Sisters Bryn, Syra and Brielle Chopra pose on Mirror Lake at the base of the Lake Placid Toboggan Chute in February 2025. (News photo — Chris Gaige)

LAKE PLACID — As this classic Adirondack winter marches on, a towering question comes to mind: When will the Lake Placid Toboggan Chute open?

It’s a question that North Elba Park District Manager Jeremy Freeman knows is on the top of the minds of residents and visitors alike. The park district operates the chute, and Freeman said there’s a lot of excitement and anticipation around the iconic winter attraction.

The toboggan chute — located on Parkside Drive near the post office — was re-built in 2017, replacing an old chute that was converted into a toboggan chute from a Lake Placid Club ski jump in 1965. The new chute stands at 30 feet tall. Sleds can build up enough momentum to slide as far as 1,000 feet across the ice on Mirror Lake beneath the chute.

Freeman said that while temperatures have been cooperative, getting the chute required for operation requires patience. While the ice may be thick enough in spots to support people walking, the equipment they use to clear off the ice and prep the chute weighs in at around 2,750 pounds with an operator.

As such, Mirror Lake requires about 8 inches of ice to reliably support the crews and their machinery. Freeman noted that “about” is key here, as it’s not just the amount of ice, but the quality of it. He distinguished between “clear ice” and “white ice.” Clear ice is the strongest and safest ice. It forms under uninterrupted cold and calm conditions.

Brielle, Syra and Brandi Chopra zip down the Lake Placid Toboggan Chute on Mirror Lake in February 2025. The family visited from Long Island on vacation during the holiday week. (News photo — Chris Gaige)

White ice, on the other hand, has more tiny air bubbles trapped within it, which can compromise its structural integrity. It often forms during variable weather conditions, such as freeze-thaw-freeze cycles, or when blowing or falling snow lands on the lake surface — all common occurrences for Mirror Lake.

If it were purely clear ice, Freeman said less would be needed for the toboggan chute to open. Mother Nature, however, usually has other plans.

“The clear ice, at 6 to 7.5 inches, can hold up to 4,000 pounds, so we’re within range there,” he said. “But, it’s often that we don’t get that type of quality of ice on a lake surface.”

Freeman said that depending on the weather pattern, these two types of ice can marble within each other, requiring extra diligence to determine how much ice is needed to safely support certain amounts of weight. Freeman said that before the Monday, Dec. 29 thaw, the icepack near the chute was about 50% clear ice and 50% white ice.

“You could have a good, clear section at the bottom, and then have these layers of milkier ice in between, which is less strong, but then can even have that clear ice on top of that, too,” he said. “It kind of becomes almost a ribboning effect.”

The Lake Placid Toboggan Chute on Mirror Lake is seen on Tuesday, Dec. 30. (News photo — Chris Gaige)

With the toboggan chute’s outrun extending about 300 yards down the lake, Freeman said that consistency is key, and multiple measurements need to be taken. Once the ice is safe enough for crews to walk on — between 4 and 6 inches — they make their way out with a chainsaw to carve out the ice core samples.

The ice was approaching that 8-inch mark just as the brief thaw commenced. It had already been thick enough closer to the Lake Placid Beach House for park district crews to get their equipment on the ice to clear and open a skating rink.

Although the weather set them back a bit, Freeman was hopeful that with the cold weather throughout the rest of New Year’s week, a quick recovery would be in order, and the preparations could resume.

Once construction is complete, one step remains: the required annual inspection from the state Department of Labor. The toboggan chute is classified as an amusement park ride.

Freeman said that the park district is not allowed to anticipate an opening in advance to schedule an inspection. Instead, it must first be complete, and only then can the appointment be made. He added that it usually takes about a week.

Inspectors usually ask about the thickness of the ice, look at the construction of the outrun and check the integrity of the tower channels to make sure they’re sufficiently iced in and can retain the sleds as they make their way down. Freeman said they also check on the safety apparatus, ensuring that all of the rescue equipment is readily accessible in the unlikely event it’s needed.

This includes throw ropes, buoy rings, specially designed ice picks for someone in the water to grab into the ice and pull themselves out, along with an automated external defibrillator and first-aid kit. Once the inspection is passed, Freeman said they’re in the clear to open.

And just when might that be?

“I don’t want to throw a date out there, because who knows what’s going to happen tomorrow,” he said. “But, we are definitely shooting for opening earlier than we did last year.”

That happened to be Saturday, Jan. 25, which was earlier than the two seasons before that. In 2024, the chute opened on Feb. 16, and in 2024, it opened on Feb. 5. It’s all weather-dependent, and the best place to check for the latest conditions is the North Elba Park District’s Facebook page and website — found online at tinyurl.com/t7zv353y.

The website will also include operating hours once the chute opens. Admission is $20 for adults and $10 for students, with only credit cards accepted. One ticket provides the rider with as many rides in a given session as they would like.