Wintry Legends in Lake Placid

I’m in Lake Placid, in New York’s northern Adirondack Mountains, on opening day of the gleaming new Nordic Center. “This is the origin of winter sports in America,” says Kris Cheney-Seymour about the area, which first played host to the Winter Olympics in 1932 and then again in 1980. Kris is about to guide me on a christening run of four kilometers of new, world championship-rated cross-country trails, the snow created by 170 guns pumping from a more than 3-million-gallon reservoir. As an avid downhill skier, this is my first experience with cross-country which, in truth, I thought akin to walking on skis through the woods. I quickly get a reality check as I tumble on difficult inclines, while at every turn former Olympians pass me by. Olympic-caliber athletes, I discover, are not the anomaly but the norm here in Lake Placid.

Storied Olympian History

“We have tremendous, storied programs … skating, ice hockey, Nordic and sliding sports,” says Paul Wylie, director of sport for Lake Placid’s Olympic Regional Development Authority. Wylie certainly knows about storied programs, given that he was the 1992 Olympic silver medalist in figure skating. Now, he’s here at Lake Placid promoting its venues to the world. Encouraging those with an inner spark for winter sports to visit the region, he adds, “Lake Placid is a fantastic place to train for athletes of all levels.”

Wylie waves us off to snowy trails, guided by Kris, who himself coached the development of Olympians, including in biathlon. The cross-country trails curve through the woods and take us past a brand new biathlon range, the word “biathlon” stemming from the Greek word for two contests. Now it refers to the joining of two sports, skiing and rifle marksmanship, the sport’s roots going back more than a century to Scandinavian militaries. As we round the bend, not far in the distance I see the former bobsled run that was America’s first. Today, a year-round roller coaster whizzes alongside where sliders used to bobsled at a daring 80 mph. Embarking on the coaster, I let loose the brakes, screaming on the tight turns, though I’m only going 25 mph tops.

A Lake Placid Winter Wonderland

Back in the town of Lake Placid, a 10-minute drive away, my family settles into the luxury Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort, situated alongside beautiful Mirror Lake. The town’s name is a misnomer, since Mirror Lake is the focal point, while the body of water named “Lake Placid” sits north of town in a mostly forested area. Still, I see why resorts and restaurants popped up along Mirror Lake instead. Exquisitely beautiful, casting forth mirrored images that are so picture-perfect, it’s hard to tell the shoreline or its reflections apart.

At Golden Arrow I see hints of an Alpine influence, the owner’s heritage going back to the family’s operation of a guest house in Bavaria. That familial warmth comes across at the Lake Placid resort, whether through the sparkling lights decorating the front entrance, or the family photo montage lining a hallway, or the Bavarian-style restaurant, Generations, that adjoins the hotel.

In our lovely suite, my family gets the fireplace roaring, and then we take in the lake view from our balcony. I imagine what it will be like at winter’s height when the lake freezes and sleighs traverse the ice under the starry Adirondack skies. Surely, that winter wonderland image must be even prettier than what I’m seeing now. On this night, I notice other guests relaxing below over a crackling firepit at the lake’s edge, and I remind myself to do the same later-on.

More Adventures in Lake Placid

But first, there’s some more adventure on the agenda. In the morning, my family heads to the ski jumps just outside of town. Initially, the “jumps” were just steep inclines on the hillside. Over many decades, towers were erected and now they lead to jumps 90 and 120 meters in height, with athletes soaring and flipping over the length of a football field. I go for the more subdued version of flying-through-the-air, but sans skis, down a zipline from a 70-foot tower running parallel to the Olympic jumps. There’s also a Skyride gondola climbing to an observation deck, and from there I take in the full breadth of the jumps and the mountain vistas.

Aerial feats aside, I’m longing to do some downhill. Lake Placid’s Whiteface Mountain offers plenty of action with 90 trails, spread out over three peaks, and it has the distinction of being the greatest vertical drop east of the Rockies. As a military history buff, one black diamond slope named: 10^th Mountain Division Glades intrigued me. Turns out that the famous 10^th Mountain Army division trained to fight on skis in WWII, and they prepared for that challenge at Whiteface Mountain. Along with the impressively twisted and turning slopes here, there are also terrain parks for riding, jumping, sliding, or spinning.

A Taste of Lake Placid

At day’s end, my daughters and I enjoy strolling Main Street, which has an old-world charm. Boutiques feature local products like handcrafted Adirondack chocolates and maple syrup tapped from nearby forests. Don’t miss the gourmet popcorn store (with to-die-for flavors).  A gourmet “Beef Jerky Experience” includes everything from wild-game to vegan jerky. For some of the best meals—and views—we head to the oldest restaurant in town. Housed in a modest storefront, Jimmy’s 21, belies a warm interior with roasting fires and views of the lake.

Miracle on Ice

After a few busy days exploring Lake Placid, there’s one more place to check off the list. So, I find myself taking a twirl on Lake Placid’s rink, soaking in the aura of this historic venue. It’s here where an iconic moment in sports history took place. Called the “Miracle on Ice”, it occurred during the 1980 Winter Olympics. A fledgling US men’s hockey team—average age 22—defeated the Soviets, one of the most powerful teams in the world. Happening at the height of the Cold War when the Soviets were pouring endless rubles into Olympic sports while American athletes were underfunded amateurs, it was a moment many sports fans will never forget.

At the adjacent Olympic Museum, a TV reel replays those famous final seconds, with an Olympic commentator booming, “Do you believe in miracles?  YES!  When that great upset happened, patrons at  Jimmy’s 21 stood and spontaneously began singing the American national anthem.

Lake Placid is most definitely a place where wintry memories are made.

www.lakeplacidolympicsites.com & www.lakeplacid.com