Bobsleds careening at breakneck speeds, skiers flying down snowy slopes in a blur, speed skaters racing around the rink and the all-important patriotic hockey game. The excitement of the Winter Olympics is thrilling, especially for kids. Fortunately, you don’t have to wait until 2014 to experience its exhilaration as we discovered on a family trip to Lake Placid.
Located in the 6-million-acre Adirondack State Park, this vacation town is within driving distance of several major North American major cities (Toronto- 7hrs, Ottawa – 4hrs Montreal – 3hrs Buffalo – 61/2hrs and NYC –51/2hrs), yet once amidst the mountain peaks, forest and lakes, you couldn’t feel further away.
Hard to believe, but this town of only 3000 residents hosted the Winter Olympics not once, but twice, in 1932 and 1980. The five rings and their legacy are just as much part of the atmosphere of the place as the old-fashioned shops and restaurants on the main street.
Here are just some of the ways to bring the experience to your family.
Ski Whiteface
It was on these slopes, which incidentally have the highest vertical drop in the east, that the alpine Olympic events took place. You can ski the same expert course as the elite athletes, all while taking in the stunning peaks of the Adirondacks. Though, fortunately for our family, there’s plenty for the beginner skiers as well. As it was our kids’ first time on skies, we enrolled them in the Play-n-Ski program known for its top-notch instruction. Our son was raring to go, but our daughter a bit hesitant, but when we picked them up at the end of the day, they were both sporting big grins and eager for more. “Can I keep skiing?” “Can we come back tomorrow?” they begged.
Ride a Bobsled
For speed junkies, bucket-listers or those who want something exciting to post on their face-book status, there’s heart-stopping race down a Bobsled track. Join a professional driver and brakeman, and experience the thrills and turns of the Olympic course. Looking for more adrenaline? On the Skeleton ride you lay on you stomach as you rocket down the track at 30km/hour. The rides include a t-shirt, photo and bragging rights for life.
Ski, Aim and Fire
The combination of rifles and skies appealed to my son immensely, but thankfully for his mother’s nerves, you need to be at least 12 for this particular Olympic activity. The biathlete experience combines an hour-long freestyle ski lesson followed by shooting practice at the range.
Speed Skate Outdoors
One of the few left of its kind, this outdoor rink has had more than its fair share of glory. It was on this very rink in 1932 that the USA Men’s Speed Skating Team made a gold medal sweep and Sonia Henie, the legendary figure skater won gold and the hearts of Americans. In 1980, on the same oval, US Speed skater Eric Heiden smashed Olympic records by winning five gold medals. You can skate along with the memory of these Olympic moments on either speed skates or your usual blades and enjoy a fire pit in the center of the oval to keep you warm.
Extreme Tobogganing
OK it’s not an Olympic sport, but it is a definite highlight of a Lake Placid vacation. For over 50 years, kids and adults alike, hang on for dear life as they fly down a converted ski jump at alarming speeds onto the frozen Mirror Lake. They continue to grip their toboggans as they travel along the lake surface at a distance of up to 1000 feet.
Lake Placid Olympic Museum
For most North Americans, hockey, more than any other sport, is part of our patriotic consciousness. Sidney Crosby gold-medal-winning goal in the Vancouver Olympics is still a popular topic of conversation for my son and his friends. For Americans though, one of the greatest Olympic moments in history was the ‘Miracle on Ice’ when the USA stole gold from the strong Soviet team. And it happened here in Lake Placid in 1980. At the Olympic Museum, you can watch footage of that victory, explore memorabilia of other sports and also learn how this pretty wilderness town managed to capture the world’s attention not once, but twice.
Accommodation – We stayed at the 166-room Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort www.golden-arrow.com , which has a gorgeous view of Mirror Lake. The family-run hotel has numerous creative green initiatives, including a scavenger hunt for kids. If allergies are a concern with your family, you can sleep in an ‘allergy-free’ room.