Ski To Sea is a relay race in it's 51st year of competion where racers start at the Heather Meadows Lodge at the Mt Baker ski area and race down to the Bellingham Bay, finishing in Marine Park! The legs consist of a cross country skier, a downhill skier/snowboarder, a mountain runner, a road bicyclist, two canoers, an xc biker and a kayaker to finish!
Some of the most confusing parts of the race in itself is the carpooling and transportng gear and humans to their starting points. With 450+ teams all consisting of 5 or more people, you could imagine what a logistical nightmare it all could be! Fun and thrilling if you look at in the right light! Which is what many racers do each year and some even have it down to a science the drop off and pickup spots.
However, there are some that choice to do it all, sans car or truck. They chose to do it by pedal power and bike themselves, or run to their starting position. Along with their sports gear, they might also have some camping gear, depending on which leg they do.
There were 11 car-free teams that signed up for this year's Ski To Sea race, which is more than ever before! They truly showcased their dedication to the environment and their commitment to reducing fossil fuel usage.
Surfrider, the Northwest Straits chapter, sponsored two teams, the Surfrider Mavericks and the Surfrider Sea Sirens!
Despite the challenging weather conditions, the Surfrider Sea Sirens stood strong and persevered through the race. From cross-country skiing to canoeing, each team member gave their all, showcasing their resilience and determination.
The Sea Sirens started out strong at the start line outside of Heather meadows lodge with the other 450+ racers lined up to battle out the 4 mile course on their cross country skies!
Our racer had a total xc skiboot blow out just over a quarter of the way in, but Siana is hard core and finished her leg on one ski!
Handing the timing chip off the downhill skier, where the hill climb began! Once at the top, the skier races down Blueberry cat-track to hanband off to the mountain runner and so on down the country roads and river all the way to the bay!
Allison and Laurel did fabulous jobs hauling trailers around and Eleanor got to haul the canoe home on the following Monday after the race. There was one more mishap with her trailer, so some crafty parking fixtures helped secure it, holding her front wheel in place after the other piece went MIA. A guy added a washer to it, so it was totally good to go... And hauled a canoe!
The canoers went through some bumpy water and went for an unscheduled swim. If you go for an accidental swim in the Nooksack with a canoe, there's no better race to do it in (though they both prefer not to).
They made it back in the boat no problem, adjusted the seat, eventually added a layer, and then had super kind folks help them to warm up at the end of the 18.5 mile paddle (17.5 of which they were wet). They still passed a ton of folks and only two other boats passed them, but they looked like professional paddlers! Not too bad considering.
So proud of all the Surfrider Sea Sirens!
Also super proud of the Surfrider Mavericks - they got 7th overall out of 500 registered teams!
Such amazing athletes to go car free and do so, so, so well.
They made it out to Everson the night before the race, with the canoe to thankfully camp in a lovely greenhouse with lots of great crops and flowers near the Nooksack River!
Eleanor has always loved doing car free because it continues to amaze her how awesome and kind people can be. She was so happy they all made it back safe and sound with adventure stories to tell and is grateful for such awesome teammates and all the wonderful car free folks!
The team mates had a few days of rest and they are back at their normal adventures, paddling, biking and running around the area!
The 10 + 1 car free teams all did so great and hope to see them out there next year.
And if you're curious about car free S2S*, just ask us here!
*S2S = Ski To Sea