Mirror Lake Inn, Lake Placid Offers Authentic Adirondack Ski Experiences

On November 15, the ski and ride season at Whiteface Mountain will be underway. And while some lifts will run just for the weekend, the signal is clear: a new season is upon us.

Here at the Mirror Lake Inn in the heart of the Adirondacks, they take skiing seriously and personally. The hotel’s operations manager, Andrew Weibrecht, son of innkeepers Ed and Lisa Weibrecht, won Olympic silver and bronze medals in alpine skiing’s Super G prior to his retirement in 2018. Since then, this AAA Four Diamond Upstate New York hotel and resort property has created a program whereby hotel guests can Ski With Andrew, that is, to exclusively book ski excursions with Andrew at Whiteface Mountain where the three-time Olympian learned his craft as a youngster. Ski With Andrew begins Dec. 5.

“It’s been great to be able to ski with our guests and their families in recent years,” said Andrew, who was inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum in 2019. “This season, we’ll do it again on Whiteface Mountain, which hosted the Olympic alpine events in 1980. I’m looking forward to showing our skiers the trails and all the history and legacy from those ski events in 1980.”

When skiing with Andrew, ask him to take you on the lift near the base that bears his racing nickname – Warhorse – and was installed just three years ago.

As this is not a learn to ski experience, skiers must be at least of intermediate ability. Beginners can book group and private lessons at Whiteface Mountain.

In addition, the Inn’s alpine skiing guests can take advantage of the only hotel ski shop in the Adirondacks. Andrew and brother Ethan, a former college racer, operate the Mirror Lake Inn Ski Shop. They carry top-of-the-line equipment from Head and Blizzard. By sending in their specs and making reservations in advance, Andrew and Ethan will put a world class preparation on the skis and have them waiting for guests near the front desk on their way to Whiteface Mountain.

Now there’s more, however, with a comparable Nordic skiing component. While Ski With Andrew satisfies alpine skiers, the Inn has expanded its offering to cross-country skiers with its Ski With Andrea opportunity. Cross-country skiers will stride local trails with Andrea Henkel Burke, the owner of four Olympic medals in biathlon (two gold, one silver, one bronze) as well as eight World Championship titles.

A native of Germany, Henkel Burke is the wife of local athlete Tim Burke, in his own right a four-time U.S. Olympian in biathlon, five-time World Cup medalist and World Championship silver medal winner. Burke’s career grew from his training at the Lake Placid Olympic venues. The couple make their home in Lake Placid.

“I am very excited to meet with the cross-country ski fans from the Mirror Lake Inn,” said Henkel Burke. “Cross-country skiing is such a fun, healthy sport for all levels. Workouts can be as hard or as easy as wanted, skating or classic. I am excited to meet guests, who have never been on skis before, as well as athletes, who are looking for a technique session or a training partner for some good intervals.”

In addition, this upscale resort has partnered with Lisa Densmore Ballard, a former U.S. national team skier and dominant Masters division competitor, for her Your Turn Women’s Ski Clinic, set for March 21-23. Attending ladies can join Lisa and Andrew and level up their alpine techniques at Whiteface Mountain in a fun and supportive environment. And return each evening to the lavish accommodations offered by the Inn.

The Mirror Lake Inn is the only Lake Placid property offering athletes of such pedigree to its guests in two different disciplines of skiing.

“This is like skating with Scott Hamilton or playing tennis with the Williams sisters,” said Chris Jarvis, Mirror Lake Inn marketing manager. “We are fortunate to connect some of the ski world’s most successful Olympic athletes with our Mirror Lake Inn guests. Ride the Whiteface Mountain gondola and ski Excelsior with Andrew, or double-pole your way out of the Olympic cross-country stadium alongside Andrea. These are dreams elsewhere that we can turn into reality here.”

The respective skiing excursions do not include lift tickets or trail passes.