The High-Tech Home of USA Luge

A new era in training for the sport of luge began on Oct. 16, 1992 when USA Luge formally opened its $1.1-million headquarters in Lake Placid, N.Y. The facility, which houses three indoor luge training ramps, is one of the most sophisticated and technically advanced of its kind in the world. You can learn more about the sport of luge and its athletes through a guided tour every weekday at 2 p.m.

USA Luge’s headquarters features one of only two indoor start tracks in North America, and just the seventh worldwide (others are located in Canada, Germany (3), Italy, and Latvia). There are three individual practice ramps, each approximately 10 feet high and constructed at inclines of 25, 30, and 35 percent to emulate the starts most used in international competition.

Through advanced refrigeration technology, the track area is controlled for temperature and humidity. This feature ensures that conditions will remain near frost free, thus maximizing the similarities between training and competition.

The 7,200 square foot building includes offices for USA Luge's staff and coaches, sled storage and workrooms, a conference room and media room.

The media room's effectiveness is a product of advanced video and computerized timing. Through modern computer software, a slider's start time is registered at multiple intervals in conjunction with video footage. With numerous camera positions surrounding the start, the athlete can complete a training run, return to the start position and immediately watch a replay of that run. The track is illuminated with television lighting creating a state-of-the-art setting that captures the intricacies of the luge start. Athletes from the U.S. Senior National, Junior National, Candidate and Development teams use the ramps extensively

Also, USA Luge hosts its annual indoor start competition, the JetBlue U.S. National Luge Start Championships, each summer to gauge each athlete's progress during the off-season.