunting, boating and skiing meet in one place. Lake Placid is particularly an ideal destination for skiing, the major winter attraction in the whole region, surrounded by great snow and one of the most beautiful scenic locations around the world. A number of facilities include the recent addition of heated gondolas at some locations Whiteface Mountain is the main skiing destination within the Olympic region, with the greatest vertical drop (3,430-foot) this side of the Rockies, obtaining for a second year in a row the rank of number 1 among eastern United States skiing and snowboarding resorts, according to the Ski Magazine. Close to Lake Placid's Village, Whiteface Mountain is located in Wilmington, recently enhanced in all of its alpine trials, lifts, snowmaking and grooming. Reviews published by Ski Magazine highlights its similitude to "a Western mountain in the East" remarking that Whiteface has "no Vermont crowds" Whiteface Mountain is located just 5 miles away from Lake Placid and Mount Van Hoevenburg, featuring 90-Meter Ski Jumps and the Olympic Arena, where visitors can practice speed skating and participate in amateur and professional ice-skating competitions. At the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex, visitors can take the opportunity to challenge and enjoy incredible freestyle performances, nearest to the village of Lake Placid, the town of Wilmington with unique mountain skiing activities. The Adirondacks offer chair lifts and elevators to the top in most of the Mountains' facilities, with breathtaking views of the whole region. From December to March, there is a tube ride down the outrun at the base of the jumps at Whiteface Mountain. Mount Van Hoevenberg, was the site of the bobsled, cross country skiing, biathlon and luge, events during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games. Today, visitors can take the exhilarating ride on a bobsled and live the experience as if they were participating in those games. Skiers have a large number of options to choose from, including riding the Lake Placid Toboggan Chute on Mirror Lake, bobsledding rides at Mount Van Hoevenberg, or practicing cross-country skiing, and skating in many other close mountain locations. Gore Mountain offers a more ski-able terrain than Whiteface, featured as one of the "Ten Great Unknowns" by the Skiing magazine. Among the many amenities available in the Adirondacks regions, these are just a few highlights: - High Speed Detachable Quad - Terrain Parks and railparks - Glade Trails - Beginners Trail - Easy Acres for novice skier - Cloudsplitter Gondolas Cloudsplitter Gondolas are the world's fastest mono-cable gondola, taking only 7.5 minutes from the base to the top of Little Whiteface Mountain, carrying 62 8-passenger cabins that ascends 2,476 vertical feet, accessing over 3 miles of novice to expert terrain, and providing access to the Summit Chair and the full 3,430 vertical feet. Whiteface Mountain is the most popular mountain in the Lake Placid area, with an elevation of 1,220 feet, a summit elevation of 4,867 feet and a total top lift elevation of 4,386 feet. Its vertical drop is an overall of 3,430 feet, with biggest drops in the East. Mountain slides are 35 acres, open conditions permitting, and experts only. In a quick overview, we can mention 10 Lifts, 73 trails, 450 feet of super pipe, and 95% of snowmaking, excluding the Slides and the Glades. Terrain is 44% most difficult, 36% more difficult and 20% easier, abiding to International FIS Specs, Whiteface mountain area was first opened to skiers in 1957. The ski-able acreage of Whiteface is 225.1 acres, from which 35 acres are of un-groomed wilderness skiing on "The Slides", weather permitting condition. The mountain is operated by the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority. On a side note, Lake Placid is within the Adirondack Park, and Gore Mountain is an hour and twenty minutes north of Lake Placid, and four-hour drive from the metropolitan New York City area. Mount Van Hoevenberg, the other big Lake Placid favorite, features groomed cross-country trails and snow making equipment. There are diverse rentals facilities for skiing enthusiasts and is also operated by the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority Other Skiing destinations within the region are the 12-mile private facility of Cascade X-Country Trails, with groomed trails and rentals, and the Jack Rabbit, an extensive network of cross-country trails. Top Skiing destinations at Lake Placid are: Gore Mountain, Warren County, Whiteface Mountain, Essex County Mount Van Hoevenberg, Essex County Titus Mountain, Franklin County In addition, for those visitors who want to experience the crowds of the neighboring Vermont state: Bolton Valley Killington, Rutland County Mad River Glen, Washington County Middlebury College Snow Bowl, Addison County Pico Mountain, Rutland County Smugglers Notch, Lamoille County Sugarbush, Washington County |
