Jan. 16 (Bloomberg) — As our rented Jeep 4X4 negotiated a
tricky curve a few miles east of Lake Placid, Whiteface suddenly
came into view and our hearts just about stopped.
You can keep your manicured Green Mountains of Vermont and
New Hampshire Whites, mere pillows compared to the primal
majesty of New Yorks 6.1-million-acre Adirondack Park. Ten
miles outside Lake Placid, home of the 1932 and 1980 Winter
Olympics, Whiteface Mountain offers fresh powder along 76
challenging trails and a world-class, 3,430-foot vertical drop.
Just as important, the years since the 80 Olympics have
seen a dramatic upgrade in accommodations throughout the rugged,
fiercely beautiful park, making the area a seductive lure for
weekend escapes — especially long weekends like the Martin
Luther King Jr. holiday coming up. A Conde Nast Traveler survey
counts three properties in Lake Placid among the top 50 ski
hotels in North America.
Ski magazine ranked Whiteface third among top Eastern ski
resorts in North America, behind Mont Tremblant in Quebec and
Smugglers Notch in Vermont. As my family discovered recently,
its also an incomparable destination for a romantic getaway, a
family retreat — or a combination of the two.
Arriving in Lake Placid is like entering a childhood dream
of winter. At the Mirror Lake Inn — named the No. 1 ski resort
in the Northeastern U.S. by Conde Nast Traveler — snow-laden
tree branches sparkle with tiny white lights, huge drifts line
the plowed roads and the lake is dotted with dog-sled teams
mushing against a backdrop of cloud-enshrouded high peaks.
If you arrive in late afternoon, tea and freshly baked
chocolate-chip cookies await you in the main lodge. Deep leather
sofas, antler chandeliers, inevitable moose heads and tasteful
tartans convey rustic fantasy as if designed by Ralph Lauren.
Chocolate-Chip Cookies
The inn has a broad array of accommodations, from intimate
rooms in the main house to suites, like ours, in a separate
lodge right on the water. The main bedroom featured a four-
poster bed with a spectacular view of the lake and mountains, a
gas fireplace, a big-screen plasma TV with access to an
extensive DVD library and a kitchenette. The second bedroom had
nearly all of the same, and we even had, blessedly, two
luxuriously appointed bathrooms.
My wife and I wanted our two teenage children, both
accomplished skiers, to enjoy a classic winter experience: snow
everywhere and deep cold made tolerable by vigorous activity,
roaring fires and great food. Aside from the slopes, the Olympic
Speed Skating Oval and the 1980 Olympic Arena both have ice-
skating. The Verizon Sports Complex is the only place in the
Northeast where you can ride a bobsled on an Olympic run.
The Candy Man
The less athletic can enjoy a leisurely stroll through town
and explore winter gear at Eastern Mountain Sports, opulent
furnishings at the Adirondack Store or handmade chocolates at
the Candy Man.
Mirror Lake Inn offers ambitious fare in three restaurants,
but our best meal was dinner at Milano North, on Lake Placids
Main Street. We had excellent thin-crust pizzas out of a wood-
burning oven, homemade pastas — pappardelle with veal and
sausage and seafood ravioli were both first-rate — and
perfectly cooked roast duck and hanger steak. The wine list is
carefully chosen and moderately priced.
Indulge yourself at the inns spa, whose Swedish massages,
body treatments, steam rooms and whirlpool baths will dissolve
whatever workday tensions may still linger. Or try the even more
extensive amenities at the Whiteface Lodge, such as the outdoor
ice rink, cigar and cognac lounge, a movie theater and bowling
alley.
Complimentary Dog Biscuits
For a truly over-the-top splurge, theres The Point on
nearby Saranac Lake. A former Rockefeller “Great Camp, its
now a Relais %26amp; Chateaux property offering a superlative wine
list and high-end dining and service that includes biscuits for
your dog.
Wintertime festivities peak with the annual Saranac Lake
Winter Carnival, which celebrates its 111th year Feb. 1-10 and
offers such diversions as snowshoe races, pond hockey and
torchlight skiing.
In addition to the long King and Presidents Day weekends,
another travel target could be Jan. 26, the 50th anniversary
celebration of the Whiteface Ski Sweater Ball, complete with
night skiing and fireworks.
Costs: Our Mirror Lake Inn two-bedroom suite was $895 a
night, plus $130 in taxes and mandatory gratuity, no meals. The
Whiteface Lodge charges about the same for comparable
facilities. The Point ranges from $1,350 to $2,600 a night,
including three meals, wine and liquor, plus tax and gratuity.
The dinner at Milano North, exclusive of wine, was $190. Lift
tickets at Whiteface are $67 a day for adults. Theres free
shuttle service to the mountain.
(Jeremy Gerard is an editor for Bloomberg News. The
opinions expressed are his own.)
To contact the writer on this story:
Jeremy Gerard in New York at
