Major Snow! Winter Carnival this Weekend!

We received a foot of the white stuff overnight, and the extended forecast is pointing to snow every day for the next 10 days!


Photo from flickr user Capn Tom

The Ice Palace is finished and lit in preparation for this weekend's culmination of the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival! Highlights include Saturday's Parade at 1pm, on Main St and Broadway, with floats and performances tied into this year's Horray for Hollywood theme as well as fireworks on Sunday night at 7.

Check out the Full Schedule of Events

Nokia FIS Snowboard World Cup at Whiteface

The Visa US Snowboarding Cup / NOKIA FIS Snowboard World Cup will be happening at Whiteface February 29-March 3.


In addition to PGS (gates) and individual SBX (snowboard cross) events, this year will feature a team SBX event - a unique competition not usually seen anywhere but the X-Games.

Check out this video of the 2007 competition:


Saturday night, March 1 will also feature the Paul Mitchell Progression Session at the Olympic Speed Skating Oval - a Big Air/Wall Ride Exhibition, with live music by The Press Project, giveaways and games. Don't miss out!

Full Schedule of Events via ORDA

See it here first - Lake Placid Aerials: VIDEO

This past weekend's Nature Valley completions were a blast, and as hinted, I ended up at the night time aerials competition at the Lake Placid Ski Jumps. The band was a hit and the falling snow (not to mention the ridiculous flips and twists) topped off the whole experience for the energized crowd.

Jumpers from the US, Ukraine, Australia and more were on hand to test their skills - check out this short video I took:



See all the action this Sunday on NBC at 3:30. There's always something happening here. Come visit!

This Weekend: Nature Valley Freestyle Cup!

Today marks the beginning of this weekend's Nature Valley Freestyle Cup - FIS Freestyle World Cup, happening today, January 18 - Sunday, January 20, 2008 at Whiteface and the Olympic Jumping Complex (Ski Jumps). Today moguls training and showcases are taking place on Whiteface's Wilderness trail. A lift ticket is required to view the moguls competitions.

Saturday will be dedicated to the Aerials competition at the Ski Jumps. Training sessions begin at 12:15, with the fun really getting going at 6 pm when the nighttime aerial party kicks off, featuring live music by Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad. The group's music is considered a mix of relentless reggae sound, Roots reggae and experimental dub (check out their music on MySpace). Mens and Women's Finals start just after 7:30.

Sunday involves Moguls training (8:15 am onward) and finals (2 pm) at Whiteface.

Of all the happenings, I'm personally most likely to attend the night time aerials competition because it sports some incredible jumps set off by the bright white snow and the dark night sky (and the nice festive atmosphere helps too!). Skiers and riders can easily survey the moguls action (Friday & Sunday) from the Little Whiteface / Mountain Run double chairs that lookout over the Wilderness trail.

Get the full schedule of events via ORDA.

If you won't be in the area this weekend, don't despair too much, you can relive some of the action on tv next Sunday, January 27th on NBC.

Coming Soon: 2008 Saranac Lake Winter Carnival!

A vintage ice castle shot! The 2008 Saranac Lake Winter Carnival is fast approaching. The festivities are scheduled for February 1 - 10 and construction on the 2008 ice palace has begun. This year's theme is Hooray for Hollywood, which should make for some great parade floats.

According to the SL Winter Carnival official site, the carnival began "as a one-day event to break the monotony of the long Adirondack winter, the Carnival has grown into a ten-day festival that includes sporting activities, dances, dramatic and musical productions, two parades (one especially for children) and two sets of fireworks above the world famous Ice Palace. In spite of the many changes, the Carnival has retained the warmth, charm and camaraderie of a family and community celebration, replete with reunions of friends and families."

This event is the crown jewel for Saranac Lake and is a personal favorite. The parade is a hoot and the ice castle is always impressive, even more so for kids. Come check out the 111th Winter Carnival!

View my post on the 2007 Carnival here.

