IM Lake Placid or IM Mt. Tremblant?

I've done MtTremblant 70.3 last year and Lake Placid.

It's a tough choice and will depends on what is important for you.

Swim course: Lake Placid is awesome. Water is very clear, you've got the golden cable in the bottom and the crowd around you make you feel why you signed for this. Mt Tremblant is also a great venue. Clear water, a lot of buoys and fighter jets passing by before the start... Both events very well organized. Advantage for Lake Placid.

Bike course: Lake Placid is very well known and the descent to Keene is amazing. Not that difficult but pavement is not great. Mt Tremblant is pure awesomeness. Pavement is brand new, course is closed for about 90-95% and very fast despite the hilly section. Favorite section, the last 20k. Brutal but you know you're going to have to descent it. The last 10k = big ring, aero position, screaming descent, crazy speed... Advantage for Mt Tremblant.

Run course: Lake Placid is very well supported in town but isolated when you're close to the river. Mt Tremblant is about the same. Finish line at Lake Placid is a blast with the arrival in the oval. Mt Tremblant is a blast with the arrival in the heart of the village and all the crowd. A slight advantage for LP but you can't go wrong with Mt Tremblant either.

Lodging: Lake Placid is expensive, very... If you like comfort, it could be difficult to find a nice place. If you're not too picky about places, then choice is better. Mt Tremblant is a vacation resort. You have PLENTY of accommodation available and for all sorts of price. Advantage for Mt Tremblant.

Difficulty: I found LP a little bit more challenging than Mt Tremblant. Even if the elevation chart is showing a lot of climb, it is not that bad because there are a lot of rollers and you get the inertia coming down. Advantage for Mt Tremblant.

Organization: Both events are top notch. You can't beat LP organization as they are running this for so many years now. Tremblant was very,very well organized for the first year. Tied.

Food: I found more choices in Tremblant than in Lake Placid. Advantage for Mt Tremblant.

Final result: Advantage Mt Tremblant.

But don't get me wrong, both events are top notch and you can't make a mistake by choosing one against the other.

Enjoy the experience and have a blast !!

Thanks for the great insight about LP and MT!  That's really helpful.

Definitely leaning towards MT.  I've been to LP before and the town of LP is only ok.  If both races are similar, and there are more accomodations/food choices in MT, then I think MT is probably the way to go for me and my family.  

Thanks again.  

I think it took about a month to sell out this year.  It definitely wasn't sold out the same day - though with the positive reviews and such who knows what registration for 2014 will hold ...

love that this is a common debate.

(am cautiously aiming to make this choice for volunteering in 2014... and the IM attempt in 2015)

Quick follow-up, what do you think the chances are of signing-up on the computer the day after IMMT 2013?  I am thinking about volunteering to make sure I get a spot, but it's a good drive away from home. Registering from home would be easier.  What do you all think?

With being designated as the North American Championships there could be more draw as well, causing a quicker sell out. I signed up about two weeks after registration opened up this year.

I agree with Nate that with it being the Championships, it could have more of allure to people. Especially since they are offering a good amount of Kona slots and maybe a good pro field. Also, IMNYC is no more so that will add people to IMMT. I decided this will be my first IM in 2014 so I am going up in August to Volunteer for the race to secure myself a spot. I did not want to risk it selling out in 10 minutes and not getting in. I live in Maryland so its a long way away for me too but I took a few days off of work and will be making a vacation out of it with my Fiance. If you are worried about not being able to sign up online, I would say try and get up there to volunteer. Volunteer positions open in March. There is also plenty of decently priced lodging available up in MT. Good luck!

I chose IMMT for this year.  My friend did it last year and loved it.

One thing I can think of that might be a consideration for LP, is it's almost 1 month earlier, in case you happen to get a slot for Kona. More time to recover.

You have to keep in mind that much of the bike course was newly paved before the race.  It will be interesting to see how the roads hold up in the coming years as the tough winters take their toll.

I did the race last year and am registered again for this year...loved it.  I echo a lot of the things that Fred said above, although I haven't done LP.