Explore Lake Placid, NY
With the highest vert in the East, Whiteface rocks. But in and around the home of two Winter Olympics, there’s a lot more than skiing to keep you entertained.
Serious G’s » Lake Placid Bobsled Experience
WHY GO » And you thought skiing was an adrenaline rush. Try flying through banked turns at freeway speeds. A professional driver and brakeman are provided. All you have to do is strap on your helmet and hold tight for a thrilling half-mile. whiteface.com/activities/bobsled-experience
Totally Tubular » Lake Placid Snow Tubing
WHY GO » Half the fun of tubing at Lake Placid is doing it in the shadow of the towering 70- and 90-meter jumping towers. Have a blast sliding (day or night), and take away a new appreciation of how gutsy those jumpers really are. whiteface.com/activities/snow-tubing
Ski, Shoot, Repeat » Be a Biathlete
WHY GO » It’s a real gun, and it shoots bullets. Now try hitting a target with your heart pumping, lungs heaving, and nordic skis attached to your feet. Norwegian soldiers and hunters of yore could do it. Can you? whiteface.com/ activities/be-biathlete
Ready, Set, Slide » Toboggan Chute
WHY GO » You don’t have to head all the way out to Mt. Van Hoevenburg to get your sliding fix. Right downtown, the toboggan chute has been thrilling winter visitors for half a century. Two to four riders shoot down a 30-foot-high ramp and out onto the ice of beautiful Mirror Lake. northelba.org
Wonders of Nature » The Wild Center
WHY GO » In nearby Tupper Lake, The Wild Center invites you to explore the beauty and wonder of the Adirondack natural world as well as “ways that people and nature can thrive in the same place.” Wander through exhibits in its handsome facility, set pond-side on an 81-acre campus. wildcenter.org
Air It Out » US Airbag
WHY GO » Eastern landings are known to be hard, but would-be aerialists can huck with impunity into the US Airbag, a 50-by-50-foot pillow at Whiteface. Practice new moves before taking them to the park, or just enjoy the thrill of going huge. whiteface.com/mountain/terrain-park/us-airbag
(Illustration: Josh Cochran)