The Olympic Ski Jumps in Lake Placid are iconic. When we’re driving into town from the south, up 73, our first glimpse of the structures high above the trees is a favorite landmark. You can also enjoy a prime view of the jumps from the John Brown farm, and a distant view from the top of Cobble Hill. But the best is to get up close to really appreciate the size and pitch.

In the summertime, the jumps come alive with athletes training. It’s not posted on the website because times are unpredictable, but athletes are often taking training runs down the different jumps. If you’re lucky, you’ll catch some live action. The other fun thing is watching the freestyle jumpers practice. They take jumps off shorter ramps, do (or attempt) their aerial tricks, and land in a big swimming pool! Some of these kids are really young, while some are older and more experienced. It’s just super fun to watch them. If they’re not jumping into the water, you might catch them practicing on the nearby trampoline.

There aren’t any guarantees that you’ll see athletes training since there isn’t a formal schedule. But what you can do is check the website and time your visit for a tour with an athlete ambassador. This summer we were treated to a tour from Tate Frantz (17) and Henry Johnstone (21) who both compete on the US national team in Nordic Combined - which is cross-country skiing and ski jumping. Hearing them explain the sport, share their personal stories and experiences, and to watch a demonstration of Henry taking a jump was phenomenal. What you might not have realized is that the jumps are fabricated with a special material that when wet replicates the properties of snow on the jump.

Our next stop was the judges platform located right where the jumper starts flying. That’s when we were introduced to Henry, who told us all about his equipment — 8’ skies, special boots and suit. Henry got suited up and took the elevator ride up to the top. Meanwhile Tate stayed with us on the judges platform, checking the wind and giving the signal to Henry. All of a sudden: Go! Henry took off and you could hear him speeding down the ramp on his skies, and flying past us in mid-air. Whoooosh! Amazing.