Posts Tagged ‘winter sports’

Monday, January 27, 2014

The Olympics’ Impact On Lake Placid

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIt all started in August. The media inquiries about Lake Placid’s Olympic heritage have increased by the day as we get closer to the games in Sochi.  Many want photos, or to visit to write or film a news story, and most want to know what impact hosting the games has had on Lake Placid in general.

As communications director for the region’s destination marketing organization, my job is to support our efforts to drive overnight visitation, and implement promotional messaging that is based on research. And through that research, we know that the biggest driver of overnight visitation to Lake Placid and the Adirondacks is outdoor recreation – hiking, paddling, cycling and the like – hands down. However, for a couple of months every four years, I prepare to spend a lot of time responding to the expected influx of Olympic-themed media requests. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Backcountry Skiing: Fresh Snow, But More Needed

Evergreen-flats-web-600x4143We got several inches of light snow over the weekend, so I went to the Jackrabbit Trail on my lunch hour Monday to check out the ski conditions. I skied the two miles from McKenzie Pond Road to McKenzie Pond. The woods were beautiful, with fluffy snow adorning the branches of the evergreens. The trail looked nice, too.

Unfortunately, there was little or no base underneath the fluff. For the most part, this was not a problem. In several places, though, roots and rocks lurked beneath the surface. The diciest spots were on two small downhills on the return trip. Both sections have rocks. I took these slowly. If the trail gets skied and the snow scraped off, I imagine the downhills will get worse. » 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.


Monday, January 13, 2014

Winter Weekends Planned at Camp Santanoni

santanoni winterThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH), the Town of Newcomb, and the Adirondack Ecological Center have announced that historic Camp Santanoni, located off Route 28N in Newcomb, will be open for three special weekends this winter. » Continue Reading.


Thursday, January 9, 2014

Celebrate the Sochi Olympic Games in Lake Placid

Sochi Olympics LogoLake Placid officials have announced a series of programs and events that celebrate the international spirit of the Olympic Winter Games and Lake Placid’s robust winter sports heritage leading up to and during the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia.

The Village of Lake Placid, the Lake Placid Business Association (LPBA), the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) and the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) have collaborated to lead the community in celebrating its Olympic pride and the Sochi Games.   » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Western Adirondacks Best Bet For Nordic Skiers

The view this morning from Baker Mountain outside Saranac Lake.The Tug Hill region east of Lake Ontario got clobbered by a lake-effect snowstorm Tuesday.  I was hoping we’d get a decent snowfall in Saranac Lake, but we received only a little more than a dusting. The woods on Baker Mountain looked pretty this morning, but they would have made for ugly skiing.

The western Adirondacks, however, picked up several inches of fresh snow.

Chris Tapper, business manager of Mountainman Outdoor Supply Company in Old Forge, said the Old Forge area got about five inches of light snow. The area now has about eight inches on the ground, and Tapper said most trails favored by Nordic enthusiasts should be skiable.

“Wider skis are going to be the tool of choice, because it’s light, fluffy snow,” Tapper said.

Rick Kovacs, owner of the Wanakena General Store, said Wanakena area received about six inches of snow Tuesday on top of a two-to-three-inch base. He said skiing should be good on most trails. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, January 7, 2014

ADK Winterfest and Winter Trails Day

ADKLojski_newMy family spends a fair bit of time at the Adirondack Mountain Club’s (ADK) Adirondack Loj High Peaks Information Center. With Heart Lake being a popular gateway into the High Peaks, we hike their trails, drop off groups and introduce guests to its range of outdoor activities.

Since the Adirondack Park is a multi-season playground, the ADK Heart Lake Center is offering a free day full of winter opportunities to showcase that the 700-acre Heart Lake property is more than just a parking lot for the High Peaks. In conjunction with the 19th Winter Trails Day, ADK has gathered volunteers and staff to host its first Winterfest on January 11. » Continue Reading.


Thursday, December 19, 2013

Lake Placid To Host NCAA Division I Ski Championships

NCAA Host LogoThe NCAA has awarded the Division I Ski NCAA Championships to the Lake Placid region.

Lake Placid, Wilmington, St. Lawrence University, the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) and the New York Ski Educational Foundation (NYSEF) will host the 2015 Division I Ski NCAA Championships on March 11-14, 2015. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Pigeon Lake Wilderness:
A Ski Refuge in Snowmobiling Country

cascade lake near inlet map by Nancy BernsteinLast winter, a former colleague got in touch to see if I wanted to go skiing in the Inlet area. Not one to turn down a chance to ski or catch up with a friend, I suggested we do the loop around Cascade Lake in the Pigeon Lake Wilderness.

