The Ski to Sea race is less than a month away, and Whatcom County's biggest multisport event of the year is shaping up for another strong Memorial Day weekend. Hundreds of relay teams will compete across seven legs of sport, traveling from the snowfields of Mount Baker down to Bellingham Bay over the course of a single day. Zuanich Point Park on Bellingham's waterfront is one of the best places to watch the final stages of the race, where kayakers cross the bay and land at the finish.
Ski to Sea has been a Whatcom County tradition since 1973 and is widely considered one of the premier multisport relay races in the Pacific Northwest. The race format is designed around the region's geography, moving competitors from winter mountain terrain through forest, farmland, and eventually to tidewater. Each team fields seven members, each competing in a different discipline: cross-country skiing, downhill skiing or snowboarding, running, road biking, canoeing, mountain biking, and sea kayaking.
The race starts on the upper slopes of Mount Baker Ski Area and ends at Zuanich Point Park in Bellingham's Squalicum Harbor. That final stretch across the harbor is a dramatic finish, with kayak teams paddling from the Whatcom waterway out and across open water before landing on the beach at Zuanich. For spectators, the finish area offers views of kayakers arriving throughout the afternoon against the backdrop of Bellingham Bay and the San Juan Islands.
Registration for competing teams typically closes well before the race. If you missed the window to enter, spectating remains free and the event draws thousands of people to the Bellingham waterfront on race day. Zuanich Point Park has open grassy areas, a beach, and easy parking for those arriving by car, though the lot fills quickly on race morning. Arriving early or biking down to the waterfront is a practical option for residents in the Squalicum and Bellingham Bay neighborhoods.
The race is organized by the Ski to Sea Festival Association, a nonprofit that has managed the event for decades. In addition to the race itself, the broader Ski to Sea festival includes events in the days before and after the race, a parade through downtown Bellingham, and vendor and food activity at the waterfront. The full festival schedule is posted on the official race website.
For communities along the race route, Memorial Day weekend brings an influx of visitors and participants from across the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Bellingham hotels, restaurants, and shops typically see strong traffic during the Ski to Sea weekend, and parking near the waterfront and downtown can be limited. Planning ahead and using the Whatcom Transportation Authority or biking routes to reach spectator areas is worth considering.
Ski to Sea is also a significant fundraising and community engagement moment for Whatcom County nonprofits and businesses that sponsor teams or host events during the weekend. If your organization is considering last-minute involvement, the Ski to Sea website has information on sponsorship and volunteer opportunities. More upcoming community events across Bellingham and Whatcom County are covered in the City of Bellingham's latest Inside Bellingham newsletter, available at cob.org.
For more on spring community events in downtown Bellingham, the Procession of the Species parade on May 2 is also coming up and details are available in this story.
