There's a pocket of warmth in Lake Placid, NY, at the family-owned Mirror Lake Inn. The 128-room, Four-Diamond inn claims a corner of Lake Placid's Mirror Lake, a five-hour drive from New York City or two-hour drive from the airport in Burlington, VT. Opened in the 1920s, the inn was bought in 1976 by Ed and Lisa Weibrecht, who, while carrying on many of the inn's traditions, have modernized and expanded the facilities.

There are a variety of guest accommodations-from two-level suites with Jacuzzis to spacious "super" rooms in the newer wing and lovely two-room suites in lakeside cottages. All rooms have lake views. A spa/salon offers body and beauty treatments, and an indoor pool and Jacuzzi were recently redone in an Adirondack theme.

The inn has expanded its facilities to include the Adirondack Conference Center (receptions for up to 175). With its two massive stone fireplaces and antique furnishings, the conference area is styled after the Great Camps of the area circa the late 1800s. The Wikoff Room seats 140 for meetings, and has a screened porch overlooking the lake-ideal for cocktail hour. There is a wonderful boardroom for up to 20 persons, plus the inn's romantic dining room, also overlooking the lake.

Lake Placid was, of course, home to the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics, and as the town's premier property, the inn has been the host for the last six years of the popular Olympic Challenge, a corporate hospitality/competition (open to associations as well) run by the Olympic Regional Development Authority. Coached by U.S. Olympians, groups participate in winter Olympic events like bobsledding, alpine skiing, ice hockey, and figure skating in the venues used for the 1980 Olympic program. The cost is $1,800 per person. A year-round resort, the inn itself offers a number of customized teambuilding experiences, from canoeing competitions to wilderness hikes.