Ski to Sea

First run in 1973, the Ski to Sea is the original adventure race, a team relay from the Mt. Baker Ski Area to Bellingham Bay. The race is held annually on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend in Whatcom County, Washington. A 2017 Ski to Sea team consists of eight racers competing in seven different sports: Cross Country Ski, Downhill Ski/Snowboard, Running, Road Bike, Canoe (2 paddlers), Cyclocross Bike, and Sea Kayak. The Race course runs through the towns of Glacier, Maple Falls, Kendall, Everson, Lynden, and Ferndale, finishing at Marine Park in the historic Fairhaven district of Bellingham. Together with the Historic Fairhaven Festival, Ski to Sea is the largest one-day event in Whatcom County and Bellingham, drawing racers, spectators, and tourists from the Pacific Northwest, British Columbia, and around the world.

The Ski to Sea Race is owned and operated by Whatcom Events, a volunteer-operated community 501(c)(4) non-profit organization. Whatcom Events also runs the Muds to Suds run and the Tour de Whatcom bicycle event. We rely almost exclusively on our incredible team of more than 1000 volunteers to pull off these vibrant community events as our Executive Director, all Officers, and Race Committee members are uncompensated volunteers. Each year, we hope that our volunteer efforts and the generosity of our sponsors result in net profits that we can donate to local 501(c)(3) charitable beneficiaries. Thanks to our volunteers and sponsors, we were fortunate to be able to return a sum of $45,568 to our community in 2014 and 2015 alone, in the form of donations to local non-profits.