World Cup Bobsled & Skeleton!

Photos from flickr user rsgdodge

This weekend, The Olympic Complex at Mt. Van Hoevenberg will be hosting the third stop of the Veissmann FIBT World Cup competition. Skeleton (single rider, head-first) races are scheduled for Friday, with bobsled (2 man and 4 man) races taking place Saturday and Sunday.

Look for Germany and the US to continue duking out their rivalry on the ice in bobsleigh, while the Brits, Canucks and Yanks are likely to dominate the skeleton races. Admission is free when you bring a new unwrapped toy (stop by the ORDA store on Main St. in Lake Placid for extra passes). Saturday and Sunday will also feature trackside parties and giveaways throughout the day and an ongoing party at the base lodge with the Lake Placid Bavarians and Santa.

Schedule details

Lace up your skates! Olympic Oval now Open!

Photo from flickr user abizeleth

For 07-08 there is public skating weekdays (except Tuesday) from 7-9 pm and weekends/holiday periods from 1-3 pm and 7-9 pm. Bring your skates or rent for just $3 a pair.

A bit of history: at the 1980 Olympics, speed skater Eric Heiden won all five events here (a record breaking 5 gold medals!), setting four Olympic records and a world record in the 10,000 meter. He beat the record by 6.2 seconds after oversleeping following the legendary Miracle on Ice USA vs USSR hockey game the night before!



Check conditions and the oval webcam via ORDA. Call (518) 523-1655 for more information.

Whiteface Opens Today for 2007-2008 Season!

Today Whiteface Mountain opened for the 07-08 Winter season! Currently open trails include Exelsior, Summit Express, Upper Valley, Broadway and Lower Valley. The lifts servicing these trails will be the eight passenger Cloudsplitter Gondola and Face Lift quad. The Mixing Bowl as well as Danny's Bridge and Brookside are projected to open on Sunday. Click here to check on trail conditions.

Lessons at the Snow Sports School are also available. The Kids Kampus center for children ages 1-12 is also now open, offering various combinations of instruction and childcare.

Donnelly's Ice Cream

Photo from flickr user d-4ce

Operating out of a former Dairy, Donnelly's Ice Cream features the creamiest homemade soft serve. Each day, only one flavor is available, always twisted with vanilla. Weekends are always chocolate, while weekdays alternate through fruit, nut and other flavors. Last I visisted the flavor happened to be Strawberry, but no matter the flavor, you can't go wrong!

The shack, located at the intersection of Routes 86 & 186 is located in between the Paul Smiths College / Lake Clear Airport area and the village of Saranac Lake. Make a stop on the way back from the Saranac Inn Golf Course or just go for a drive. The mountain vista that faces the shop is pretty impressive in its own right. Donnelly's is open Memorial Day through Labor Day and should not be missed by any ice cream lovers. Til next year!

The WILD Center

The recently opened, 31 acre indoor/outdoor WILD Center at the Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks is a fascinating set of live exhibits that help visitors understand the nature and science of the Adirondack Park.

"The Wild Center has live exhibits, and chances to hike and explore the Museum's 31- acre campus with naturalist guides or on your own. There are theaters with high definition films, plenty of hands-on nature, and hundreds of live animals from rare native trout, to river otters, to turtles the size of walnuts and many other often hard-to-see residents of the woods and waters."

Photos from flikr user ep4919

The brand new museum is drawing rave reviews for its engaging and breathtaking exhibits that make it a great destination for families.

Check out the New York Times article on the WILD Center.

Summer Hike: Pitchoff

My nephew and his friends came to visit recently, and they hiked Pitchoff. The summit sits at 3,497 ft and actually features several summits with views of the Cascade Lakes, Cascade Range Marcy, Colden & Algonquin as well as the Sentinel Range and Whiteface. On a clear summer day you can see Vermont's Green Mountains to the East. The trial is popular, although there will always be fewer people on this trail versus the nearby bald summit of Cascade. Some rock scrambling is involved in this otherwise moderate hike. Some rock portions can be slippery without appropriate footwear.

