Facilities
Olympic Jumping Complex
Does any sport try so hard to defy the force of gravity as ski jumping? At the Olympic Jumping Complex, you'll see up close what World Cup athletes will do to ignore, for as long as possible, that downward pull.
In Lake Placid, three of our jumps are equipped for summer flight. Surfaces made of half-cut porcelain marbles and plastic shingles, which we water to simulate snow, allow jumpers to practice and compete year-round. For the freestyle athletes, their landing is a bit wetter in the summer, as they complete their routines by splashing into a 750,000 gallon pool.
Stand at the base of the jumps and watch the athletes—some among the best in the world, others just getting a feel for the sport—tuck down the launch ramp, burst into the air and, seemingly, hang there, suspended, before sticking the landing. Nearby, aerialists will spring off steep kickers on the freestyle hill in a flurry of twists, turns and tumbles. Wet 'n Wild Wednesdays and Soaring Saturdays are their weekly chance to show off for you. Designed to appeal to the whole family, these performances will give you an inside look at how these amazing athletes pull off all those tricks.
For a different perspective, ride the chairlift up to the base of the jumps. From there, take the elevator to the observation deck at the top of the K-120 meter jump. Then look down and remind your heart to start beating again.
The K-90 and K-120 meter towers have been in use for more than a quarter-century, but Lake Placid's jumping tradition reaches back to the 1920s. It wasn't long after the Wright brothers took off in North Carolina that the people of Lake Placid began experimenting with flight themselves. Except, they left out the wings and propellers.
