Ski to Sea Weekend is here

May 23, 2017 by Michael Eisenberg

Ski to Sea Weekend is here

7 sports, relay race, over 90 miles from Mt Baker to Bellingham Ray at the Fairhaven finish line.

This year there will be 500 teams with 4,000 racers.

A team os made up of 8 racers (2 in each canoe) competing in seven legs of the race (Cross Country Ski; Downhill Ski/Snowboard; Running; Road Bike; Canoe; Cyclocross Bike; Kayak).

The Ski to Sea Race from Mt. Baker to Bellingham Bay began as the Mt. Baker Marathon held from 1911 to 1913. The marathon challenged man and machine in the face of rugged terrain, taking participants over treacherous roads and trails to the top of the mountain and back. Racers had the option of using cars or train to help them get to the point at which they would have to start running up the mountain side.

In 1973 the Mt. Baker Marathon was reborn and took the name, the Ski to Sea Race. The relay was designed to display the recreational opportunities and the extreme and varied beauty of Whatcom County. The Race has consistently attracted participants from around the world.

Lots of events happen each year at this time from Junior Race to car shows to the big party on race day, where it all ends in Fairhaven

Picture Courtesy of michaelastley via flickr.com

WWU ranks #3 for Best Colleges for People Who Love the Great Outdoors

February 18, 2017 by Michael Eisenberg

More Accolades for Bellingham, this time it is Western Washington University taking the # 3 spot in Money Magazine’s ranking of the 10 Best Colleges for People Who Love the Great Outdoors.

So you’re in college to study to be a teacher, an engineer or maybe pre-med, but chances are you’re not going to be spending all your spare time at the library. You still may want to spend your weekend’s skiing, hiking, scaling rock walls, or just enjoying the silence of a wooded trail, sailing or kayaking. That’s where you want a college that can provide both a great education access to some great outdoor adventures.

The list was compiled by narrowing the campuses to colleges ranked in the top half of MONEY’s annual Best Colleges ranking and removing those in large cities with populations over 500,000. Then, they were narrowed to colleges where one of the five most popular clubs was outdoor recreation or the environmentally related. Then, they looked at the number of national parks and national forests within a 100-mile radius.

Looking at this criteria ….. the drumroll please #3 was chosen to be Western Washington University
right here in Bellingham.

MONEY Best Colleges rank: 114
Nearby National Parks and Forests include: North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake National Recreation Area, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Olympic National Park, Olympic National Forest, Lake Chelan National Recreation Area.

WWU is a public university in Washington’s Puget Sound area, It sits between Sehome arboretum and Bellingham Bay. WWU was one of the first to create a branch devoted to environmental science, and they have at least eight different majors tied to the outdoors or the environment. WWU has also been using all renewable energy for over 10 years now. Students can explore the North Cascades or the San Juan Islands, ski Mt Baker, or hike the Chuckanut Mountains. The waterfalls at Whatcom Falls Parks and hiking trails in Larrabee State Park are very close by. The university’s popular outdoor center plans trips that include sea kayaking in the fall and snowshoeing to hot springs in the spring and they even have their own pot on the beautiful Lake Whatcom.

It’s party time in Bellingham, It’s Ski to Sea is here again

May 28, 2016 by Michael Eisenberg

Ski to sea 2016

It’s party time in Bellingham, It’s Ski to Sea week, the race, parties, parades.

The first modern day Ski to Sea race was run in 1973, but it’s origins runs back to 1911. It is a seven-legged, 93-mile (150 km) long, team relay race from the Mt. Baker Ski Area to Bellingham Bay.
The race is held every year on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend in Whatcom County, Washington starting at the Mount Baker ski area and runs through the towns of Glacier, Maple Falls, Kendall, Everson, Lynden, and Ferndale, finishing at Marine Park in the historic district of Fairhaven in Bellingham.

Although everyone races on the same course, teams are segmented into eight divisions: Competitive, Whatcom County, Recreational, High School, Masters, Veterans, Family, and Corporate.

The Ski to Sea Race from Mt. Baker to Bellingham Bay dates back to the Mt. Baker Marathon held from 1911 to 1913. The marathon pitted man and machine against rugged terrain of Whatcom County, taking participants over treacherous roads and trails to the top of the mountain and back.

The foot race to the top of Mt. Baker was a publicity stunt focusing the government’s attentions on the region, with an eye toward getting the North Cascades area designated as part of the National Park System.

It was in 1973 that the Mt. Baker Marathon was reborn and renamed the Ski to Sea Race. The relay race was designed to showcase the recreational opportunities and beauty of Whatcom County. The Race attracts participants from all over the world.

Image Courtesy of michaelastley via flickr.com