Ever since Sesame Street and their closing credits showing off an alpine slide, I’ve been fascinated by cool slide rides. The bobsled was no exception. It looked like a long icy slide. Cool Runnings and the Olympics made me really want to try bobsledding and I found out you can experience it in Lake Placid, New York. It was decided… I shall one day bobsled in Lake Placid. Little did I know, they also offered skeleton rides as a package for $125.

Day 1 – Saturday Feb 15, 2014

It was family day long weekend and the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, what better way to celebrate than in Lake Placid, home of the 1932 and 1980 winter games. We started our 6 hour drive to Lake Placid with a few rest stops along the way.

We arrived at 3:15pm and headed to the Olympics Sports Complex for our 4:00pm bobsled and 5:30 skeleton reservation. Good thing we made one, because they were sold out when we got there. We promptly checked in and was sent to the waiting area with a buzzer. Our buzzer went off shortly and we were driven up to the top of the track.

We secured our helmets and I mounted the GoPro camera (graciously lent by Chauncey). My helmet already had a mount glued on so that allowed for some great footage! Our ride was controlled by a professional driver and braker, we were just sandwiched in the middle. It started off slow and calm… But then sped up and became exhilarating —like a wild roller coaster without a track. It was smooth yet unpredictable but definitely different and fun.

Before we knew it, it was over. It’s a short ride with a hefty price tag ($85 for the bobsled ride only) but it is memorable and once in a lifetime.

We had some time to kill before our Skeleton reservation at 5:00pm so we headed into town for some food. The Lake Placid village is small but lively and filled with bars, shops and restaurants for “après ski”. We refueled at Starbucks and made way back to the Olympic Sports Complex. It was dark now but the track was brightly lit up. It’s the same track as the bobsled except shorter… About 1/4 of a mile where as the bobsled was 3/4 of a mile.

We waited longer this time since everyone’s reservation was at 5:00pm and everyone goes in singles. Once our buzzer ran, we were driven up to the start area. We yet again put helmets on and set up the GoPro camera. Chris wore it this time but he caught me at the finish line!

You get basic instructions —relax, lie flat, keep your legs straight, hold the handles to your side and tap your feet down if you feel like you’re going too fast. Then, the instructor holds your feet up and give you a push down. It starts off slow and speeds up quickly. There were two moments were I started to zigzag but it smoothed out once I hit the round corner.

The ride was only around 30 seconds and you really wanted more after you finished. My time was about 36 seconds and Chris got 33 seconds. The Skeleton was much more thrilling and fun compared to the bobsled. You’re just so close to the ice and it feels amazing… Like going down a water slide head first. I would consider doing it again one day.

We checked into Econo Lodge and had dinner at Caffe Rustica. It was a satisfying meal after the two exciting runs. I enjoyed a hearty gnocchi dish, while Chris had a pizza. We called it a night shortly after.

Day 2 – Sunday Feb 16, 2014

We woke up early for a day of snowboarding at Whiteface Mountain, which holds the highest vertical drop in the East. It was a very cold day with strong winds. The gondola wasn’t even running and only one quad lift, “Facelift” was. We waited for 30-40 minutes just to get up halfway before you need to transfer onto another lift to the summit. Man, it was a long and cold ride up! The view at the top was nice but the run was a little icy. It was so cold our camera battery died so no pics.

We stopped halfway down the mountain and then went up another lift to another run, “The Wilmington Trail”. This run was lined with beautifully icy trees. At this point, our toes were frozen! We snowboarded down and defrosted in the lodge before continuing on.

Once we warmed up, the cloudsplitter gondola was also operating now so we went up the Little Whiteface summit. At the top, there was a great view of the Whiteface Mountain and my camera worked again to capture it.

We did a few more runs before the lifts closed. The conditions were not the best but the runs are fun and challenging —definitely pushed me to my limits on the blues. There aren’t that many runs and we pretty much did them all within a day. It’s pretty expensive for a one day lift ticket, $77 (discounted) but I would considered going back.

We ate at The Cowboy which was hit or miss. My steak and mash potatoes was delicious but Chris’ jerk chicken (their “speciality”) was awful. The flavours were too intense and fighting each other. We went back to our lodge for some rest and relaxing in the hot tub.

Day 3 – Monday Feb 17, 2013

We started our morning with breakfast at Saranac Sourdough. Nothing really impressive —the corned beef hash was fine, potatoes were too soft and the pancake was not bad.

We walked around the Lake Placid village for a bit before heading over to the Tobogganing Chute. The line was long but we made it in time to rented the last toboggan. Admission and rental is $10 per adult but you can go on unlimited rides. Chris and I shared a toboggan and we went down pretty fast! It was exciting and fun. We went down twice before leaving because our bums were a little sore from hitting the ice.

We packed up and started our drive back home. Along the way, there was an ice palace. Nothing as impressive as the Quebec or Ottawa ice palace… but nice nonetheless.

The drive was easy and we had no traffic issues. It was a great long weekend trip with memorable winter activities. I’d be interested in seeing what Lake Placid has to offer in the summer.