BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of the summer season for most Bellingham residents every year.

But for the adventurous community, this three-day-weekend is not just a holiday but a weekend of preparation, nerves and multi-sport racing.

Ski to Sea, the annual multi-sport race that starts at the Mt. Baker Ski Area and finishes at Marine Park in Fairhaven, is celebrating its 51st year this Memorial Day weekend. Due to a lack of snowfall at Mt. Baker, this year’s race may be a bit different than what some racers are used to.

Anna Rankin, Executive Director and Race Director for Ski to Sea, has been working for Ski to Sea since 2016. In her time as executive director, Rankin has experienced firsthand how the weather in Whatcom County can dramatically affect the conditions on race day.

Leading up to this year’s race, Rankin and the rest of the team behind Ski to Sea have been working on a backup plan if the snow portion of the race is not able to happen. In a video posted on Instagram, Rankin went up to the Mt. Baker Ski Area with Mike Trowbridge, general manager of the Mt. Baker Ski Area and vice president of Whatcom Events, to let racers know the current conditions up at the mountain. As of April 4, Trowbridge stated that there is an 80% chance of having both ski legs in the race this year.

Rankin has notified MyBellinghamNow that the race committee will make an official decision on the racecourse two weeks out from the event on May 13.

Ski to Sea is now working with the City of Bellingham and the Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition to create a second course on the other side of Bellingham. The race would start with the downhill run at 7:30 a.m. at Heather Meadows, followed by the road bike, canoe and cyclocross legs. There would be a virtual handoff between the cyclocross leg, and a new trail run leg at Lake Padden as well as the addition of a mountain bike leg on Galbraith Mountain. It would then feature a final virtual handoff back to Zuanich for the kayak leg to finish the race.

The race will still finish in Fairhaven at Marine Park where booths, vendors and a beer garden await racers and watchers alike.

Since Ski to Sea announced the possible changes to the racecourse, the community’s response has been both quiet yet supportive. With the race selling out with just two months to go, Rankin was expecting more calls, emails and messages from racers about what to do for this year’s race.

“I think the community understands that this is beyond our control,” Rankin said. “They realize just like us that we have to just sit and wait a little bit longer to see what the weather is going to do.”

A Ski to Sea racer enters the staging area before the famous Sea Kayak Leg in Bellingham Bay. In 2023, over 200 racers were unable to compete in this leg due to high winds on the water. Photographer: Dave Walker

In the 51 years of Ski to Sea races, not every race has gone exactly to plan.

During the 2023 race, over 200 teams were unable to finish the race due to water conditions making it unsafe for sea kayakers to paddle the 5-mile course in Bellingham Bay. A brutal SSW headwind made the sea kayak leg of the race close to impossible for some paddlers, ensuing numerous rescues to happen on the water.

Broadcasting on-air that day was KAFE 104.1, who was able to be on a boat in Bellingham Bay to watch the race unfold. KAFE program director Scotty VanDryver remembers the windy day on the water as if it was yesterday.

“We rescued in our boat maybe six or seven people before they shut that leg of the race down,” VanDryver said. “I had never seen [the water] like that on race day.”

As the 2024 Ski to Sea race gets closer, MyBellinghamNow will continue to cover race updates as well as live race day coverage on KGMI.

Editor’s note: Rankin reached out on April 16, 2024 with updated information. Racecourse announcement date has changed from one month the race day to two weeks from race day. The story now reflects the updated information.