By his reckoning, he is on skis at least 100 days every winter. When he is not skiing, he is snowshoeing or skating on the frozen ponds. A cross-country skier can choose between the deep snow and mountainous terrain of the backcountry or miles and miles of maintained trails. Then there is Mount Van Hovenberg Cross-Country Ski Center at the site of the Olympics, World Cup and National Championship events. Winter vacationers can skate around the Olympic Speed Skating Oval where Eric Heiden won a record five gold medals in the 1980 Winter Games.
Olympians can take lessons at the oval.
Over at Mount Van Hovenberg, they can ride the luge and bobsled runs where the Olympians trained and competed. Elevator and chairlift rides to the top of the 26-story ski jumping towers provide panoramic views of the Adirondack mountain landscape. The more extreme sports are gaining in popularity around Lake Placid among those who like their winter sports with an edge. The slides are hundreds of feet of treeless, sheer rock face high up the mountain. The skier who ventures onto The Slides will encounter frozen waterfalls, cliffs and steep, ungroomed snow during runs that last from 15 to 45 minutes.