As Lake Placid ramps up for the Empire State Winter Games and a weekend of events both here in Lake Placid and in neighboring Saranac Lake, I thought you might like to have a sneak peek at what it takes to get our little alpine villages ready for a fun-filled winter weekend.

plowing
Plowing Main Street

Snow is falling steadily this morning on top of the up to 6 inches we received the night before last and yesterday in and around Lake Placid. Our dedicated and experienced experts on "spiffing" up the town are busy today clearing streets, sidewalks, skating rinks and the toboggan chute, building an ice palace, setting up athlete check-in and getting everything ready for all the visitors, athletes and fun-seekers expected to flood our area in the next couple of days!

 

Ice palace construction
Ice palace construction
In nearby Saranac Lake, builders have been busy erecting the annual ice palace, the iconic symbol and anchor of the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival. The tradition dates back over a hundred years and this year's celebration is the 115th edition and runs from February 3 - 12. The history of the Winter Carnival is fascinating and tells of the amazing tenacity of a small mountain town making the most of what used to be the mid-winter doldrums . Think about it - one hundred fifteen years!! Wow.

The 32nd Empire State Winter Games will also take place this weekend in Lake Placid from Feb. 2 - 5.  Lake Placid and  several of the surrounding communities "rescued" the Games when NY State cut funding last year. For a complete schedule and more, plus information on how you can also be a sponsor or supporter, visit the Empire State Winter Games website.

dogsled
Ready to work!

Mother Nature willing, there will be lots to do this weekend - choices including activities that go on every week plus the two large events. Check with your favorite weather guru to make sure you're prepared appropriately no matter what the weather may bring. It's been a strange year for weather but we've got many weeks  of winter left and a lot of room for more snow! Have a fun weekend and if you haven't made a reservation yet, visit our reservations page.

clearing toboggan run
Readying Mirror Lake's toboggan run and skating rink