It’s scheduled to open from noon to 4 p.m., then again from 7 to 9 p.m. The toboggan chute will have the same hours of operation for Sunday, Jan. 18 and will also be open from noon to 3 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 19. All hours are subject to change based on weather, lake and operating conditions.

The announcement was made on Monday, Jan. 12.

Following the open weekend, the regular schedule, weather permitting, will be Fridays from 7 to 9 p.m., Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m., then again from 7 to 9 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 3 p.m. These hours could be extended during holiday periods. The most up-to-date hours will be posted on the North Elba Park District’s website and Facebook page at tinyurl.com/t7zv353y.

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. Payment is by card only, no cash will be accepted. Tickets must be purchased on site and are not sold in advance, given that last-minute fluctuations in weather may impact operations.

Those looking to experience the toboggan chute appear to have the weather on their side. High temperatures on opening weekend are forecasted to remain just below freezing, according to the National Weather Service’s Burlington, Vermont office, which serves the Olympic Region. High temperatures on Saturday, Jan. 17, of around 30 degrees Fahrenheit are predicted, with Sunday, Jan. 18 expected to see highs in the mid-20s.

This comes ahead of much colder temperatures expected for the following work week as an Arctic air mass moves over the area, likely producing multiple days with daytime highs stuck in the single digits or low teens and overnight lows plummeting to double digits below zero.

The toboggan chute is operated by the North Elba Park District. In late December, park district Manager Jeremy Evans was confident that — although he couldn’t then name a specific opening date — it would be earlier than last year’s. With the recent opening announcement, that prediction appears to have come to fruition.

Last year, the chute opened for the season on Jan. 25, 2025. That, however, was still earlier than two seasons ago. In 2024, the chute opened on Feb. 16, and three seasons ago, in 2023, it opened on Feb. 5.

Before being able to announce the opening, there not only needed to be sufficiently thick ice on Mirror Lake — around 8 inches, depending on the ice’s quality — but the structure had to pass an annual state Department of Labor inspection.

The toboggan chute — located on Parkside Drive near the post office — was rebuilt 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.