Posts Tagged ‘Mt Van Hovenberg’

Friday, June 16, 2023

Mount Van Hoevenberg sees 1st passage of Article 14 constitutional amendment

In June, a draft Article 14 Constitutional Amendment was passed by both the State Senate and State Assembly to clean up violations at the Mount Van Hoevenberg Winter Sports Complex outside of Lake Placid. This draft amends the Forever Wild clause of the NYS Constitution. This amendment will clean up longstanding violations.

At the Mount Van Hoevenberg complex, the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) currently manages around 1,220 acres of Forest Preserve classified as Intensive Use by the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) under the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan. State lands are bordered by 319 acres of land owned by the Town of North Elba. Together this complex houses the Olympic bobsled and luge track, cross-country skiing and biathlon trails, and associated facilities, with most of the intensive buildings and facilities located on the town lands.

Under this amendment, the state would be authorized to utilize 323 acres of 1,039 acres in the Mount Van Hoevenberg complex for a variety of winter sports activities and facilities, including trails, buildings, water lines, and parking lots, among other structures or facilities. Through an Article 14 amendment, the Mount Van Hoevenberg complex would be governed by the distinct terms just as the downhill ski areas at Whiteface Mountain, Gore Mountain, and Belleayre Mountain have been regulated by amendments.

» Continue Reading.


Thursday, April 27, 2023

Olympic Authority Sets New Record, Surpassing One Million Visits in 2022-23

ORDA logo.

Lake Placid, NY – The New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (Olympic Authority) announces record visits of more than one million to its venues during the 2022-2023 year that concluded on March 31. The Olympic Authority estimates this is an increase of more than 15-percent from pre-pandemic visitation.

Olympic Authority venues include the alpine ski resorts of Belleayre Mountain, Gore Mountain, and Whiteface Mountain, along with the Olympic Center, Mt Van Hoevenberg, and Olympic Jumping Complex. The average number of admissions to the venues over the previous three years was approximately 828,000, which was below the pre-pandemic average of approximately 840,000 per year. Conference Center events, custom groups, non-ticket events, and functions are not included in any of these calculations, which would reflect an even higher number of visits.

» Continue Reading.


Monday, July 29, 2019

Forever Wild, ORDA and Adirondack Legal History

There are more than three million acres of Forest Preserve in the Adirondack and Catskill Parks today. Yet, the most consequential New York State Court decision restricting the ways we can develop and use the “forever wild” Preserve was all about a few acres of land below Mt. Van Hoevenberg, close to Lake Placid.

There, in 1929, the state planned a “bobsleigh run or slide on state lands in the forest preserve.” About 2500 trees would need cutting to create the bobsled course for the 1932 Olympics. The lower court, the Appellate Division, Third Department, ruled that this activity was unconstitutional on grounds that this was wild forest and therefore must be preserved in its wild state, stating that “we must preserve it in its wild nature, its trees, its rocks, its streams. It must always retain the character of a wilderness.” » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Para-Bobsleigh World Championships Coming Lake Placid

ibsf logoThe Para-Bobsleigh World Championships are set to take place at Mt. Van Hoevenberg’s combined bobsled/luge/skeleton track on March 30-31, 2019.

This will mark the first time that this event is being held in the United States. » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Bauer: ORDA Should Not Play Games With Article XIV

Mt Van Hoevenberg Recreation AreaIt’s not every day that one gets to see a well-worn aphorism ring true. The philosopher George Santayana wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”  In the Adirondacks this is now playing out at the Mt. Van Hoevenberg Recreation Area.

The Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) manages this area for a variety of winter Olympic sports – cross-country skiing, biathlon, bobsled, and luge, among others. It’s also a popular cross-country ski area for the public, and starting in 2018 it became the staging area for a new trail to Cascade Mountain, where the public can start hiking in a safe parking area. The facility is located partly on land owned by the Town of North Elba Park District and partly on the State Forest Preserve. The Forest Preserve lands are protected as forever wild by Article XIV of the State Constitution. » Continue Reading.


Monday, May 21, 2018

Comments Sought On Mt. Van Hoevenberg Plans

proposed Mt Van Hoevenberg additions The New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) is accepting comments on plans for new ski trails, snowmaking system enhancements, upgrades to the parking lots, and various other improvements at Mount Van Hoevenberg. Comments are due by June 9th. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Jack Lagree: Dannemora’s Bobsled Guru

Flush with success in the North Country Championships, taking first and second place, the Lagree Bobsled Club teams were off to St. Moritz, Switzerland, to practice and prepare for the upcoming world championships. In the end, the American squads were disappointed with their results in Europe, finishing fifteenth and twenty-third.

For Jack Lagree, it meant nothing more than getting back to work. He was already planning to prepare up to four sleds for the next Olympics. Despite growing competition from several large American corporations, the results coming out of Jack’s tiny garage were highly sought after by the best bobsledders in the country.

He made no secret of the process. Purchasing old sleds from Italy (machines that he claimed were the best in the world), he then stripped them down and rebuilt them based on his own designs and modifications. The results were indisputable. » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, March 1, 2017

2017 Cross Country Junior National Championships in Lake Placid

preparing for 2017 cross country championshipsThe 2017 Cross Country Junior National Championships will be held at Mt. Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid, from March 3rd to 11th, 2017.

