A capital of sport and tourism

Lake Placid’s Olympic legacy venues, as well as the additional venues of Gore Mountain and Belleayre Mountain, are central to its status as one of the USA’s premier winter sports destinations. They are managed by the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority, which oversees a wide-ranging, coordinated programme of activities at the venues. The Olympic Regional Development Authority ensures that the venues are put to optimal use and enjoyed year-round, bringing significant economic benefits to the region.

The venues attracted over 1 million visits in 2022/23 and generated a total of USD 133.8 million in visitor direct spending for the 12-month period, an increase of 15 per cent on 2021/22. Some 114,876 of these visits were to the Olympic Center and 333,733 to Whiteface Mountain. Meanwhile, 20,000 people used the James C. Sheffield Speed Skating Oval, a record for the venue, and 881,000 visitors travelled to the region with the primary focus of visiting an Olympic Regional Development Authority facility.

Between them, Whiteface, the Olympic Center, the James C. Sheffield Speed Skating Oval and Mt Van Hoevenberg hosted over 50 events on 75 event days in 2022/23, plus over 60 training days. The athletes and fans attending these events, which included the FIL Luge World Cup, the FIS Freestyle World Cup, the Empire State Games and the FISU Winter World University Games, generated USD 112.1 million in direct and additional spending at hotels, restaurants and shops.

Visitors to the area can purchase a Lake Placid Legacy Sites Passport, which provides admission at a reduced rate to several of Lake Placid’s Olympic venues and covers a wide range of activities and events.

In preparation for the 2023 Winter World University Games in Lake Placid, the New York State government committed to investing nearly USD 240 million into Olympic Regional Development Authority venues, a recognition of the contribution they make to the state’s economy. This money helped to fund the renovation of facilities such as the biathlon range and gondolas, the Olympic Jumping Complex, the James C. Sheffield Speed Skating Oval and the ice rinks, as well as the construction of the Mountain Pass Lodge, complete with a day lounge and rock-climbing wall.

In an effort to keep them competitive with other winter sports resorts and venues, the Olympic Regional Development Authority maintains its venues to the highest standards, generating revenue streams to limit dependency on New York State subsidies. The development of summer activities, particularly recreational ones, is essential to achieving this objective. Several attractions simulate actual Olympic events, like the Cliffside Coaster at Mt Van Hoevenberg, which follows the path of the 1980 bobsleigh track, and the Sky Flyer Zipline, which runs adjacent to the 90m ski jump at the Olympic Jumping Complex. In the summer of 2023, 92,107 people visited Olympic Regional Development Authority venues to take part in these activities.

The Olympic Regional Development Authority also partners with hundreds of businesses across the state and supports numerous initiatives that promote tourism, helping to attract guests to hotels, restaurants and shops. In peak season, it employs as many as 1,500 full- and part-time staff.

Efforts by the Olympic Regional Development Authority to attract visitors to Lake Placid are complemented by those of the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST), which markets Lake Placid and the rest of the Adirondack region as a destination for visitors and new residents alike. In seeking to boost economic growth through tourism, the Lake Placid region offers a wide range of cultural, leisure and conference events, and activities year-round.

The Lake Placid Conference Center is promoted as a meeting destination. In terms of the arts, the focus is to increase attendance at events at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts, the Palace Theater and the Lake Placid Film Festival, while driving awareness of the region as a leading cultural destination. In 2023, the Olympic Regional Development Authority partnered with the Al Oerter Foundation to exhibit art by Olympians throughout its venues, showcasing the strong relationship between sport and art. Other highlights include dining in Lake Placid, seasonal travel, outdoor recreation and the many events staged in the region, including the Lake Placid Ironman, the Empire State Winter Games and the Lake Placid Horse Show.

Tourism is promoted with sustainability in mind, with the aim of reducing the impact of the continuing growth in outdoor recreation and holiday rentals. Visitors are invited to follow “Leave No Trace” principles, respect local ecosystems and look out for invasive species.