Much has been written about the alpine ski resorts. But there is another kind of skiing that many people seem to have forgotten--cross country skiing. Let me tell you a bit about one resort which is located in the heart of Adirondack mountains in New York state. It is called Lapland Lake. It is a Finnish resort owned by a former Olympian Olavi Hirvonen and his family.

I visited Lapland Lake during my senior year in college. I was a couple of physical education credits short and I heard about a cross country skiing trip. So, I signed up. This was a great experience. Lapland Lake has 50 km of trails, 38 of which are trackset with skiing lanes; 12 km are dual use ungroomed snowshoe/ski trails. The trails are in the woods and the nature is spectacular. Also, you can ski on the frozen lake, which is covered by snow. Seeing wildlife is not uncommon, including white-tail deer. otters, snowshoe rabbits, etc.

Lapland Lake has very nice accommodations. You stay in Tupas (cottages) that are fully equipped with heat and woodstove and all the necessary amenities. Finnish authentic sauna is also available on the premises. Lapland lake has ski rentals and they also offer cross-country skiing lessons for classic and skate skiing.

Unlike alpine skiing, cross-country skiing is very inexpensive. Use of the trails with rentals on the weekend is about $26 ($11 without rentals). Weekday skiing is slightly less expensive. Besides skiing, Lapland Lake resort offers sledding, ice skating (rentals available), and snowshoeing (a lot of fun!).

Overall, Lapland Lake is a very pleasant place to spend a weekend. I enjoyed it and I hope you will too.

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