Ten national titles and one international crown are at stake for the more than 400 athletes and 125 coaches participating in the eight-day event at Mt. Van Hoevenberg. » Continue Reading.


Monday, October 17, 2016

Lake Placid Luge, Bobsled Track Opens

2015 luge world cupThe Mt. Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Complex sliding track, in Lake Placid, opened for the season today for U.S. sliding athletes. The U.S. luge team took to the ice at 8 am, followed by the skeleton squad at 10:30 am. American bobsled athletes slide for the first time at 2 pm.

In December, the mile-long, 20-curve course will play host to Viessmann Luge World Cup racing and Viessmann Bobsled and Skeleton World Cup action. Luge World Cup racing returns to Lake Placid for a second consecutive winter, when the world’s top sliders tackle the track, December 2-3, 2016. This marks the 15th time that Lake Placid has hosted a luge World Cup event. Action will be held in men and women’s singles, doubles and the fan favorite, team relay. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Nordic Fest at Mt. Van Hoevenberg Planned

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThough the annual Lake Placid Loppet has been a huge part of winter sports for over 30 years, this is the first year that the premier cross-country ski marathon has coincided with a weekend Nordic festival. According to High Peaks Cyclery owner Brian Delaney the hope of this first Lake Placid Nordic Fest is to celebrate all aspects of Nordic skiing.

“We want to celebrate Nordic skiing on all levels,” says Delaney. “The schedule has a variety of events like ski waxing clinics, beginning cross-country instructional clinics and ski orienteering. We want these events leading up to the Loppet to appeal to all ages.” » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Commentary: New Loppet Structure Is Off Course

Loppet2This season’s Lake Placid Loppet Cross Country Ski Race has been scheduled for March 1, 2015. This year the Loppet is being relaunched by ORDA as the marquee event of The Lake Placid Nordic Festival (February 27 – March 1).

Entry fees have skyrocketed. Early registration, (and you better sit down for this) is $99! After Jan 1st it increases to $125. There are discounts for season pass holders, local clubs, and junior entries. And there is a added slate of events, parties, free clinics, discounts on rentals, etc. You can read about it here on the Loppet Page. Last year’s entry fees started at $60. So the $99 fee is an increase of 65%! Why the huge increase? » Continue Reading.


Friday, October 10, 2014

Olympic Sliding Track Opening, Events Slated

1024px-File_BobsleighrunLPThe Mt. Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Complex sliding track, in Lake Placid, N.Y. opens for the season, weather permitting, Saturday, Oct. 18, for U.S. luge athletes. American bobsled and skeleton athletes will wait two days, Monday, Oct. 20, until their first training runs down the track.

The 2014-’15 sliding season is setting up to be a very busy one for the famed track. In December, the mile-long, 20-curve course will play host to FIL luge World Cup racing and FIBT World Cup bobsled and skeleton action. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, January 14, 2014

POSTPONED: Lake Placid Loppet Now Set For March 8

LOPPETUPDATE: Due to the poor snow conditions the Lake Placid Loppet and Kort Loppet have been postponed until Saturday, March 8. This story has been updated to reflect the change.

The 32nd Lake Placid Loppet cross-country ski races will be held Saturday, March 8, at the Olympic Sports Complex Cross Country Ski Center, in Lake Placid.

Over the past 31 years, thousands of skiers have enjoyed skiing and racing on the Mt. Van Hoevenberg trails at the Olympic Sports Complex course.   As a member of the American Ski Marathon Series, this event attracts hundreds of skiers from across the United States and Canada. It consists of a 50 kilometer Loppet (30.1 miles) and a 25-kilometer Kort Loppet (about 15 miles). » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, March 27, 2013

ORDA’s ‘Ongoing Fiscal Challenges’ Prompt Review

ORDAState Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli says his office will launch a full financial audit of the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) after a report by his office found that financial issues persist at a time when its operations have been expanded to include the Catskills-based Belleayre Mountain Ski Center.

“ORDA’s venues have long been an essential part of the North Country economy, which heightens the need to ensure its stability and accountability to the public,” DiNapoli said in a statement issued to the press. “We will examine selected financial management practices related to payroll, procurement and other areas.”

DiNapoli’s “By the Numbers” ORDA report, released today, details operational losses and a reliance on a line of credit from a private bank, among other sources, to meet its spending needs. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, January 15, 2013

31st Lake Placid Loppet Set for Mt. Van Hoevenberg

LOPPETThe 31st Lake Placid Loppet cross-country ski races will be held Saturday, January 26, at the Olympic Sports Complex Cross Country Ski Center, in Lake Placid, N.Y. The race is being presented by High Peaks Cyclery.

The Lake Placid Loppet has established itself as one of the best events of its kind in the country. Over the past 30 years, thousands of skiers have enjoyed skiing and racing on the Mt. Van Hoevenberg trails at the Olympic Sports Complex. As part of the American Ski Marathon Series, the event attracts hundreds of skiers from across the United States and Canada. It consists of a 50 kilometer Loppet (30.1 miles) and a 25-kilometer Kort Loppet (about 15 miles).
» Continue Reading.



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