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Although my family had fantasized returning to the warm beaches of Mexico for our February break, we eventually opted to enjoy the awsome winter season here in the Northeast. We knew that we wanted to ski, but I was hoping to go somewhere different as well as a place where we could all learn something new. Lake Placid came highly recommended by a cross-country ski pal, Jennifer Saffran, who provided me with copious emails and web site links on all the great activities we would find there. I got Olympic fever, made my reservation and started planning our week.
We spent an entire week and had a great time in this charming Olympic Village that hosted the 1932 and 1980 Olympics. We rented a spacious condo with a sauna, jacuzzi, and mountain views right on the golf course. If your family loves winter sports, then this is a great destination to inspire them to take any winter sport they love to the next level.
The first thing we did was to buy an Olympic passport that allowed us free entry to many of the Olympic venues and some great discounts on events. With our passport we were able to:
1.) Tour the Olympic Stadium and museum and enjoy many historic film clips (including Eric Heiden winning his 5th gold medal and the US Hockey team win against Russia).
2.) Take a gondola to the top of Whiteface Mountain, the Olympic Mountain, to enjoy amazing views of the Adirondacks.
3.) Tour the bobsled run and watch old film clips and current insane athletes travel over 60 miles per hour down a mile-long course in less than one minute. We were also allowed to actually ride on the Olympic track in a real bobsled (with two drivers)!
4.) Tour the 150-foot ski jump (an elevator goes to the top) and watch more insane athletes fly like birds.
5.) Skate for hours (and more than 60 laps -- we counted!) around the Olympic oval where Heiden won his historic five medals.
In addition to the getting our passports stamped, we cross-country skied for three days at the Van Hovenburg and Cascade Cross country ski center, where we played "hide and ski" on their maze of easy and charming trails and had a delicious lunch in sun-filled lodge. We also enjoyed a chilly dog sled ride across Mirror Lake, sledded down long golf course runs, bowled at Bowlwinkles, and hiked through High Falls Gorge, where we roasted marshmellows along the rushing river and learned all about the fascinating geology and history of the gorgeous Adirondack Region. That evening we spent watching a great movie about the history of the Olympics.
I am a huge cross-country ski fan. Aside from the fact that the sport killed and keeps stressing my knees, downhill skiing is an outrageously expensive family adventure, especially if you only ski occasionally. One adult downhill ticket costs the same as our entire family's two-day cross country skiing expedition.
About the Author:
I am the director and founder of Ciclismo Classico (www.ciclismoclassico.com), the specialists in Italian bicycle vacations since 1988. Sardinia is my favorite place to ride and travel on the planet!
