America’s longest mountain coaster opens in Lake Placid
New year-round ride travels alongside 1980 Olympic bobsled track
Bobsledding is no longer just a wintertime activity here. Well, sort of at least.
The new Cliffside Mountain Coaster at Mt. Van Hoevenberg travels alongside the 1980 Olympic bobsled track and is the latest year-round attraction at the Lake Placid Olympic Sites.
The state says it’s the longest mountain coaster in America.
Opened for its first ride this past Sunday, the ride has a timing and audio system that allows visitors to experience what it was like to be an Olympic bobsledder during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid.
Once a person reaches the top, they can control how slow or fast their car goes down the mountain.
A single driver must be over age 9 and a ticket is $65. A driver and passenger is $75, with the driver having to be over 18; the passenger must be ages 3 to 12.
The coaster will be open to the public on weekends only and includes commentary for riders as they ride down the mountain through twists and turns that replicate the historic track.
“The coaster follows the alignment of the 1932 and 1980
Olympic Bobsled track as it descends the mountain. The views are amazing, and the curves get your heart pounding,” ORDA President & CEO Mike Pratt said in a news release. Those wishing to ride the coaster will have to pre-purchase tickets online to help assist with capacity control at the venue.
Mountain coaster carts will be wiped down and sanitized between each use. Facilities will follow all state pandemic protocols, including the requirement of face coverings for all guests. Masks are already required at all Olympic venues.
Other ORDA attractions in the area include: Sky Flyer Zipline at the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex; the new eight-person, Ada-compliant gondola; new frost rail systems on the 90M and 120M ski jumps at the complex and the Mountain Pass Lodge — featuring a state-of-the-art indoor bobsled and skeleton start track, a 30-point biathlon range, 5km of newly built Nordic trails with a 3-million-gallon snowmaking reservoir.
State workers and contractors also are planning new trailheads for popular Cascade and Porter Mountain hikes. For more information visit https://www.mtvanhoevenberg.com/todo/cliffsidecoaster.