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The Coolest Olympic Experiences You Can Try
in Lake Placid

The coolest Olympic experiences you can try in Lake Placid

The coolest Olympic experiences you can try in Lake Placid start with a simple thought many people have while watching the Winter Games: I want to try that.

Whether it’s watching bobsled teams rocket through icy curves, biathletes drop into perfect shooting position, or ski jumpers launch off towering ramps, the Olympics have a way of making winter sports feel thrilling, dramatic, and just a little bit impossible.

The Olympics inspire millions of people to dream about winter sports — but in Lake Placid, you can actually try them.

As the host of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics, Lake Placid still operates many of its Olympic venues as active training centers today. Even better, several of these sites are open to the public, offering hands-on experiences that let visitors slide, skate, shoot, and explore the same places where Olympic athletes train and compete.

For travelers looking for things to do at Olympic sites in Lake Placid, these experiences offer something most destinations can’t — the chance to step into Olympic history and try the sports yourself.

Explore the Lake Placid Olympic Museum

To fully appreciate the Olympic venues around town, it’s worth spending time at the Lake Placid Olympic Museum.

Located inside the Olympic Center, the museum tells the story of Lake Placid’s role in Winter Olympic history and features one of the largest collections of Winter Olympic artifacts in North America. Exhibits highlight the 1932 and 1980 Winter Games, the athletes who competed here, and the lasting legacy those events created for the region.

Visitors can see Olympic torches and medals, historic photos and video footage, and memorabilia from some of the most iconic moments in Winter Olympic history. One of the most popular exhibits focuses on the 1980 Miracle on Ice, giving visitors a closer look at the team, the game, and the moment that stunned the sports world.

For an even deeper look at one of the most historic Olympic sites in Lake Placid, visitors can also take the Olympic Center Legacy Tour. The guided tour brings you behind the scenes of the Olympic Center, sharing stories from the 1932 and 1980 Games and giving guests access to areas of the arena complex that most visitors never see.

Together, the museum and the Legacy Tour offer a powerful way to connect the Olympic history of Lake Placid with the venues and experiences that are still active today.

Winter in Lake Placid: visit the Olympic Museum

Skate at the Olympic Center

Few arenas in the world carry as much Olympic history as the Lake Placid Olympic Center.

The complex is home to several ice rinks, including the Herb Brooks Arena, where the U.S. hockey team defeated the Soviet Union during the legendary 1980 “Miracle on Ice” game. While skating sessions are sometimes held on this historic rink, public skating may also take place on other sheets of ice within the Olympic Center, including the 1932 Rink or the USA Rink.

No matter which rink is open for skating that day, the experience still places visitors inside one of the most iconic Olympic venues in the country. Standing in the building where Olympic champions have competed — and where one of the greatest moments in sports history unfolded — adds a sense of atmosphere you won’t find at a typical ice rink.

Located right on Main Street in the heart of Lake Placid, the Olympic Center is one of the easiest Olympic sites to visit and a memorable way to experience the town’s Olympic legacy firsthand.

A cool Olympic experiences you can try in Lake Placid is ice skating

Try Olympic Sliding Sports: Skeleton and Luge

Skeleton is one of the most intense Olympic sports — athletes sprint alongside a sled, dive headfirst onto it, and race down the track face-first at incredible speeds.

While the full Olympic track is reserved for elite competitors, visitors can still experience the thrill of the sport at Mt. Van Hoevenberg through the Skeleton Push Experience. This activity focuses on the powerful start that skeleton athletes use to build speed. Participants learn how to push the sled while sprinting before jumping on for a short slide, giving a small but exciting taste of what Olympic sliders experience.

Visitors interested in sliding sports can also try Discover Luge, another beginner-friendly introduction to an Olympic discipline. In this program, participants learn the basics of luge — the sport where athletes race feet-first on a small sled — before taking controlled runs on a specially designed track used for training and instruction.

Both experiences give visitors a rare opportunity to try Olympic sliding sports themselves while learning about the techniques athletes use to navigate the track. For many people, it becomes one of the most memorable and unexpected Olympic experiences in Lake Placid.

One of the coolest Olympic experiences you can try in Lake Placid is Skeleton

Ride a Bobsled at Mt. Van Hoevenberg

Few experiences capture the thrill of the Winter Olympics quite like a ride in a real bobsled.

At the Mt. Van Hoevenberg Sliding Center, visitors can climb into a sled with a professional driver and brakeman and take off down the Olympic track. Within seconds, the sled accelerates through steeply banked curves, hugging the ice as it winds down the course.

The track used today is the same Olympic sliding track used by world-class athletes, making this one of the most authentic Olympic experiences available anywhere.

Depending on the season, the experience changes slightly:

Winter Bobsled Experience

  • Ride on ice in a real bobsled
  • Speeds can reach 55+ mph
  • Feel the G-forces through tight turns

Summer Bobsled Experience

  • Wheeled sleds run on the concrete track
  • Slightly different feel, but just as exciting
  • A great option for visitors in warmer months

For many visitors, this ends up being the most unforgettable activity of their entire Lake Placid trip.

A cool Olympic experiences you can try in Lake Placid is Bobsledding

Watch Colin Jost from Saturday Night Live take a ride!

Try Biathlon Shooting

Biathlon might be one of the most fascinating Olympic sports to experience as a visitor.

The sport combines cross-country skiing with precision rifle shooting, challenging athletes to balance endurance, speed, and focus. Competitors race through demanding ski courses before quickly stopping to hit a series of small targets, where even a single missed shot can change the outcome of the race.

At Mt. Van Hoevenberg, visitors can try an introductory version of the sport by learning the fundamentals of biathlon shooting using laser rifles. During the experience, participants are taught the basic shooting stance, how athletes control their breathing and heart rate, and the techniques used to aim at biathlon targets.

Even without skis involved, the activity quickly shows how much concentration the sport requires. It’s a fun and interactive way to experience a lesser-known Olympic discipline and one of the more unique Olympic experiences visitors can try in Lake Placid.

Biathlon is a cool Olympic experience you can try in Lake Placid

Ride the Skyride and Sky Flyer Zipline at the Olympic Jumping Complex

The towering ski jumps at the Olympic Jumping Complex are among the most recognizable Olympic landmarks in Lake Placid. Seeing them from the ground is impressive, but the best way to experience the site is by heading up the mountain.

Visitors start with the Skyride, a scenic gondola that travels up the hillside toward the ski jumps. From there, a glass elevator takes you to the top of the jump tower, where you can stand in the same place Olympic ski jumpers prepare to launch down the ramp. Looking down the steep inrun gives visitors a whole new appreciation for the speed, skill, and courage required for the sport.

The observation deck also offers some of the most spectacular views in the Adirondacks, with sweeping vistas of the High Peaks and the Olympic Sports Complex below.

For visitors looking for a little more adrenaline, the Sky Flyer Zipline adds another unforgettable experience. Riders soar down a zipline that runs alongside the ski jump landing hill, giving a unique perspective of the jumps while reaching speeds that make it one of the most exciting attractions at the complex.

Together, the Skyride and Sky Flyer give visitors a chance to see the Olympic ski jumps from above, from the top, and even while flying past them — making it one of the most unique Olympic experiences in Lake Placid.

Check out the Ski Jumps in Lake Placid for a cool Olympic Experience

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