There’s plenty of snow in Lake Placid, NY, right now. That makes it much easier for the Ski Jumpers to relentlessly hone their skills. But in case you were worried, they did not take the summer off. Nope, the Whiteface Lake Placid Olympic Jumping Complex is open year round so these dedicated daredevils can practice every day if they want to. This complex was used during the 1980 Winter Olympics and it’s also where Nordic Combined Olympian Bill Demong trained. Demong is the first American to win Nordic Combined gold, which he won in the 2010 Vancover Winter Olympics.
When we visited Lake Placid last August, we stopped by the Olympic Jumping Complex (free on our Olympic Sites Passport) where the jumpers frequently put on shows. First, they skied down a ramp and jumped into a pool, which was really fun to watch. Then they moved onto the bigger jump: the K-120 meter jump. Spectators can take an elevator up for a closer look (and awesome views of the Adirondack High Peaks), but since we had our toddler with us we decided to just stay at the bottom of the run. So basically not only were we not brave enough to do a ski jump but we weren’t even brave enough to get close to a ski jump! I have a feeling that Ski Jumpers are much, much happier when there’s snow, but we were more pleased by this summertime entertainment.
The K-120 meter jump at the Lake Placid Olympic Jumping Complex — in the summer
Comped but Never Compromised: This trip was hosted by ORDA (Olympic Regional Development Authority of New York), but I am free to write whatever I want.
oh how cool is this? it freaks me out every time i see them!!!
wanderingeducators recently posted..Visiting Cornwall: Family Travel Tips
Wow, I had no idea this place existed. Watching in the summer is a great way to cheer on your favorite ski jumper without a wind chill.
Mary @ Green Global Travel recently posted..SLOVENIA: Discovering Lake Bled, Slovenia
How cool. We saw the exact same thing at the Olympic stadium in Bavaria last summer 🙂
Savi of Bruised Passports recently posted..Balearic Musings – Palma De Mallorca In One Day
My sister used to train in Lake Placid in the summer (she was a figure skater) and always spoke about watching the skiers train. I’d still never do it!
Cat of Sunshine and Siestas recently posted..Revisiting Gran Canaria: Driving the Miniature Continent of the Canary Islands
I would love to watch them training for awhile. Too cool!
Corinne recently posted..Our Top 7 World Heritage Sites of 2013
That would be pretty cool to see! What do they land on off of the bigger jumps? Is it still water?
Adelina @ PackMeTo recently posted..How to Celebrate the Holidays Away From Home
For the bigger jump, the skiers land on a mat on the grass… They keep skiing on the mat after the jump, kind of like how a plane decelerates on the landing strip. That would have been cool if it was a giant pool again though 🙂