Empire State Winter Games

The Empire State Winter Games is a multi-day winter sports festival featuring skiing, bobsledding, and winter bike events.

Thousands of athletes compete at the Empire State Winter Games. | Photo Courtesy of the Empire State Winter Games

The Empire State Winter Games is a multi-day winter sports event in Lake Placid, New York. In its 40th year running, 2020’s Games seek to exceed last year’s large number of participants, with an expected 2,100 athletes to be competing. 30 different winter sports events are held to showcase the physical abilities of athletes of all ages. Admission is free to the spectators of this arctic event, which runs January 30 through February 2.

Winter Sports

Athletes from New York, Canada, and all over the country compete in a wide variety of winter-themed sports coordinated by the Empire State Winter Games in conjunction with the Olympic Regional Development Authority. The Whiteface Mountain Ski Center proudly hosts a variety of adaptive alpine, cross-country, and freestyle mogul ski events. A new winter bike sport trail has been installed in the ESWG Villages for the highly-anticipated Winter Bike Circuit event. Snowboarding, bobsledding, luging, and hockey can all be seen at the Empire State Winter Games.

Spectator Information for the Empire State Winter Games

There are no admissions fees for spectators, but the Olympic sports venues charge an entry fee. Experiences the games in the best way by buying the ESWG Olympic Sites Passport. The passport offers entry for every event throughout the weekend!

Buy your Passport in advance or at Athlete Check-In to receive the special $30 rate! The pass includes admittance to Whiteface gondola (foot passengers only — this is not a lift ticket), Olympic Jumping Complex, Olympic Sliding Center and the Lake Placid Olympic Museum. The Olympic Center offers free admission to all events.  The Opening Ceremony on Thursday, January 30 at 6:00 p.m., is free and open to the public.

Inaugural Torch Relay

To celebrate the 40th annual games and to draw attention to the newly-constructed Empire State Trail, runners will make the 330-mile trek from Manhattan to Lake Placid. The Trail is the largest multi-use trail in the entire nation. Previous Empire State Winter Games and Olympic Winter Games athletes along with some special guests will be running the relay marathon.

Experience the exciting and thrilling Empire State Winter Games this January and February!

Take Amtrak to The Empire State Winter Games

Experience the Empire State Winter Games and the Adirondacks to Amtrak to Lake Placid (LPA) via Westport Station with bus connection—Don’t forget to use the Amtrak Adirondack Weekend Getaway Discount! Save with $45 one-way fares from New York City and Montreal, and all stops in between aboard the Adirondack.

If Plattsburgh Station is a more convenient stop, use the shuttle service to the Olympic village. Or, make your own time and get picked up from Plattsburgh Station and taken to your reserved NYTRAIN Enterprise Rent-a-Car. Click here to reserve your car or call the Plattsburgh office today at: 518-566-0190.

Many of the hotels and venues in the Lake Placid area also include shuttle service with your room or the price of admission, like the Whiteface Mountain Valley Shuttle.