The trail head sits in between Keene and Saranac Lake on NY-73.

World Cup Snowboarding at Whiteface!

This Week, Thursday March 8 and Saturday - Sunday, March 10-11, Whiteface will host the State Farm US Snowboard Cup.

Thursday and Sunday will see the SBX races including back-to-back world champion Lindsey Jacobellis (Stratton Mountain, VT), double X Games gold medalist Nate Holland (Squaw Valley, CA) and recently crowned U.S. champions Callan Chythlook-Sifsof (Girdwood, AK) and Nick Baumgartner (Iron River, MI). Jacobellis, Holland and Chythlook-Sifsof all podiumed earlier this month at the opening World Cup of the season in Furano, Japan.

Saturday, March 10 will be the half-pipe competiton with reigning halfpipe winners Gretchen Bleiler (Aspen, CO), the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, and ’07 Grand Prix champion Tommy Czeschin (Mammoth Lakes, CA) back along with two-time X Games champion Steve Fisher (Breckenridge, CO) as the ‘Bear Superpipe’ hosts the world’s best for the third straight year.

Also on tap for Lake Placid is the crowd favorite Paul Mitchell Progression Session, this year staged at the MacKenzie Intervale Ski Jumping complex, home of the 1980 Olympic ski jumps. Riders will rocket down the ski jump outrun of the 120-meter ski jump into a monstrous 30-foot quarterpipe. Up for grabs at the end of the jam session is $7,500 in cash, plus an additional $2,500 for the rider who stomps the Rip It Trick of the Day.

Watch the halfpipe competition on NBC, Sunday, March 18 at noon.

All events are free to the public, for more information click here.

Loads of Snow!

This is a picture of my nephews playing in the snow in Saranac Lake. After the big recent storm that dropped around 30 inches of the white stuff, its been snowing near non-stop this weekend. 73 trails are open at Whiteface, with great conditions. I went Saturday and there was lots of snow and the glades were open! Lots of fluffy stuff to get distracted by.

There is great tubing and sledding happening at hills all over town - but the hills are especially long at the Lake Placid Club golf course. Check out Wilmington Road headed toward Whiteface (keep following Main St. south past the Olympic Arena and Stewarts, after the second stop light look to the left). Tubes and sleds are available at Rite-Aid and sometimes Price Chopper.

The Toboggan Shoot in Lake Placid is also open! Read about it in my previous post here.

Saranac Lake Winter Carnival 07

Photo courtesy Aaron Hobson / flickr user barkeater

Saranac Lake just wrapped up its 110th Winter Carnival, the oldest winter festival in the Eastern US. The themed ten day festivities include sports competitions, music and theater productions, dances, two parades (one just for kids!), two sets of fireworks, and of course the Ice Castle.

The castle is built by local volunteers, made from large chunks of ice from Lake Flower. The building of the castle is an event in and of itself, with a new theme and design each year, usually including ice slides. This early February event is great for families - get ready for 2008!

The Toboggan Chute

Check out these cool photos taken by flickr pro Tom Debiec. They were shot with a Holga camera which gives them this timeless look. With the colder temperatures having set in, look for the Lake Placid Toboggan Chute to open soon.

Located across the street from the Lake Placid Post Office on Parkside Dr, the toboggan chute has been in operation since the 60s, sending generations shooting out across the frozen Mirror Lake. A 30 foot high converted ski jump trestle sends the toboggans down ice chutes and out 1,000 feet onto the lake. Toboggans can hold 2-4 people and can be rented at the chute for unlimited rides for 2-4 hours. Dress warm for this winter fun!

Families always rave about the toboggan chute, so be sure to check it out. Call 518-523-2591 to be sure the chute is open and to get updated hours of operation. I'll leave you with this YouTube clip of some night time tobogganers...