By Elissa Richard, Conde Nast Traveler

If the Winter Olympic Games are close to your heart, but the Russian edition in Sochi is too far away, don't dismay. These five former Winter Olympics host cities in North America offer world-class winter sports experiences for everyone. Whether you're eager to test your mettle careening down a bobsled chute, schussing an Olympic mountain, ice-skating on a speed-skating oval, or just simply imagining what it must be like to taste Olympic glory, here are five gold medal-worthy destinations for a winning Winter Olympics-themed getaway.

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH

Since the city hosted the winter games in 2002, Salt Lake City's Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation ensures that its related games venues are kept up to competition—and tourist-friendly—levels. Stop by the Utah Olympic Oval, which set the stage for the speed skating events, and now offers public programs for speed skating, figure skating, hockey, curling, and more. Or, try the Utah Olympic Park in Park City, which hosted the Nordic ski jumping and Olympic sliding events (bobsled, luge, and skeleton) and is open for adrenaline-inducing bobsled rides. Plus, all three ski resorts (Deer Valley, Park City Mountain, and Snowbasin) that hosted the 2002 skiing and snowboarding events are open to the public, as is Soldier Hollow, venue to the Olympic cross-country and biathlon events.