Lake Placid’s Record-Breaking 🏆 REALice Track

02 Apr Lake Placid’s Record-Breaking 🏆 REALice Track

We got a note from Lake Placid’s Sliding Sport Operation Manager, Brian Berghorn, about their success with REALice this season. Lake Placid has already hosted two Winter Olympic Games – 1932 and 1980. The combination bobsled, skeleton and luge track on Mt. Van Hoevenberg has already been selected as a stand-in for the 2026 Winter Olympics — if the Italian venue isn’t ready on time.

If they’re called upon, the Lake Placid operations team will be ready. In fact, they’ll be readier than ever before, now they’ve got REALice to treat the water for their track.

Night and Day

I wanted to take a moment to send you my heartfelt thanks after an incredible season using the REALIce system on our track.  We didn’t start the season with it, but once we put it in, the difference in the hardness and quality of the ice was night and day compared to what we’d had before.
 
Something Different

From “Day 1” with REALice, it was clear something was different. The way the ice felt under our traction devices was very different from the softer ice we have grown accustomed to. The first time we watered the track, I needed to assure the operator that the water was turning to ice behind him because it was SO CLEAR he couldn’t see that it was setting up! As for the hardness, it used to be possible to dig into a patch of ice just using a fingernail but that was certainly not the case anymore.  

Over the course of the season, the ice held up beautifully. The World Championships were incredibly successful — despite every weather condition Mother Nature threw at us. We had cold weather, blowing snow, wind, rain, sun and heat! We set

• an unofficial track record in women’s monobob training
• new track records in men’s and women’s skeleton
• took .08 off a 22-year-old record in the Men’s 2 man race
• were within .2 of the track record in both men’s 4 man and women’s 2 man while the air temp was 57°F (+14°C).
  

Natural Ice

Currently all refrigeration is cut off to the track. Temperatures are hovering on freezing and the ice is holding beautifully as a “natural track” as we prepare for this summer’s busy construction schedule.  

I’ve said it multiple times this season, and I’ll say it again. I don’t know how we’ve ever held a race or survived a sliding season without the REALice system.  I’m excited for what more durable ice can unlock for us in the future.

Huge thank-you to you and your team again and the success of the World Championships would not have been possible without your support!  
 
Bryan Berghorn
Sliding Sport Operation Manager

Bring World Class Ice to Your Rink

You might wonder how the Lake Placid Luge Track relates to you and your ice rink. It’s important for ice rinks because it once again shows that REALice-treated water can significantly improve the quality of ice you provide. All you need to do is follow our “best practices.”