Just less than 6 miles from Mount Hoevenburg, the Mackenzie Intervale Ski Jumping Center towers eerily over the trees; a strikingly bizarre, manmade contraption in the middle of a green covered mountain.
This was one of the main things I wanted to see on our Lake Placid trip. I’ve been intrigued by ski jumping ever since I was a kid and I love to watch it, but I know for sure I would never have had the guts to give it a try.
The complex is not especially large or complicated, but it is one of only two places in North America that boasts an Olympic level ski jump facility- the other is Salt Lake City, Utah. The Lake Placid site consists of a small visitor and gift shop area, a small-moderately sized lodge and viewing area, and of course, the jumping slopes.
There are 5 jumps, or ramps; 2 Olympic sizes, 2 shorter training ramps, and another that looks like the remains of an older, primitive ramp that may/may not still be in use.
Of course, the best way to take a look around and get a sense of what it must be like to jump, is to go to the top of the Olympic ramps. A short, gondola style lift gets you to the top of the landing hill. From there you take a short walk to the towers where an elevator takes you to the top. There is a fairly small, indoor “on deck” waiting area at the top, but the real action is outside at the top of the ramp.
As impressive as the ramps look when viewed from the bottom, the views from the top are what really give a sense of what ski jumping must be like. It’s a very long way down. The ramp is insanely steep. The landing hill seems too far to reach. We visited in the summer, but I can imagine everything seeming more intimidating when covered in a blanket of snow under a grey winter sky.
Pictures describe the place better than words:
The landing hill is covered in a green, artificial turf-like material that gets watered by sprinklers every few minutes. When we asked a staff member about it, they explained that because of this high tech material, ski jumping can happen year round! The wet, plastic grass actually reacts very much like snow, and jumpers find both to be equally good for landing purposes.
I was dying to see somebody make a jump, but figured it was a lost cause until one of the staff mentioned that a few local jumpers and their coaches were scheduled to practice the next morning.
So of course we came back- and it was totally worth it! You have to look very closely, but check this out!
Most of the jumpers on the Olympic ramps are high school boys, although the facility can be used by anybody who is working with a coach. Many of the jumpers are local to the Lake Placid area, and because they are lucky enough to actually be able to practice the sport, many of our Team USA ski jumpers come from the region. In fact, our tour guide back at Mount Hoevenburg told us that when he was in elementary school, they had a small ski jump set up on the school grounds. He said they would sometimes work on ski jumping in gym class, and the kids that showed either talent or fearlessness were encouraged to get a coach and pursue the sport.
When winter comes, the facility hosts jumping events and competitions that are often open for public viewing. Sounds like road trip!
We really had great time in Lake Placid and would love to visit again in the winter. If you missed my other posts about the trip, you can catch up by reading about Mount Hoevenburg, and the Olympic Museum/Town.
Five O'Clock Shadow 