We agreed to meet for lunch at the Hard Times Café in Eagle Bay, a few miles west of downtown Inlet. When I arrived, just before noon, the restaurant was packed with snowmobilers. I felt a little out of place in my cross-country-ski boots. Tim, who lives south of Utica, walked in about ten minutes later. He couldn’t find a space in the lot, which was largely occupied by snow machines, so he had to park across the road. » Continue Reading.


Thursday, December 12, 2013

Olympic Museum Exhibit Features Skater Sonja Henie

Sonja HenieThe Lake Placid Olympic Museum, located in the Olympic Center in Lake Placid, has announced the opening of their new, permanent exhibit, “Sonja Henie: Perfection on Ice.” Sonja Henie won more Olympic and World titles than any other ladies figure skater, to include three Olympic crowns and six European championship titles.

Her innovative skating techniques and glamorous demeanor transformed the sport permanently and confirmed its acceptance as a legitimate sport in the Olympic Winter Games. » Continue Reading.


Saturday, December 7, 2013

Lost Brook Dispatches: The Shay Effect

Lost Brook Tract in WinterThis Thanksgiving unfolded for me in traditional and typical fashion, promising that the standard playbook would be executed all the way through: take the family to my in-laws, help cook a massive meal for twenty, monitor my Mother for too much wine or too much stimulation (Mom is 92 and can overload either way), overeat, get teary looking at my wife and drive seventy miles home while fighting indigestion and narcolepsy.

By early afternoon all was going to form.  How could I possibly have known that an earth-shaking revelation was about to completely overwhelm me?  How could I be prepared for the sheer jubilation, the exaltation this imminent moment was going to bring, this profound thunderclap completely sweeping away all the usual familial mediocrity?

But then it happened.  The setting was innocent enough: I was in the snowy yard with my brother-in-law Dan, exercising Henderson with a stick, talking about our favorite mutual subject, the Adirondacks.  Amy and I were planning to be at Lost Brook Tract just after Christmas and Dan, who had considered coming along and doing some skiing was telling me that his winter visit would have to wait until the following year.  “We’re all coming next winter, he said.  We’ll come up to your land for a couple days but we’ll get a place for a week.  Shay’s a little worried about snowshoeing up there.”

There it was. » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Holiday Dreams on Ice Show Sunday

Lake Placid Ice ShowFeaturing future Olympic hopefuls, past Olympians, and a tribute to skater Sonia Henie on the same ice where she earned an Olympic Gold in 1932, will be featured in a “Lake Placid Holiday Dreams on Ice” show at the 1932 Rink at the Olympic Center at 5:00 p..m. on Sunday, December 8, 2013.

The skating show caps off a weekend full of activities and events that comprise the Lake Placid Holiday Village Stroll, and will both commemorate historic Olympic moments and celebrate the holiday season. Special guests include two-time Olympic Champions Oleg and Ludmila Protopopov, Olympians Karen Courtland Kelly and Patrick Kelly, as well as many figure skaters from throughout the region. » Continue Reading.


Monday, December 2, 2013

When Is It Winter Camping?

P1060646Winter is associated with migration, hibernation, changes in animal behavior, plants becoming dormant, and humans experiencing special health concerns ranging from hypothermia to seasonal depression. Winter even invokes its own special vocabularies to describe the conditions (e.g. black ice, whiteouts, and corn snow).

Descriptions of winter camping depend on geographic location, opportunities to go camping and desire to impress your friends and relatives. There are groups from northern Canada to the Ozarks that claim winter camping experience, although I am sure their conditions and experiences are greatly different.

How you define winter camping might depend on your definition of ‘winter’. » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Adirondack Ski Season Preview

Early season snowmaking at WhitefaceThis is the time of year when skiers’ anticipation is at its peak.  The first snows have already whitened the higher elevations of the Adirondacks, signaling winter’s approach.

If you’re a die-hard skier, you’ve lined up your season pass and tuned up your equipment.  You wear your pajamas inside-out and you’ve flushed a tray of ice cubes down the toilet (trust me, it works) to ensure a winter of bountiful snow.

Maybe you’ve even had a bonfire to sacrifice a pair of skis to Ullr, the Norse god of snow and skiing.  All that’s left now is waiting for the chairlifts to start spinning.  Ski areas in the region have been busy too, working on improvements and upgrades all summer and fall.  Here’s a quick look at what they’ve been up to. » Continue Reading.


Friday, October 4, 2013

Local Athletes, Sports Programs Receive Funds

UISF ceremonyEleven organizations and four aspiring athletes from the Lake Placid region were awarded a combined total of $41,500 in grants from the Uihlein-Ironman Sports Fund at an awards ceremony at Heaven Hill Farm last Sunday.

The Uihlein-Ironman Sports Fund of Lake Placid makes awards to local athletes competing at the regional, national, and international levels. Grants are also awarded to nonprofit organizations that promote participation in life-long summer and winter sports for local kids, promoting a healthy lifestyle and athletic excellence. » Continue Reading.



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