Greg Honywill straps on a snowboard before descent down Whiteface, seen on map in the background. -- Photo by Brad Honywill

It's been 26 years since the last of two winter Olympic Games was held in Lake Placid, N.Y.

But the town remains one of the best ski holiday destinations in eastern North America and continues its connection to the Olympic Games with a steady stream of world-class skiing competitions leading this year's Torino, Italy, games.

Much of the credit for keeping Lake Placid a world-class skiing destination should go to the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA), which was created by the New York legislature after the 1980 Olympic Games to manage and promote state-owned Olympic facilities such as Whiteface Mountain Ski Centre, and the bobsled, luge, cross-country and biathlon facilities at Mt. Van Hoevenberg. ORDA has invested $40 million into venue improvements in recent years and has maintained this site as a major stop for international and national events.

Ultimately, however, nature must take credit for the continuing success of this Adirondack mountain recreational paradise, located a six hour's drive east of Toronto.

The longest run at Whiteface, the site of alpine events during the 1980 Games, is almost 6 km. And it boasts the greatest vertical drop east of the Rockies at 3,430 feet (1, 045 metres).

Just to put that in perspective, Le Massif near Quebec City has a vertical drop of 2,526 feet (770 metres), Mont Tremblant north of Montreal is 2,116 feet (645 metres), Blue Mountain near Collingwood is 720 feet (220 metres) and Mount St. Louis-Moonstone north of Barrie is 500 feet (152 metres). On the other hand, Whistler-Blackcomb in the Canadian Rockies is 5,280 feet (1,610 metres).

Whiteface also has 73 trails ranging from beginner to expert, a private mountain area with its own lifts and trails for children and beginners, a "very serious superpipe" for snowboarders and three terrain parks for those who like to ski close to the branches. Among the improvements in recent years was the installation of the Cloudsplitter Gondola, North America's fastest gondola, which is heated and carries eight passengers.

There are also lots of off-day activities linked to the Olympic Games, including the Lake Placid Winter Olympic Museum , the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex and the Olympic Centre/Speed Skating Oval.

If downhill skiing isn't your thing, there is the Verizon Sports Complex, featuring a newly constructed combined bobsled, luge and skeleton track and more than 30 km of cross country trails and the Biathlon Stadium.

As for nightlife, Lake Placid offers a different experience from big-name, chain resorts such as Mont Tremblant, Whistler-Blackcomb and Blue Mountain, owned by Interwest. There is no "village" at the base of the hills as there are in those locations.

Instead, there is a town, several kilometres from Whiteface and the cross-country facilities, providing a variety of foods and entertainment.

Accommodations vary from bed and breakfast to fine hotels.

We stayed at the Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa with food that will have you salivating in anticipation of each meal. Rooms go for $220-$360 US and are available with ski packages at Whiteface. This is a perfect location for a romantic getaway, including beautiful rooms, fantastic food and a stunning view of the surrounding lakes, mountains and town.

BOTTOM LINE

- For more information about Whiteface Mountain Ski Centre, call 518-946-2223.
- For more information about the Mirror Lake Inn, call 518-523-2544.