It Started In 1895...

When Melvil Dewey and fellow educators first created “The Lake Placid Club” in 1895, he couldn’t have possibly known what he had set in motion. Lake Placid became the winter sports capital of America, hosted the Winter Olympics in 1932 and again in 1980.

Since 1981, it has been our mission to carry on that legacy as it continues to grow. The Lake Placid Legacy Sites have been expanded and modernized to include Whiteface Mountain and Mt Van Hoevenberg as well as a new and improved bobsled track, along with extensive renovation to the Jumping Complex and a host of other renovation and construction projects.

ironshoes bobsled

A singular legacy in two parts...

In 1929, Lake Placid was chosen to host the 1932 Winter Olympics, largely because of an impassioned pitch by Godfrey Dewey and the region’s merit as the premier destination for winter sports in the United States. The 1932 games were a resounding success for both Lake Placid and USA Olympics, with the United States winning the Winter Olympics medal tally for the first time in history.

The Winter Olympics returned to Lake Placid in 1980, hosting thirty-seven nations represented by over 1,000 athletes. During the height of a tense period in the Cold War, the United States Olympic Hockey Team massively upset the juggernaut Soviet Olympic Hockey Team in the tournament’s semi-final round, capturing the hearts of the entire nation.