We were so honored to host the freestyle, freeski, slopestyle, big air, and snowboard slalom events associated with the Lake Placid 2023 FISU World University Games from January 12-22 at Gore Mountain! The Winter World University Games is the largest winter multi-sport collegiate athletic event on the planet. We hope you got a chance to visit from January 12-22 and witness some of the world’s best collegiate athletes displaying high-flying tricks and exciting maneuvers while they were here.
In case you didn’t visit during the event window or wish to recount the excitement, check out the video below featuring some of our favorite moments of the Games, and continue reading this recap of the 11-day event and the days leading up to it.
World University Games Torch Relay and Ceremony
On Tuesday, 1/10, two days prior to the official opening of the Games, Gore Mountain was a stop on the Torch Relay and some visitors got their first glimpses of various national flags, FISU dignitaries, ORDA delegates, Lake Placid 2023 team members, World University Games mascot Adirondack Mac the moose, international athletes, and their coaches and support staff proudly wearing their team’s colors. About 150 athletes from 27 different countries around the world including Brazil and Mongolia participated in these Games at Gore Mountain!
Ski & Snowboard Cross Events
The competition lineup kicked off on Thursday, 1/12 with Ski Cross Qualification rounds, followed up the next day by Round Robins and Finals on Friday, 1/13. In Ski & Snowboard Cross, each competitor’s Alpine and Freestyle skills combine in timed head-to-head races. The course terrain incorporated big air jumps and high-banked turns on Wild Air, Pot Luck, and The Arena. Sunday 1/15 – Monday, 1/16 was the same lineup of events but for snowboarders.
Slopestyle Events for Freeski & Snowboard
Tuesday, 1/17 – Wednesday, 1/18 featured the Slopestyle competitions in which skiers/riders raced down the designated course on 2b and The Arena, hitting a variety of obstacles, jumps, and rails and doing backflips or other “impossible” acrobatic tricks. The slopestyle course started on 2b with several sets of rails leading into two massive stepover jumps on The Arena.
Big Air Competition
Thursday, 1/19 – Friday, 1/20 was the Big Air competition, the signature event of the Gore Mountain lineup. Epic tricks like multiple flips and big air over 100 feet wowed fans both days. Competitors got two runs to showcase their best tricks, in an attempt to qualify for the finals. This course began at the top of The Arena and incorporated both huge stepover jumps with the fiercest and highest flying of competitors landing almost alongside the base of the Northwoods Gondola!
About 4″ of fresh snow and flurries in the air set the mood for Friday’s Big Air Finals. Hundreds of spectators with cowbells and temporary tattoos crowded into the finish area and around the jumbotrons to cheer on their new heroes. This event quickly proved to be the most popular and crowd-pleasing of the four categories of freestyle events hosted at Gore.
Snowboard Parallel Slaloms
Saturday, 1/21 – Sunday, 1/22 rounded out the Games at Gore with Snowboard Slaloms, one of the youngest disciplines in these prestigious competitions. Riders were paired up to race down two evenly spaced courses at speeds of up to 70 mph. Gates are set to force extremely tight and quick turns, or wide sweeping turns through the more spaced out Giant Slalom gates.
Live TV Broadcasting
ESPN was onsite broadcasting the finals events for Slopestyle on Wednesday and Big Air on Friday on live TV, with cameras sweeping the enthusiastic crowds between competitors’ runs. Following each final at Gore, a Mascot Ceremony took place on the course in which the top three finishers were presented a plush Adirondack Mac stuffed moose. Shortly after the crowds moved into the podium area where finishers were presented their Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals. The FISU anthem echoed through the Base Area as flags were raised to represent each finalist’s home country.
Sundeck Parties & Spectator Fun
Every day of the Games featured an exciting and festive lineup for spectators and skiing/riding guests including a live DJ, food & drink specials, local vendors, complimentary S’mores, and the Spin-It-to-Win-It! Prize Wheel. Visitors lined up on the Sundeck each day at 12pm to spin the colorful prize wheel. Local food trucks KoKo Chariot & Big Bear were on site both weekends and several midweek days, offering delicious steaming specialties to keep visitors warm and well-fueled. Adirondack Vendors included Revolution Rail, Adirondack Fudge, & Brower Road Sugarhouse. The Chevrolet tent had logo beanie giveaways on several midweek days. Course and finish area views required a valid lift ticket, season pass, or spectator ticket. Above the Base Area, open terrain was available to the skiing/riding public – plenty of room for all to have fun!
Operational Updates
Changes to Gore’s regular winter operations included modifications to parking layout, traffic flow, and lodge space to allow for law enforcement, athlete transportation, FISU delegates, and dignitaries; adjustments to daily guest capacity limits to allow for crowds of spectators; development of secure areas and security checkpoints; and scheduling of trails and lifts to accommodate events. Gore’s operations crews from each department teamed up with the Lake Placid 2023 organizing committee to transform your everyday Base Area into a massive international event arena. With the early winter of unseasonable temps and lacking natural snow, our snowmaking team was up for the challenge and laid out an unbelievable amount of snow which was used to build these elite competition-level courses. To shape these courses, we are so appreciative of the assistance from Arena Snow Parks, a professional course-building company out of British Columbia.
Thank you!
The Gore Mountain Team is unbelievably proud of the successful partnerships that developed over several years of planning and preparation and weeks of hard labor which allowed this event of such a grand scale to flow so seamlessly alongside our daily snow sports operations. Thank you to all of the partners, sponsors, and stakeholders that made this prestigious international event a reality at Gore Mountain and other winter sports venues around New York State!
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