Anyone ever been Bobsledding? (1 Viewer)

[TheIronSheik]

So they keep playing this dumb commercial down here in PA about NY tourism. In it, they showcase all of the winter fun things you can do. And in a quick shot, they show a bobsled. I looked it up online and it looks like you can go bobsledding at Lake Placid.

This sounds both incredibly fun and scary at the same time. I really want to try it. Prices don't seem too steep. But I was wondering if anyone has done it and if it's worth it to try it? Just thinking about it makes me giddy. I'm guessing they're not taking you down at Olympic speeds, but I wonder how fast you go? I assume it's similar to the NASCAR experience where you go fast, but a fraction of the real speed.

Just wondering before I pack the family up in the car and go on a early Spring road trip to NY to ride in a bobsled if it's worth the time and effort.

Anyone done this or something like this?

 

[belljr]

So they keep playing this dumb commercial down here in PA about NY tourism. In it, they showcase all of the winter fun things you can do. And in a quick shot, they show a bobsled. I looked it up online and it looks like you can go bobsledding at Lake Placid.

This sounds both incredibly fun and scary at the same time. I really want to try it. Prices don't seem too steep. But I was wondering if anyone has done it and if it's worth it to try it? Just thinking about it makes me giddy. I'm guessing they're not taking you down at Olympic speeds, but I wonder how fast you go? I assume it's similar to the NASCAR experience where you go fast, but a fraction of the real speed.

Just wondering before I pack the family up in the car and go on a early Spring road trip to NY to ride in a bobsled if it's worth the time and effort.

Anyone done this or something like this?

I haven't done the Bobsled but did the nascar. Not sure if you consider 140 and 165 mph fraction of the speed

 

[Galileo]

I doubt they would/could control the decent speed too much. Average Joe's I would assume can not generate Olympic caliber starts nor could they navigate perfect lines through the course to maximize speed. I am sure the sleds are not the latest and greatest cutting edge technology. Thus, I would assume speeds would naturally be less than Olympic competition. Still sounds as if it would be a pretty cool experience.

 

[Fat Nick]

Lake Placid Bobsled Experience - Did this back in 2008. Basically, you ride with a professional driver and brake-man and just sit in the middle and experience it. It's pretty crazy. You start out very slow...no push start by anyone other than the brake man and think "I could do this..." Then the thing just keeps getting faster and faster and faster...by the time you're near the bottom, you don't fully understand how anyone could steer the thing. Turns come up so fast, and the banking makes you feel like you're going to fly right out the top.

Very cool experience - I have the utmost respect for those guys just because the thought of doing anything precisely at the speeds they reach near the bottom is almost comical to me.

 

[heckmanm]

Heard a guy call into a radio show about the Lake Placid thing this morning. He said they start you off about halfway down the full run, and you top out around 60mph

 

[Foosball God]

Something just got added to my bucket list.

I might have to add this as well:

http://www.whiteface.com/activities/skeleton-experience

 

[Fat Nick]

Heard a guy call into a radio show about the Lake Placid thing this morning. He said they start you off about halfway down the full run, and you top out around 60mph

Yeah...I wasn't sure where they actually started, but I don't think we started where the actual race starts. Still fast and scary as ####. The sled we were in looked like it was from the 1970's though...certainly not what they have on their website now. It's actually a really good deal to do it there though. We were in Park City at the Utah track this January, and they charge a couple hundred dollars for the same thing.

 

[Fat Nick]

Something just got added to my bucket list.

I might have to add this as well:

http://www.whiteface.com/activities/skeleton-experience

Wow...Awesome. I'd totally do that. They didn't have that when I was there. The combo deal with the bobsled is a steal.

 

[Tom Servo]

Anyone done this or something like this?

It's called my daily winter commute.

 

[tom22406]

Back when I was a teen I got a bee jay from my g/f while sitting on a sled.Does that count as Bobsledding?

Also,it looks like the real thing would be a blast.

 

[Apple Jack]

No, but I'm wicked fast on an alpine slide.

 

[Fat Nick]

Not a bobsled, but for anyone in Central PA, this is a lot of fun too...

Eagles Mere Toboggan Slide - Basically, it's a super-long man-made toboggan track that shoots you out onto a frozen lake. Very cool experience.

 

[flapgreen]

Sounds cool

 

[belljr]

Something just got added to my bucket list.

I might have to add this as well:

http://www.whiteface.com/activities/skeleton-experience

so in

 

[FreeBaGeL]

Can't believe it's so much cheaper out there. Out here in Park City it's $200 per person.

 

[TheIronSheik]

Something just got added to my bucket list.

I might have to add this as well:

http://www.whiteface.com/activities/skeleton-experience

Wow...Awesome. I'd totally do that. They didn't have that when I was there. The combo deal with the bobsled is a steal.

