ROOST in the newsNov. 18, 2014: Press-Republican, Essex County's panoramic website off to good startThe Press-Republican updates the public on the early success of adirondacksusa.com. READ THE ARTICLE

Newly redesigned tupperlake.comTUPPER LAKE, N.Y. - The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) is pleased to announce the launch of the newly designed TupperLake.com. The redesigned site content is geared toward promoting the many leisure visitor experiences available in the towns of Tupper Lake and Piercefield, from hiking to shopping to historic sites, and includes a robust events calendar. The new site design is responsive, which means that it displays properly in all screen sizes and formats from desktop to tablet to phone. “The site currently includes all tourism-related businesses in Tupper Lake and Piercefield who are members of the Tupper Lake Chamber of Commerce,” said Michelle Clement, ROOST Tupper Lake and Hamilton County marketing manager. “Post-launch, a full Chamber membership directory will be added to the site, too.” * Each business listing can include multiple photos, and will also include a link to adirondacksusa.com, for those who also have a 360-degree panorama on that interactive site. Tourism-related business owners whose listing information is incorrect or who do not find their listing on the site should contact Kristin Strack at 518.523.2445 x109 to be added to the database. Businesses that do not belong to the Chamber of Commerce but would like to be listed on the site should contact the Tupper Lake Chamber of Commerce to become a member. ROOST is a 501(c)6 nonprofit corporation that is responsible for promoting the Schroon Lake Region, Lake Champlain Region, Whiteface Region, the Saranac Lake area, Lake Placid/High Peaks, the Tupper Lake area and Hamilton County regions of the Adirondacks to the traveling public.They operate a main office in Lake Placid and one in Crown Point. To learn more about the organization, visit www.ROOSTAdk.com. * EDITORS NOTE: To clarify, ALL tourism-related businesses in Tupper Lake and Piercefield are listed on the new tupperlake.com website. Chamber of Commerce members are represented with an enhanced photo listing.

Lake Placid, Adirondacks, USA - Lake Placid Mayor Craig Randall and Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism President James McKenna have just returned from World Union of Olympic Cities Summit in Lausanne, Switzerland. The Lausanne Smart Cities and Sport Summit was an opportunity to share information and resources with other Olympic host cities throughout the world, and to help host cities find ways to continue to benefit from their Olympic legacy. This was the first year non-Olympic cities were also invited to join part of the summit. The Lake Placid contingent has been an active participant at the WUOC for seven years. An area of emphasis at this year’s Summit was that host cities need to use other events to continue their legacy as a sports-focused area, but to be smart about picking only the events that will best drive the local economy while maintaining the city’s desired image. This year’s summit featured presentations from host cities that included ROOST CEO James McKenna representing Lake Placid, along with a panel that included Gilbert Felli, Senior Olympic Games Advisor for the International Olympic Committee; Simon Cooper, Head of Sport for the Greater London Authority; and Maite Fandos, Deputy Mayor for Quality of Life, Equality & Sports in Barcelona. McKenna took the opportunity to show the international attendees Lake Placid’s location on the map. Many were surprised about its location within the U.S., and especially its proximity to Montreal. They were also surprised to find out that some of Lake Placid’s biggest events are summer events — like Ironman Lake Placid, the Lake Placid Horse Shows, and the local lacrosse and rugby tournaments — despite the village being known for holding two Olympic Winter Games. That kind of year-round event success is rare among other host cities. The Summit includes the official annual meeting of the WUOC, which Mayor Randall participated in as a member of the Executive Committee. “This summit is a tremendous opportunity for Lake Placid to be part of top-end conversations with other host city representatives,” Randall said. “We were able to point out that Lake Placid’s Olympic connections go even further back than 1932 to Charles Jewtraw, who grew up near Lake Placid, winner of the first gold medal at the first Winter Olympics in 1924.” McKenna used the presentation to emphasize that Lake Placid has been a winter destination since 1905, and that the goal of community leaders has been to establish the destination as a world sports center and resort since the 1920s. "Overall, the Olympic Winter Games have been a vehicle for developing sport venues and resorts in Lake Placid," said James McKenna. "Twice in the last 81 years the Games have allowed Lake Placid to achieve the community's goals to promote a healthy lifestyle, and to establish Lake Placid as a world class sports center and resort.” “Through these gatherings, we recognize that we have been in a position to use the Olympic Winter Games to the community’s benefit for almost 100 years, and we intend to continue to use it to our advantage for many years in the future,” Randall said. “You can’t judge the impact of hosting the Olympics in just a few years after the event — Lake Placid is a great example that the legacy can impact a community for decades in the future. The World Union of Olympic Cities is firmly committed to the development of exchanges of experience between cities that have hosted, or are going to host, Olympic Games or other major international sports events.

The Olympic Regional Development Authority, which runs Whiteface Mountain along with Gore Mountain in North Creek and Belleayre in the Catskills, just launched a digital referral program called SKI3 WITH ME. It’s a way to reward skiers and riders for introducing their friends to their mountains. Business or individuals can participate too - click here for more information, or visit www.SKI3WITHME.com. In the upcoming few weeks, ORDA will build this promotion out with video, quotes, and fun engagement pieces. Sign up right now and tell friends – or make it a competition and see who can earn more points, which will turn to $$ at Whiteface. Learn to Ski and Ride for Free – Opportunity for locals to give it a try! ORDA’s programs have proven results, and they want to give locals who haven’t skied before the opportunity to try it for themselves. Beginner lift ticket, rental, and lesson are included. Sign up or sign someone else up today! Try Parallel from the Start or Learn to Snowboard on the following dates for free: Dec. 8, 2014 Dec. 9, 2014 Dec. 10, 2014 Dec. 11, 2014 To register, please call 518-946-2223, ext. 328. Must be ages 13+. Limit 25 per day. ADK Work and Play Pass We will also be extending this opportunity for locals thru the new ADK Work and Play pass given out through ROOST. When presenting this card, participants will be able to sign up to ski or ride for free on the following dates: Jan. 5, 2014 Jan. 6, 2014 Jan. 7, 2014 Jan. 8, 2014 Feb. 2, 2015 Feb. 3, 2015 Feb. 4, 2015 Feb. 5, 2015 To register please call: 518-946-2223 ext. 328. Must be ages 13+. Limit 25 per day.

Our destinations in the media Nov. 24, 2014: USAToday.com, Ice climbing: For when rocks are too warm The Adirondacks are featured in a piece on ice climbing, and the photo ROOST provided is the featured photo. READ THE ARTICLE