Lake Placid Olympic Sports Complex
Encyclopedia
The Lake Placid Olympic Sports Complex is a winter sports complex located at the foot of Mount Van Hoevenberg
near Lake Placid, New York
. Part of the Olympic Regional Development Authority
(ORDA), it was created following the 1980 Winter Olympics
.
The complex includes a bobsleigh
, luge
, and skeleton
track along with trails for both biathlon
and cross country skiing.
, the track was the first bobsleigh track located outside of Europe
. In 1949
, it hosted the FIBT World Championships
, also the first outside of Europe
. The original bobsleigh track was demolished in 1978 to pave the way for an artificial track for the 1980 Winter Olympics
with a separate luge track being constructed for those same games. The luge track was the first luge track in North America
when it was completed in 1979. In 1983
, the luge track was the first venue to host the FIL World Luge Championships outside of Europe. Both tracks were demolished in the late 1990s and a combination track was constructed in early 2000 in time for the only Winter Goodwill Games
. The track is a regular venue for World Cup competitions in bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton. In 2009, the track will become the first combination track to host the bobsleigh
, luge
, and skeleton world championships in a non-Winter Olympic year.
The current track is 1455 meters long with 20 curves and an average grade of 9.8%.
Mount Van Hoevenberg
Mount Van Hoevenberg is a summit point located in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, 9 miles east-southeast of the town of Lake Placid. Named for Henry Van Hoevenberg , it is best known for the location of the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track, and of a network of...
near Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
. Part of the Olympic Regional Development Authority
Olympic Regional Development Authority
The Olympic Regional Development Authority is a New York State public benefit corporations, created by the State of New York to manage the facilities used during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games at Lake Placid, New York...
(ORDA), it was created following the 1980 Winter Olympics
1980 Winter Olympics
The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, was a multi-sport event which was celebrated from 13 February through 24 February 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, United States of America. This was the second time the Upstate New York village hosted the Games, after 1932...
.
The complex includes a bobsleigh
Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of two or four make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled that are combined to calculate the final score....
, luge
Luge
A Luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh 21-25 kilograms for singles and 25-30 kilograms for doubles. Luge...
, and skeleton
Skeleton (sport)
Skeleton is a fast winter sliding sport in which an individual person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down, during which athletes experience forces up to 5g. It originated in St. Moritz, Switzerland as a spin-off from the popular British sport of Cresta Sledding...
track along with trails for both biathlon
Biathlon
Biathlon is a term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines. However, biathlon usually refers specifically to the winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting...
and cross country skiing.
Bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track
Constructed in 1930 for the 1932 Winter Olympics1932 Winter Olympics
The 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1932 in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The games opened on February 4 and closed on February 15. It would be the first winter olympics held in the United...
, the track was the first bobsleigh track located outside of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. In 1949
FIBT World Championships 1949
The FIBT World Championships 1949 took place in Lake Placid, New York, United States. It marked the first time the championships took place outside of Europe.-Two man bobsleigh:-Four man bobsleigh:...
, it hosted the FIBT World Championships
FIBT World Championships
The FIBT World Championships, part of the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing , have taken place on an annual basis in non-Winter Olympic years since 1930. A two-man event was included in 1931 with a combined championship occurring in 1947...
, also the first outside of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The original bobsleigh track was demolished in 1978 to pave the way for an artificial track for the 1980 Winter Olympics
1980 Winter Olympics
The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, was a multi-sport event which was celebrated from 13 February through 24 February 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, United States of America. This was the second time the Upstate New York village hosted the Games, after 1932...
with a separate luge track being constructed for those same games. The luge track was the first luge track in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
when it was completed in 1979. In 1983
FIL World Luge Championships 1983
The FIL World Luge Championships 1983 took place in Lake Placid, New York, United States. It marked the first time that the championships took place outside of Europe.-Men's singles:...
, the luge track was the first venue to host the FIL World Luge Championships outside of Europe. Both tracks were demolished in the late 1990s and a combination track was constructed in early 2000 in time for the only Winter Goodwill Games
Goodwill Games
The Goodwill Games was an international sports competition, created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s...
. The track is a regular venue for World Cup competitions in bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton. In 2009, the track will become the first combination track to host the bobsleigh
FIBT World Championships 2009
The FIBT World Championships 2009, officially known as the Bauhaus FIBT Bobsleigh & Skeleton World Championships, 20 February to 1 March 2009 at the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track in Lake Placid, New York for the ninth time, doing so previously in 1949, 1961, 1969, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1997 , and...
, luge
FIL World Luge Championships 2009
The FIL World Luge Championships 2009 ran on 1–8 February 2009 at the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track in Lake Placid, New York, United States for the second time after having hosted the event in 1983...
, and skeleton world championships in a non-Winter Olympic year.
The current track is 1455 meters long with 20 curves and an average grade of 9.8%.