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Entries from January 27th, 2011

Build a Greener Adirondacks Expo at the Wild Center

January 27th, 2011 · No Comments · Adirondack News

National experts come to the Adirondacks

Three Days to a Greener U

Tupper Lake, NY – The greatest change in homes since the invention of the chimney is underway, and for three days some of the biggest and smallest new ideas will be on center stage at The Wild Center’s second Build EXPO. Expert builders, interested home owners and people who want to see the absolute latest green building ideas can gather at the Center’s Build a Greener Adirondacks EXPO. Some of the nation’s leading practitioners will convene in the Adirondacks to demonstrate energy and money saving ideas and products.


Wild Center LogoThe EXPO uses ski trail signs to distinguish between its expert and easier days. The three day EXPO starts April 29 with Black Diamond day for experts and builders. Day Two will be Blue Square day for residents who feel like they have a strong idea of Green Building and want to add to their knowledge. On the last day it’s Green day, when the public is invited to have a look at the latest ideas and meet the vendors and presenters.

Contractor Green Building Training
Black Diamond Day, April 29

This is a Green Building Training Day. A Fundamentals of Building Green course will be offered to those individuals interested in integrating green practices into the core knowledge of their building business. Once this four hour prerequisite course is successfully completed, participants may opt to take a certificate exam based on the Fundamentals material or select an additional trade specific 6 or 8 hour course offered elsewhere in the state and take a combined Fundamentals/Trade Specific certificate exam. Additional information can be found at www.gpro.org. The course costs $150, which entitles participants to admission on all three days.

Green Building Symposium & EXPO
Blue Square Day, April 30

The middle day of the EXPO will consist of a Green Building Symposium and EXPO with more than 30 building science, product and technology experts from around the northeast sharing information on the latest green building technologies. Presentation topics will include: high performing windows, alternative and unique green building construction techniques, green building science, effective building insulation, passive design considerations, reclaimed lumber, energy saving major building appliances and eco-design concepts (subject to change). The event will include a green building product trade show with numerous exhibitors displaying products and systems that have been recognized for their ability to contribute to safe, healthy, sustainable and/or highly energy efficient building environments. The day will be highlighted with a keynote address offered by Tedd Benson, called one of the most interesting builders in America by Treehugger.com and featured on This Old House, Good Morning America, and the Today Show, and recently recognized with a BuildingGreen.com award for his innovative design. (Day 2 sessions only will be $45 with advance online registration or $55 the day of the event. A combined Day 2 and Day 3 will be $55 with advance online registration and $65 the day of the event.)

EXPO and Community Energy Efficiency Forum
Green Day, May 1

May 1 is The Wild Center’s official reopening day for the 2011 spring visitor season. On this final day the EXPO hall will be open to the public with paid general admission (free for Center members and Season Pass holders) and offer consumers the chance to ask questions and see what kinds of choices they have when they make building or renovation decisions. There will be special speakers and a “The Doctor is In” booth where you can talk about your home’s symptoms and find out if there’s a cure. This day will include a Community Energy Efficiency Forum. People interested in ways to make a greener Adirondack home will have the chance to ask experts on hand here in the Adirondacks thoughout the day.

More Info: BUILD A GREENER ADIRONDACKS EXPO

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ADK Hosts Family Snowshoe Day

January 27th, 2011 · No Comments · Adirondack News

Winter Fun for the Whole Family!

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – Looking for a winter adventure the whole family will enjoy? Join the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) on Saturday, Feb. 12, for Family Snowshoe Day.


SnowshoeingSpend the day snowshoeing on the beautiful trails of ADK’s Heart Lake Property, just south of Lake Placid at the end of Adirondack Loj Road. We’ll provide the snowshoes and instruction for a guided hike around our property, as well as sharing bits of natural history including animal tracking and winter ecology. The program will run from 10 a.m. till 3 p.m.

The cost is $35 for adults and $12 for children 6-15 years old. Kids under 6 are free. For ADK members, the price is only $30 for adults and $10 for kids. Price includes parking at the Adirondak Loj.

For more information, contact ADK Outdoor Leadership Coordinator Ryan Doyle at (518) 523-3480 Ext. 19 or send him an e-mail at workshops@adk.org. For more information about ADK and its outdoor programs and workshops, visit our Web site at www.adk.org.

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Slide Down Mt. Van Hoevenberg

January 26th, 2011 · No Comments · Adirondack Life

Make sure you watch the HD version.

Olympic Bobsled Track - Mt Van Hoevenburg, AdirondacksTrack Specification
Length to finish: 1455 m
Length to end of track: 1680 m
Curves: 20
Average Grade: 9.8%
Vertical Drop to Finish: 107 m
Vertical Drop to low point: 128 m
Maximum G Forces: 5.1
Maximum Speed: 130 km/h                        Official SiteWikipedia
Average Grade: 8.6%

The old track:
“Owning one of the great traditions in the sport, the original bob track in lake Placid was ranked among the most difficult. Lake Placid has hosted the Olympic bobsleigh competitions of 1932 and 1980 along with seven World Championships. In 1999 a new combined track was built for the Goodwill Games.” (link)

Wow, in 1917, the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks successfully blocked “construction of a bobsleigh run on state forest lands, in the Town of North Elba, on the west side of the Sentinel Range, in Wilmington Notch“, which resulted in the construction of the bobsled track in its current location. (link)

Popular Science, 1931 – Mile-a-Minute on a Bobsled
Popular Mechanics, 1932 – Rounding the Zigzag Turn of a Bobsled Run

Olympic Bob-run - Lake Placid, NY
(Photo by Dave Parfitt, via Adventures by Daddy)

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