IT’S hard to become a Winter Olympian – but it’s even harder if you live in or around New York City.
Ice time is sparse and pricey, and snow-covered mountains are at least an hour away. Just about the closest thing to a luge run is Riverside Park’s Suicide Hill.
But it’s not impossible: New Jersey snowboarder Danny Kass and Long Island figure skater Sarah Hughes will be representing the U.S. in Utah.
Want to take a stab at following them? Try training at some of these places.
ALPINE SKIING
* Hunter Mountain, Hunter, N.Y., (888) HUNTER-MTN
Three hours outside the city, Hunter’s big on making snow and terrifying terrain – and turning out top-notch racers and free-stylers, some of whom have made the U.S. Ski Team. Prices for the season-long program range from $449 to $499, not including season pass.
* Windham, Windham, N.Y., (800) Ski-Windham
Here, serious skiers practically live on the mountain, training seven days a week – attending school weekday mornings and skiing every afternoon. U.S. Olympic-medalist skier Dianne Roff occasionally gives pointers. The cost of the competitive racing program is $2,500 for the season, including lift tickets.
* Mountain Creek, Vernon, N.J., (973) 827-2000
Workouts start in the summer, when hopefuls run up and down the mountain. When there’s snow, skiers tone up on their skills two nights a week and on weekends by going backward and skiing on one ski.
This strenuous training, just 90 minutes from Midtown, has spawned some world-class juniors and members of the U.S. developmental team. The cost is $1,000 for the season, not including lift tickets.
SNOWBOARDING
* Mountain Creek, Vernon, N.J., (973) 827-2000
Mountain Creek features a 500-foot-long half-pipe, a bevy of bumps and a new addition, “the roller coaster” – a 60-foot, up-and-down rail that’s for “the bravest of the brave,” warns a spokeswoman.
Training costs $25 per session or $475 per season. Freestyle dudes like Kass prefer to practice unsupervised on Mountain Creek’s impressive obstacle course.
HOCKEY
* Lasker Rink, 106th Street at East Drive, Central Park, (212) 534-7639
If you want a view, go to Wollman. For hockey, go to Lasker, where a package of six hour-long group lessons goes for $150. Or join a league team for a season for $375.
* Chelsea Piers, 23rd Street and the Hudson River, (212) 336-6100
If you can’t take the outdoor chill of Lasker, Chelsea offers an extensive, extremely structured hockey program at its indoor facility. However, the $900 price tag for the youth league might give you cold feet.
FIGURE SKATING
* Iceland Ice Rink, 3345 Hillside Ave., New Hyde Park, N.Y., (516) 746-1100, (516) 873-1130
Olympian Sarah Hughes started training here when she was 5. Eight half-hour-long group lessons cost $136.
* World’s Fair Ice Skating Rink, Flushing Meadows Park, Queens (718) 271-1996
A good spot to learn figure-skating basics. Danielle Broussard, who nearly made the 1988 Olympics, says the city-funded rink offers personal attention at group-lesson cost – $100 for four hour-long lessons. Broussard also gives hour-long private lessons for $70 each.
SKI JUMPING
* Satre Hill, Salisbury, Conn., (860) 435-2171
Just 90 minutes from the city, Satre Hill – former training base for Larry Stone, who coached former Olympian Eddie the Eagle – offers four jumps, the highest 60 meters. Training costs $15 to $20 a day.