The board approved a $96 million project aimed at improving the sliding track and refrigeration plant during a meeting at the Olympic Jumping Complex. A new refrigeration plant would be built next to the current system, which dates to 1978, so that the system can be easily switched over and the track can remain operational this season. The facility is used for the Olympic sports of luge, bobsled and skeleton.

Other improvements include the replacement of the “Start 3” building, repairs to the track curves, upgrades to sunshade and roofing systems and a new building that will house track operations and timing systems. There are also improvements planned for the water and wastewater infrastructure.

“As we look toward the future in the master plan, we’re trying to upgrade all of our infrastructure to get it to a place where we can just maintain,” said Ashley Walden, ORDA president and CEO, referring to the Mount Van Hoevenberg master plan.

Additional changes would also improve the spectator experience at Mount Van Hoevenberg, according to Walden. They are in the process of designing a people mover — a generic term for something like a lift or tram that can transport people over difficult terrain. Whatever the final design looks like, the goal would be to make the track more accessible to spectators. With the same goal in mind, Walden said they are also planning to increase accessibility at “the Heart” and “Curve 10.”

“In the winter, (the sliding track) is phenomenal to see. There are only two places in the United States that this exists,” Walden said during the Sept. 20 meeting. “It’s really unique, but it’s hard to access.”

The uniqueness is also a driving force behind the effort to maintain world-class venues.

Walden said they receive requests from all over the world from people who want to train and compete at Mount Van Hoevenberg. If Lake Placid succeeds in its bid to be a potential alternate location for the sliding sports of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, Walden said the project timeline would be accelerated.

ORDA has already spent more than $550 million on renovations to its venues in the past several years, mainly to prepare for the 2023 FISU Winter World University Games and attract World Cup events at Mount Van Hoevenberg and the Olympic Jumping Complex.

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Other projects

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Gore Mountain’s oldest aerial ski lift will be replaced, according to a resolution passed by the board Friday. The lift was originally built in 1988 at Whiteface and was moved to Gore in 2002. It’s becoming more difficult to find parts for the lift and maintain, Walden said.

The new lift will be in line with the other lifts currently in use. Walden said the new lift would be able to transport 2,400 people per hour, whereas the current lift moves about 1,800 people per hour. The cost of this project is estimated to be around $8 million.

The board approved a resolution allowing ORDA to purchase additional snowmaking equipment at Whiteface Mountain from HKD Snowmakers.

The total cost of this equipment is expected to be $617,973. The snowmakers are expected to arrive in early October and will be installed before the ski season begins, according to Walden.

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A more sustainable future

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During her president’s report, Walden said that ORDA is developing an organization-wide sustainability policy, which will come before the board in December. She said that for many years, the planning and construction team has been at the forefront of ORDA’s sustainability efforts. Walden said it needs to be central to the entire organization.

“Our organizational culture needs to be one where sustainability is a priority for everybody and it’s really at the forefront of our operations,” she said.

That isn’t to say that ORDA hasn’t already made strides toward operating more sustainably. Gore Mountain is supported by two solar fields in Washington County, which ORDA purchased in 2023. Even though they have added lifts and snowmaking equipment, emissions, measured per skier visit, have been reduced by 63% since the 2015-2016 winter season. Walden also estimates that Gore Mountain energy costs have been cut by more than half due to the offset from solar power.

The board carried a motion to allow Walden to enter into an electricity supply contract for Gore Mountain. Walden said the goal is to find two-year rates for Gore and that in a relatively volatile market, they need to be able to jump on good rates when they become available.

A similar resolution was passed allowing Walden to enter into insurance coverage agreements since the insurance market is also volatile.