The James C. Sheffield Speed Skating Oval sits beside the Olympic Center, open to the sky and framed by the Adirondacks. It was used for Olympic speed skating in both 1932 and 1980, and it is most famous as the ice where Eric Heiden won all five men's speed-skating gold medals at the 1980 Winter Games.
Public skating sessions make this one of Lake Placid's most accessible Olympic experiences. You do not need to be a speed skater to appreciate the place: the 400-metre loop, the mountain backdrop, and the proximity to the Herb Brooks Arena and Olympic Museum turn a simple skate into a compact lesson in winter-sports history.