Olympic Fever

Herb Brooks Arena -- Site of Miracle on Ice

Lake Placid has hosted two Winter Olympics -- 1932 and 1980.  Many of the sites from these games are still used today for training and hosting World Cup events.  For $35, you can buy an Olympic Passport that allows you to visit and tour all of the various sites, including the Olympics museum, the ski jumps, the bobsled and luge tracks, and the hockey rinks -- both the 1932 and 1980 rinks are still in use.

Actual 1980 Goal in the Museum

We took advantage of this passport and visited all of the sites, including riding the gondola to the top of Whiteface Mountain where all of the skiing events took place.

We also relived the "Miracle on Ice" USA hockey victory over Russia.  The video of the game was playing on a loop in the museum and we watched the US score the final two goals.  The actual goal and net and other memorabilia are on display in the museum. 

Final Turn

Our most fun adventure exploring our Olympic history was taking the bobsled experience and riding a bobsled down the actual Olympic track with a professional driver and brakeman.  This was an extra expense from the Olympic Passport, but well worth the experience.  We rocketed down the track the track and really experienced the g-force as we went through the turns.  Seeing these sites has given us new appreciation of the skill and dedication it takes to be an Olympic athlete.

Looking Down the 120m Ski Jump from
the top -- 26 stories high.