With the Winter Olympics in Sochi well underway, other cities that hosted previous Olypmic Games have a keen interest in the event. Specifically, Lake Placid, New York, who hosted the Winter Olympics in 1932 and again in 1980. So, how can you experience the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid.

Freestyle skiing at Whiteface Mountain
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According to an article by Elissa Richard for Fodor's Travel,

Tucked into the Adirondacks of upstate New York, the small mountain resort town of Lake Placid—a two-time host to the Winter Olympic Games, with its related infrastructure still largely intact—offers would-be Olympians and casual winter sports enthusiasts alike a gold medal-worthy getaway, not to mention a suitable surrogate for 2014's far-flung Sochi Games. Whether you're looking to tune into your inner Olympian while out bobsledding, skiing, skating, and more; to watch the world's best athletes in action as they train and compete; —here are winning reasons to make way for Lake Placid this winter.

Pick up an Olympic Sites Passport for bundled, great-value access to the many Olympic attractions about town, and then ponder the impact of Lake Placid's Olympic history at the well-presented little Olympic Center museum.

 

Bobsled in Lake Placid
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Schuss the alpine slopes of the Olympic Whiteface Mountain, boasting the highest vertical drop east of the Rockies—visitors in 2014 can try out the newly cut run at Rand's Last Stand, or test their freestyle skills courtesy of the recently added US Airbag, an inflatable "pillow" meant to soften landing impacts. Cross-country ski the games' former competitive trails at Mount Van Hoevenberg, or have a whirl on skates around the Olympic Speed Skating Oval. Feed your need for speed on the iced bobsled chute, where a half-mile track proposes 2G forces and speeds of up to 55 mph as you zip along, professional driver and brakeman happily in tow. Daredevils can stick around, too, for pulse-racing luge or skeleton rides, on select days. Or, go more obscure with a biathlon training session in cross-country skiing and/or riflery, and then sneak a peek at the gravity-defying, 26-story-high Olympic ski jump (don't worry—you take the elevator back down).

Lake Placid skiing
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Lake Placid Hockey
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While this year's winter sports calendar is winding down,

there's still time to schedule 2014 trips to coincide with the ECAC Men's Hockey Championships (March 21-22), and more.

Luge at Lake Placid
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Burgeoning Mountain Cuisine

Lake Placid's dining options run the gamut from the comfort food and nostalgia served up at the all-you-can-eat buffet at the 58-year-old Howard Johnson's Restaurant (one of only two remaining in the US today) to the polished atmosphere and seasonally driven gourmet cuisine at the The View Restaurant at The Mirror Lake Inn Resort & Spa."

And of course, there's the Lake Placid Pub & Brewery, home of legendary Ubu Ale. I've been there, and give it two thumbs up!

For more on the Olympic experience in Lake Placid, go to fodors.com.

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