By Liz Fleming
It's an amazing trick - to leave your stomach at the top of
a slide while the rest of your body hurtles on down the hill
ahead of it.
It's an experience that's enough to steal the breath from the
most daring of us, and a mind-expanding lesson in the meaning
of speed.
And it's available to anyone 48" or 1.29 meters or taller with
$75 U.S., a minimum of good sense, and the urge to see what it
would be like to be a competitor on the bobsled course at Lake
Placid.
No amusement park facsimile, this ride is the real McCoy,
shooting thrill-seekers down the bottom half of the 1.8 mile
Olympic bobsled run, built for the 1932 Olympic Games, updated
for the 1980 Games, and now used for World Cup events.
Open to the public when not in use for competitions, the
bobsled run is one of Lake Placid, New York's most popular
tourist attractions and a must-do for the wild ones in any
group.  Each custom-built bobsled is piloted by a
professional driver and brakeman, who ensure your safe - if
slightly frantic - passage down the hill.
If you'd asked me to guesstimate how long the descent took, I'd
have said five minutes.  In fact, according to the Olympic
timing equipment at the bottom, we'd done the half-mile in
48.83 seconds.
If you're thinking you'd like to give your stomach an
out-of-body experience as we did, your $75 fee will include
transportation to the top of the run, a lapel pin, t-shirt and
photo taken with your driver and brakeman.
For complete information, and even a downloadable waiver visit
www.orda.org
.
If skiing is more your style, Lake Placid is the place for a
memorable family holiday.
Whiteface offers a huge variety of runs for skiers of every
ability level as well as a great ski school area for kids and
other beginners.  You'll find information on Whiteface at
www.orda.org
as well.
Looking for the ultimate Adirondack experience and able to
afford a bit of a splurge?  Be sure to book at least a
night or two at the Mirror Lake Inn.  A charming old-style
hotel, complete with a real, two-sided wood-burning fireplace
in the lobby and a dining room that serves up hearty
skier-style meals with a gourmet flair, the Mirror Lake
radiates warmth and comfort.
After a long day on the hills, (or perhaps an afternoon spent
cruising the outlet shops on Lake Placid's main street), treat
yourself to the indisputably self-indulgent luxury of a maple
sugar scrub at the Spa, then collapse in sheer contentment in
your cozy room.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
