Lake Placid – As we move into the winter of 2024, rest assured that along with all the recreational sports you can enjoy in Lake Placid, your time with us here in Upstate New York will be augmented by a lineup of world class events that can be easily enjoyed.
The Mirror Lake Inn is just minutes from the following events, and near the venues you’ll need for any desired activities.
Here are the highlights of the upcoming months in our Adirondack community.
The 44th Empire State Winter Games are scheduled for Feb. 1-4 in Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake, Wilmington and Paul Smiths. There will be over 20 events across the Adirondacks. Organizers expect approximately 2,500 athletes in an event that has adopted the theme of Then And Now.
The games will begin January 28 with a torch relay. It will be two-pronged: one leg starts in Buffalo, with a second leg coming from Poughkeepsie. It will conclude with the torch being run into the Opening Ceremony at the Lake Placid Olympic Center at 6:30 on February 1.
World Cup ski jumping makes its return Feb. 9-11. After an absence of 33 years, the event came back to the Olympic Jumping Complex in 2023. The International Ski Federation and the fans enjoyed it so much they had to put our community on the 2024 schedule.
Qualification on the Hill Size 128 site begins Friday, Feb. 9 at 5 PM, followed by an Opening Ceremony at 6:30 and an Athlete Meet and Greet at 7:30. The next two days will feature individual and super team competitions on the HS 128 launching pad.
This will be an elite field of international ski jumpers; many have Olympic experience, while some others will undoubtedly compete in future Winter Games.
World Cup bobsled and skeleton will conclude the IBSF season with the finals in Lake Placid. Set for March 21-23 at Mt. Van Hoevenberg, once again many men and women Olympians of the past and future will be on full display.
Training is scheduled all week, with men’s and women’s skeleton races starting the program on Thursday, March 21. The bobsleds will hit the mile-long track over the final two days, including men’s two and four-man events, women’s two-person races, and women’s monobob. The latter places one woman in a smaller sled, acting as driver, brake person and push athlete.
These sliding events, conducted earlier in the day, are one half of an action-packed weekend, which will also feature the ECAC Men’s Hockey Championships nightly in the Lake Placid Olympic Center. The tournament includes the final four surviving playoff teams, and takes place March 22-23 on the site of the 1980 Miracle On Ice. The winner gets an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Hockey Championships.
With the best of winter yet to come, put these events on your trip calendar. Combine them with skiing, snowboarding, ice skating and sledding.
Here in Lake Placid, we’re working diligently to give our visitors a complete vacation.
(Cover image courtesy Empire State Winter Games/Sammy Swiss)