Ski to Sea Race facts for kids
The Ski to Sea Race, often called just Ski to Sea, is a super fun and challenging team race held every year in Whatcom County, Washington. It's like a giant relay race with seven different parts! The race is about 93 miles (150 km) long. It starts high up on the snowy slopes of Mount Baker Ski Area and finishes down by the water at Marine Park in Fairhaven, right on Bellingham Bay.
The seven parts of the race are:
- Cross-country skiing
- downhill skiing or snowboarding
- running
- Road biking
- canoeing
- cyclo-cross biking
- kayaking
Whatcom Events manages the Ski to Sea Race. They have a big team and nearly 900 volunteers who help make sure everything runs smoothly!
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History of the Race
The idea for the Ski to Sea Race came from much older races called the Mount Baker Marathons. These happened between 1911 and 1913. Those early races were super tough! People raced from the city of Bellingham all the way to the very top of Mount Baker and back. The event stopped after a runner had an accident. The Ski to Sea Race is a safer version, going from the ski slopes down to Bellingham Bay.
The name "Ski to Sea" comes from a local saying: "Sea to Ski in Sixty Minutes." This means you can get from the sea in Bellingham to the ski slopes of Mount Baker in about an hour.
The First Race
The very first official Ski to Sea Race happened in 1973. It was a smaller event back then, with 177 people on 50 teams. For the first four years, each part of the race was timed separately. People had to wait hours to find out who won! But since 1977, it's been a continuous race, meaning one teammate hands off to the next right away. The only time this changed was in 2008 when the canoe part was canceled because the river was too dangerous.
Growing Popularity
By 1977, the Ski to Sea Race was so popular that the whole local festival was renamed "Blossom Time Ski to Sea." A few years later, it became known simply as the Ski to Sea. Even the parade got a new name: the Ski to Sea Parade!
Today, the Ski to Sea is a huge weekend-long event. More than 300 teams and over two thousand racers take part. Tens of thousands of fans line the streets to watch and cheer. They gather in Bellingham, Ferndale, and Fairhaven, especially near the finish line at Marine Park.
The Race Legs
When the Ski to Sea started in 1973, it was only about 35 miles (56 km) long and had three parts: downhill skiing, bicycling, and canoeing or kayaking on the Nooksack River. Over the next 20 years, it grew to seven parts and covered about 94 miles (151 km)!
It's a continuous race now. This means that when one teammate finishes their part, they pass a special token (like a wristband with a timing chip) to the next teammate. This keeps the race moving without breaks. While the order of the legs has stayed the same, many parts have changed their routes or lengths over the years. For example, the bicycling leg has changed its distance nine times! It started at 20 miles (32 km) and has been as long as 42 miles (68 km).
Since 2018, racers can even do up to three different parts of the race for one or more teams. This means a team can have as few as three racers!
In 2015, there wasn't enough snow. So, the ski legs were replaced with new running and mountain biking parts. But the usual race format returned the next year.
Cross Country Skiing
Cross country skiing was added in 1979 and is the first part of the race. Skiers do two figure-eight loops at the upper Mount Baker Ski area. This leg started as one mile long and is now four miles.
Downhill Skiing/Snowboarding
Downhill skiing is one of the original parts of the race. Skiers first hike uphill for about 1.5 miles, climbing almost a thousand feet! Then, they ski back down close to where they started.
Running
The running leg was added in 1975. It's the third part of the race and is about 8 mi (13 km) long. Runners race down the Mount Baker Highway from the ski area to the Shuksan Department of Transportation station. They drop over two thousand feet in elevation, running on hard asphalt. This leg has changed the least over the years.
Road Biking
Road biking is the longest part of the race by distance and was one of the original events in 1973. Bikers ride through towns like Glacier and Maple Falls. They leave the Mount Baker Highway for Silver Lake Road and finish on the banks of the Nooksack River in Everson. This leg has changed distance many times, from 22 miles (35 km) to about 42 miles (68 km) today.
Canoeing
Canoeing was also one of the original events from 1973. This leg is the second longest by distance, covering 18.5 miles (29.8 km), and often takes the longest time to complete. It's the only part of the race that requires two racers in one boat. The canoe leg starts in Everson and ends at Hovander Park in Ferndale.
This part of the race can be very challenging and requires great care, as river conditions and obstacles like log jams can make it dangerous. The canoe leg was canceled in 2008 because the Nooksack River was too high and unsafe.
Cyclocross Biking
Added in 1990, the Cyclocross bike leg goes from the Nooksack River banks in Hovander Park to Squalicum Harbor on Bellingham Bay. The course is often updated; in 2023, it was about 11 miles (18 km) long.
Kayaking
The kayaking leg was added in 1980 and became only for kayaks in 1992. This final part of the race was added to connect with the "Ski to Sea" name and make the finish more exciting. At first, different types of sailboats were allowed, but they switched to only kayaks because the wind on Bellingham Bay can be unpredictable.
Today, kayakers paddle about 5 miles (8 km) across Bellingham Bay. They start at Squalicum Harbor on the north side of Bellingham and finish at Marine Park in Fairhaven on the south side. When they reach the shore, they run across the land to ring a bell at the finish line!
The Timing Chip
In the first few races, teams passed an actual baton. Later, they used necklace medallions or wrist sweatbands that racers would pass to their teammates.
In recent years, the race uses electronic timing chips. These chips are usually on a wristband. The chip tracks the team's total time and how long each leg takes. Racers "swipe" the chip at special timing tents at the start and end of each leg. The kayaker must swipe the chip at the end of the race before ringing the ceremonial bell.
Race Divisions
Even though everyone races in the same Ski to Sea Race, teams sign up in different groups called divisions. These include: Competitive, Recreational, Corporate, Veterans, High School, Whatcom County, Car Free, Masters, and Family.
Some divisions, like Competitive, Recreational, and Whatcom County, have even more groups: "Open" (three or fewer females), "Mixed" (four or more females), and "Female" (women only). Most teams usually sign up for the Recreational divisions. The winning teams almost always come from the Competitive Open division.
Cancellations in 2020 and 2021
The Ski to Sea Race was canceled in 2020 and 2021. This was due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These were the only times the race had been canceled since it first started in 1973.
