Olympic Jumping Complex

Ski Jumps

The Olympic Jumping Complex was included in the “see it all” ticket we purchased a couple weeks ago. The complex is opened every day, but on Wednesday and Saturday’s they have a jumping program which is included in the ticket. So naturally we saved that ticket for today to take in the program. The Jumping Complex is comprised of the 90-meter and 120-meter ski jump towers, a freestyle jump and a pool with kickers and trampolines where the freestyle skiers train during the summer months. Skiers are also able to train on the 90-meter jumping tower. The 120-meter tower is open for tourist inspection. That’s us.

Wet and Wild Skiers

Learning twists and turns on a trampoline.

We stopped first at the pool to take in the Wet and Wild Wednesday program. It was pretty impressive. There are Olympic athletes from the US and Russian ski teams in Lake Placid for summer training and they were the performers for today’s program. Some of the athletes had won medals at the 2006 games. I was pretty impressed. I had expected to see performers, not real athletes and certainly not Olympic athletes. Beginners use trampolines to perfect their twists and turns.

A perfect landing

Going up

After the program we stood in the long line to take the chairlift to the jumping towers. As we waited in line, we had the privilege of watching more Olympic athletes train on the 90-meter jump. That was cool, but they always got the next chair available on the chairlift. It was pretty weird to see skiers in the summer. At the 26 story high tower we took an elevator to the observation deck. Great views!! We got to go out onto the jumping platform and to the judge’s box. Now those are the seats to have.

View from the jump window

Going Down

Olympic Lake Placid

1980 Olympic Center

Lake Placid is all about the Olympics, especially the 1932 and 1980 Winter Games. They are also all about making the Olympic Venues available to the tourists, who has cash in their pockets and who is all about seeing what there is to see.

1932 Olympic Stadium

1932 Ice Rink

Today we did something we rarely do—bought the admission package ticket to see it all. Our campground had made it clear we should not go anywhere without checking in the office to see if they had discount tickets. This morning, doing as we were told, we stopped by the office on our way to Lake Placid to check out the Olympic stuff. I had wanted to see a couple things—the Olympic Center and the Ski Jump towers. What the office had was a discount package ticket for both these things plus the Olympic Museum, the Whiteface Mountain stuff and the Bobsled/Luge Run. Plus the tickets were good for the rest of the time we are here. We could do some today and some another time. That’s great. We took our tickets and off we went.

1980 Ice Rink

Bobsled and luge runs

Our first stop was at the original Olympic Center which houses the ice rink used in the 1932 games. Still in use, there were Olympic hopefuls out on the ice today. I was most impressed with the seating capacity. It was really very small with only a few hundred seats. The original building had to be added on to, of course, for the 1980 games. Here we were able to walk into the rink where the American Hockey team defeated the Russians in 1980. Next, we spent a little time in the Olympic Museum. It was small but packed full with memorabilia from various Olympic games.

Bobsled Run

After our picnic lunch we went over to the Olympic Sports Complex where we got a tour of the Bobsled and Luge Run. It was used in the 1932 games and is still used for practice and for some competitions, but because the sleds have gotten much faster over the years, it was not used in the 1980 Olympic games.

Olympic torches

Ski jump model

The rest of the stuff on our “see it all” tickets we’ll save for another day.

US hockey team stuff

On our way home we stopped by the Sugar Maple Farm. Of course, it is not sugaring season and we don’t plan to be here in the winter when it is. We just wanted some good maple sugar.

So many choices

Main Street, Lake Placid

Made famous by the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympic Games, this small community draws the sports enthusiast year round. And rightly so with such events as Ironman USA, Ice Dance Championships, and a Sports Film Festival. There are horse shows, marathons, bike races, and a BBQ Festival. I certainly don’t want to fail to mention the shopping opportunities. There seems to be something for everyone. It was here in 1980 that the US Hockey team beat the Soviets. I was in a Mexican restaurant in Detroit when that event happened. The whole place went up in a roaring cheer.

Today we drove the 10 miles from our campsite to Lake Placid. We needed a few things from the grocery. The Little Supper Market around the corner from us is truly little and we needed more then it had to offer. So here we are for the first time in Lake Placid. Our impression is that it is a very up scale tourist village. Main Street is for shopping and the shops offer antiques, high quality arts and crafts, fine art galleries, coffee shops, delis, outdoor dining, and sporting goods.

Outlet Mall with an Alpine feel

Plenty of outdoor eateries

About midway along Main Street we came to a small park and the band shell. Overlooking Mirror Lake it was a great place to sit, relax, and enjoy the view—just soak all the goodness up.

Mirror Lake

We were in a bit of a hurry this afternoon, so didn’t spend much time. Here are a few shots of Main Street and Mirror Lake. We’ll be back to investigate further.

Starbucks, of course

Adirondack Park

The word “Adirondack” is a Native American word meaning “bark eaters”. It refers to the Native Americans who, in the 1700s, survived the winters on buds and tree bark. Later, the first white scouts to explored this area made their way along the many waterways in long cedar boats which became known as Adirondack Guide Boats. As word got out about the pristine wilderness area, people began hiring these backwoodsmen as hunting and fishing guides. Even today, for the right amount of money, licensed guides will take you wherever you want to go.

Adirondack Park is a huge expanse of land, mostly wilderness, in Northeastern New York. Bounded on the east by Lake Champlain and Lake George it stretches westward to cover 6 million acres making it the largest park in the lower 48 states. That is roughly the size of Vermont. The park is not all public lands. There are numerous villages within it borders, perhaps the most famous being Lake Placid—the site of the 1932 and 1980 winter Olympic Games.

Winter Olympic Games should give you an idea of the availability for winter sports in this area—downhill and cross country skiing, snowmobiling, snow shoeing. Whiteface Mountain soars above our campground at 4867 feet and has the distinction of having the finest alpine skiing east of the Rockies.

This is a Mecca for fishermen, canoeist, and kayakers with 30,000 miles of rivers and streams and some 2,500 ponds and lakes. They say the Ausable River offers some of the best fly fishing in the nation.

We will be concentrating our efforts in the High Peaks Region which is home to the highest mountains in the state with Mount Marcy being the highest at 5,344 feet. At this elevation we will encounter an Arctic type environment with moss, lichen, and low shrubs above tree line. Near the summit of Mt Marcy the Lake Tear of the Clouds is the origin of the Hudson River.

We plan to spend as many days as possible on the trails, as well as explore the small hamlets, seek out a waterfall or two, tour the Olympic Training Center, and do a little shopping in Lake Placid. Let the fun begin.