Venues Overview

The four sites that hosted events at the Olympic Winter Games Lake Placid 1932 were used in 1980. Staging the Winter Games for the second time was a turning point for the village, which became a prime sporting location for elite and recreational athletes and a popular destination for tourists.

Its Olympic infrastructure has been upgraded over the years, and additional venues such as the US Olympic and Paralympic Training Center and the Olympic Museum have been built. All the venues are being upgraded thanks to an investment of nearly USD 240 million by the New York state government. This investment is recognition of the contribution they make to the local economy year-round and has been made in preparation for the 2023 Winter World University Games, to be hosted by Lake Placid.

Lake Placid’s sports facilities attracted 1.5 million visits in 2018/19 and generated a total of USD 156 million in visitor spending. The venues continue to attract a wide range of sporting events, including the FIL Luge World Cup, the FIS Freestyle World Cup, the Empire State Games and the IBSF Para Bobsleigh World Championships. They also host cultural and corporate events. The local authorities and the New York Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA), which owns and operates them, ensure that environmental factors remain integral to their management.

The Olympic Jumping Complex is a competition, training and recreation venue and an integral part of the resort’s first-class facilities. New jumps were built for the 1980 Winter Games, while freestyle aerials facilities have since been added, along with ziplines, gondolas and recently a remodelled 120m-high deck boasting a unique 360-degree view of the Adirondack Peaks.

The Olympic Arena – the figure skating venue at the 1932 Winter Games – was renovated in preparation for the 1980 Winter Games. Two new indoor ice rinks were built along with a conference centre, which also housed a temporary ice sheet during the Games. In addition, the James B. Sheffield Oval was built on the site that staged the speed skating competitions at the 1932 Winter Games. This vast complex is now called the Olympic Center and is also home to the Olympic Museum, the Lake Placid Hall of Fame and ORDA’s head offices.

The Mount Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Complex welcomes around 100,000 visitors a year. It comprises the cross-country skiing complex, which required only minimal refurbishment for the 1980 Winter Games, the Olympic sliding centre and the new Mountain Pass Lodge.

The Mount Van Hoevenberg sliding centre has undergone many changes over the years. The 1932 Games bobsleigh track was replaced by a new one, with a separate luge track built in 1979. In 2000, the luge track was replaced by a combined bobsleigh, luge and skeleton track. In 2020, Cliffside Coaster, North America’s longest mountain roller coaster, opened at the Complex. It follows the course of the 1980 bobsleigh track and is narrated by NBC Olympic broadcaster John Morgan, helping the rider experience each turn and enhancing their appreciation for the history of the sport.

Only minor upgrades were needed to prepare the slopes of Whiteface Mountain for the 1980 Winter Games; however, recent improvements have been made, with new snowmaking systems and the recent opening of the new Legacy Lodge at Mid Station. They continue to attract thousands of tourists from New York state and further afield every year.