I want to go to there.

 

[Fat Nick]

Something just got added to my bucket list.

I might have to add this as well:

http://www.whiteface.com/activities/skeleton-experience

Wow...Awesome. I'd totally do that. They didn't have that when I was there. The combo deal with the bobsled is a steal.

I want to go to there.

In general I'd highly recommend...Whiteface and the Lake Placid area are really pretty and cool. I honestly liked the nostalgia of it more than the more commercialized Olympic stuff in Park City. Don't get me wrong, Park City was amazing...just a very different feel from Lake Placid. Much more commercialized.

 

[TheIronSheik]

Something just got added to my bucket list.

I might have to add this as well:

http://www.whiteface.com/activities/skeleton-experience

Wow...Awesome. I'd totally do that. They didn't have that when I was there. The combo deal with the bobsled is a steal.

I want to go to there.

In general I'd highly recommend...Whiteface and the Lake Placid area are really pretty and cool. I honestly liked the nostalgia of it more than the more commercialized Olympic stuff in Park City. Don't get me wrong, Park City was amazing...just a very different feel from Lake Placid. Much more commercialized.

When did you go up there? We were hoping just to do a weekend (maybe a long weekend) up there. Is a weekend too much/not enough time to enjoy it?

 

[BroadwayG]

Does Epyx Winter Games for the C64 count?

 

[TheIronSheik]

Does Epyx Winter Games for the C64 count?

I loved that game.

 

[The Noid]

Does Epyx Winter Games for the C64 count?

I loved that game.

Biatholon was a chore. Never could get the rythm right.

 

[The Noid]

Six Flags Great Adventure used to have this ride, that was fun.

 

[Fat Nick]

Something just got added to my bucket list.

I might have to add this as well:

http://www.whiteface.com/activities/skeleton-experience

Wow...Awesome. I'd totally do that. They didn't have that when I was there. The combo deal with the bobsled is a steal.

I want to go to there.

In general I'd highly recommend...Whiteface and the Lake Placid area are really pretty and cool. I honestly liked the nostalgia of it more than the more commercialized Olympic stuff in Park City. Don't get me wrong, Park City was amazing...just a very different feel from Lake Placid. Much more commercialized.

When did you go up there? We were hoping just to do a weekend (maybe a long weekend) up there. Is a weekend too much/not enough time to enjoy it?

I went up in the winter of 2007/2008...I think it was early January 2008. If you Ski/Snowboard, you'd probably want a long weekend so you could experience Whiteface mountain and then spend a day or two in town. If you don't Ski/Snowboard, I think a normal weekend would be fine. It's not super-spread out or anything.

I learned to snow board there (1st time ever at age 29...very painful), so I can't comment on the mountain beyond the beginner hill...heard it's nice and want to go back now that I'm proficient. The town is pretty close to the mountain. Check out some of the venue schedules. We did the bobsled experience, and there's usually some ski-jump competitions at night which are really cool. Those guys are NUTS to jump the way they do. I think you can do tours of the ice rink where the Miracle on Ice happened. I didn't manage to do that on our trip. There's also apparently a dog sled thing you can do on the lake if it's frozen.

 

[Fat Nick]

Six Flags Great Adventure used to have this ride, that was fun.

King's Dominion in VA still does... Good times.

 

[TheIronSheik]

Something just got added to my bucket list.

I might have to add this as well:

http://www.whiteface.com/activities/skeleton-experience

Wow...Awesome. I'd totally do that. They didn't have that when I was there. The combo deal with the bobsled is a steal.

I want to go to there.

In general I'd highly recommend...Whiteface and the Lake Placid area are really pretty and cool. I honestly liked the nostalgia of it more than the more commercialized Olympic stuff in Park City. Don't get me wrong, Park City was amazing...just a very different feel from Lake Placid. Much more commercialized.

When did you go up there? We were hoping just to do a weekend (maybe a long weekend) up there. Is a weekend too much/not enough time to enjoy it?

I went up in the winter of 2007/2008...I think it was early January 2008. If you Ski/Snowboard, you'd probably want a long weekend so you could experience Whiteface mountain and then spend a day or two in town. If you don't Ski/Snowboard, I think a normal weekend would be fine. It's not super-spread out or anything.

I learned to snow board there (1st time ever at age 29...very painful), so I can't comment on the mountain beyond the beginner hill...heard it's nice and want to go back now that I'm proficient. The town is pretty close to the mountain. Check out some of the venue schedules. We did the bobsled experience, and there's usually some ski-jump competitions at night which are really cool. Those guys are NUTS to jump the way they do. I think you can do tours of the ice rink where the Miracle on Ice happened. I didn't manage to do that on our trip. There's also apparently a dog sled thing you can do on the lake if it's frozen.

I appreciate the response. It sounds like an awesome place.