Lake Placid, NY

October 30th, 2012 at 12:25:04 AM permalink
Face
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 61
Posts: 3941
In the winter of 2012, I had the honor and pleasure of playing in a hockey tounament in beautiful Lake Placid. For those who have never been, it is a quite posh, small town on the edge of Lake Placid, located on the edge of the Adirondack Mountains, and features several fine eateries as well as many outdoor and other physical activities.

For starts, it's probably most well known for it's Olympic sports complex. Lake Placid was home to the 1980 winter games and the site of "The Miracle On Ice". Expect plenty of reminders on every sign and souveneir shop you see. The skating complex holds at least three (if not more) indoor rinks of Olympic sized ice, and features several opportunities to skate and/or play on the very spot history was made.

For my American hockey friends, be warned. NHL ice, the size you and I are accustomed to, is 85' x 200'. Olympic ice is 98.4' x 197'. If you think 13.4' doesn't make a difference, you are in for a world of hurt. I made it about midway through my third shift of the first period when I was already praying for the horn. Time left on clock? 8m30s. It's an absolute killer, and more than one person was driven to vomit by sheer exhaustion =)

Immediately outside of the skating complex, there is a 400m outdoor rink, open to the public all day.

It's well maintained and a great place for a family skate. Other than the skating complex, the Olympic long jump ramps can bee seen poking above in the distance, and further out, the local ski slopes (slope not pictured)


As the town is on the lake, there are additional opportunities for activites to be found outside. Pond hockey is rampant, and several "rinks" can be found offshore. Ice fishing for Northern Pike is also available, for those looking for a more nature-oriented retreat.

As I said, the town is very, very posh. Most of the eating establishments are ritzy, although the common man can still find a burger and beer on a budget. Expect a lot of Beamers and Audis in the parking lot, with plenty of high faluting women spending daddy's money in the bar. They can be nice to look at, but don't waste your time in conversation. Even if you get one interested, you'll find them as shallow as their possessions, which they flaunt incessantly.

Brewing is big in town, and many bars offer several of their own brands. For the connoissuer, you'll not be found wanting for all manner of brews to sample, and several bar owners to talk the night away with. For regular Joes like Yours Truely, Canada is close enough to smell and there's no lack of wonderful Labatt Blue (I think they pump it straight in from the lake, and it is a beautiful thing) Surprisingly, for a posh, touristy town, the prices for food and strong drink isn't a killer. Sure, you can find better deals at the local dive outside of town, but no one will have sticker shock when the bill comes.

The real fun, at least for adrenaline junkies like me, is the Olympic Sports Park. Here, for a mere $80ish, you can show up and hammer down the famed bobsled track in your very own sled.

The run begins with a drive up the mountain to the halfway point on the track. I begged, pleaded, and bribed for a full run from the top, to which our brakeman just kept repeating "No, man, you don't want that. Trust me." Once to the shed, they give you a helmet and a quick safety meeting, which basically amounts to "There's a seat, sit on it. There's ropes on either side of you, hold on to them. See you at the bottom". Your laps are timed, and since my hockey team went as a group, we of course placed wagers for fastest time (and most of the more intelligent players, like me, bribed the hell out of the brakeman to keep his hand off the brake!) Our hosts unload and stage the sled themselves, and they supply the driver and brakeman, with two to four of your party members crammed in between. As we are all full grown men, and all had bets, we went by 2s. All the drivers and brakemen are your typical 20something skater dude types, just young kids making a buck and down for a good time. They're trained and experienced, sure, but none of that stiff, authoritarian nanny state bullshit. It was very comfortable and very cool. To highlight the laid back attitude, I completely ignored the "hands inside, hold the rope" nonsense and queued up some video for the ride down, in full view of the brakeman, and he just smiled. I know you can't embed video here, so here's a link to my photobucket. Check it out...Bobsled Run
It's shaky, but wonderfully highlights the insanity of the run. It's rough as hell, and the rate at which you accelerate is incredible. There's a point, I think after my third shout of glee, where the video goes dark and the camera drops behind the back of my teammate. That was because the G forces were so irresistable in the final turns, I could not hold my hand up. It was utter insanity.

If that wasn't enough, for $60ish dollars on it's own, or abour $120 if you double up with the bobsled, you can also do a skeleton run. The skeleton is a sled you run yourself. You lie face down, face first, and hands down at your sides. Once positioned, you bend your legs to put your feet in the air, the host grabs your ankles, starts running, and flings your ass down the chute. Face down, face first, all by yourself, and you're off. Training for such an event amounts to "look where you want to go. Don't look at the wall. Have Fun!" and boom, they shove you down the chute. Complete madness, and I loved every minute of it. Really, for $120 you Can Not Pass This Up.

I completely encourage anyone to visit should you be in the area when the snow is falling. Many activities, beautiful surroundings, once in a lifetime entertainment, and top notch food and drink. How could you go wrong?
Be bold and risk defeat, or be cautious and encourage it.
October 30th, 2012 at 7:30:39 AM permalink
AZDuffman
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 135
Posts: 18136
Quote: Face

For my American hockey friends, be warned. NHL ice, the size you and I are accustomed to, is 85' x 200'. Olympic ice is 98.4' x 197'. If you think 13.4' doesn't make a difference, you are in for a world of hurt. I made it about midway through my third shift of the first period when I was already praying for the horn. Time left on clock? 8m30s. It's an absolute killer, and more than one person was driven to vomit by sheer exhaustion =)


You forgot to put "North" before "American" as plenty of our Canadian friends are involved in the NHL :-)

Anyhow, I prefer the Olympic-size rink. The NHL seems less an "open" game with lots of clutching and blocking, slowing things up compared to the Olympic-size version.
The President is a fink.
October 30th, 2012 at 8:39:08 AM permalink
TheCesspit
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 23
Posts: 1929
The Alaska Aces of the ECHL play on an Olympic sized rink. They have a rather good home record...
It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die.... it's called Life
October 30th, 2012 at 9:58:42 AM permalink
Face
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 61
Posts: 3941
Quote: AZDuffman
You forgot to put "North" before "American" as plenty of our Canadian friends are involved in the NHL :-)


You assume that by "American" I meant only the "Unites States of" ;)

Considering hockey, I always think of it in terms of "American" (to include Canada), and "European" (to include Russia), whether I'm speaking of rink size or style of play. I prefer the American style, with the clutching, grabbing, rough stuff and fighting, where tough guys still have their place. European hockey, while fast and perhaps more skillful, is too fancy for my tastes. Sure, seeing an Alexander Mogilny type dance someone's jock off and score would bring a smile to my face, but I'd rather see a Brad May type ruin someone's weekend.
Be bold and risk defeat, or be cautious and encourage it.
October 31st, 2012 at 6:59:10 PM permalink
johnnyq
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 1
Posts: 29
Went up to Lake Placid about 20 years ago with some friends
to do some XC skiing, since at that time we were entering the
Birkebeiner race from Hayward to Cable, WI (and I say
entering, not "competing in", on purpose).

Anyway, it rained. And rained, and rained, and rained. But
we were in a cool little hotel, with friends, some Kahlua (ok
lots of Kahlua), and it was a good road trip.