LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – Three Olympic venues will begin open this weekend as the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) ramps up a full slate of family fun and activities throughout the summer and fall seasons.

“This is Victoria weekend in Canada and we always see a large number of Canadian visitors to the region for outdoor activities so we try to open the venues for their enjoyment, said ORDA chairman Pat Barrett.  “Many of our summer activities do not gear up until the end of June, but the Highway, bobsled rides, and training at the Olympic Jumping Complex offer a great way to spend a spring weekend.”

The Whiteface Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway in Wilmington, N.Y. kicks-off the openings on Friday, May 17. The highway allows visitors to drive to the top of the fifth-highest peak in the Adirondacks, and the only one whose summit is accessible by car. The highway is an eight-mile drive from Wilmington to the summit, where a castle made of native stone and an in-mountain elevator await. The highway will be open daily from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. thru Oct. 14.

The Olympic Sports Complex, home of the combined bobsled/luge/skeleton track and the 1980 Olympic bobsled track, opens Saturday May 18 for venue tours and half-mile wheeled bobsled rides.  Tours will be available from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., while guests can experience a half-mile wheeled bobsled ride with a professional driver and brakeman from 10-4.  Once the ride is completed guests will receive a 4”x 6” photo, commemorative pin, a team gift and more. Information on the bobsled ride schedule can be found at www.whitefacelakeplacid.com.  

The Olympic Jumping Complex, home to the 90-meter and 120-meter ski jump towers and the freestyle aerial training facility, will open for chairlift and elevator tours on Saturday, May 18, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and will be open daily through October. The complex offers a 26-story elevator ride to the sky deck atop the 120-meter tower for spectacular views of the Adirondacks.  As you tour the venue, check out the high flying athletes training for their chance at Olympic greatness.

The Lake Placid Olympic Museum is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. providing a complete overview of Lake Placid’s Olympic heritage, including the 1980 Miracle on Ice.

Visitors can enjoy many of these activities for one low price, when purchasing the single use Olympic Sites Passport, for $32 or the unlimited access, Gold Pass, for $79.  Both passes give guests access to everyone of ORDA’s Olympic venues—from Whiteface to the Olympic Sports Complex and everything in between.  The Olympic Sites Passport can be purchased by stopping into the ORDA Store, or through the Olympic Center’s box office, while the Gold Pass is available on-line, at www.whitefacelakeplacid.com, or at Whiteface Mountain. 

For more information on ORDA and its Olympic venues, log on to www.whitefacelakeplacid.com.

-- ORDA --

Established in 1982, the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) was created by the State of New York to manage the facilities used during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games at Lake Placid. ORDA operates Whiteface, Belleayre and Gore Mountain ski areas; the Olympic Sports Complex at Mt. Van Hoevenberg; the Olympic speed skating oval, Olympic jumping complex and Olympic arena. As host to international and national championships, the Authority has brought millions of athletes, spectator and participants to the region, resulting in significant economic development.