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Ski to Sea: A Bellingham Tradition

by Neighborhood-Kids.com5/22/2008 7:36:52 AM

The three-day Memorial Day weekend often signals the start of summer. By the end of May, even in the northwest, we expect ample sunshine that makes this weekend the perfect time for the first barbeque or camping trip of the season. But in Bellingham, the long weekend also marks one of our city’s biggest community events, the Ski to Sea Race from Mt. Baker to Bellingham Bay.

The 1911 Mt. Baker Marathon inspired the Ski to Sea race as we know it today.
Photo courtesy Heather Alvis.

The race’s origin rest in the 1911 Mt. Baker Marathon, which was a publicity stunt organized by the Mount Baker Club to draw the government’s attention to the North Cascade Mountains, hoping to register the area as a national park. In this race, contestants had to get to the mountain’s summit from Bellingham and back; they were also allowed to use automobiles or the railway to complete the 116 mile journey.

The most memorable contestant in that inaugural race was Harvey Haggard, who had the lead coming off the mountain. But as he journeyed back into town, his train derailed and his horse threw him. Miraculously, Harvey still finished the race in second place. He took first place the following year, and he’s still a symbol of perseverance for racers today.

The marathon only last three years until racer Victor Galbraith fell 40 feet into a glacier’s crevasse in 1913. He survived, but the marathon was suspended until 1973 when the event was turned into a relay race and renamed Ski to Sea.

Racers canoe the Nooksack River from Everson to Ferndale.
Photo by Jon Brunk Photography.

The elements of the relay, as well as the finish line of the race, have changed considerably over the years. Initially there were three legs: downhill skilling, bicycling and canoeing. Today, cross country skiing, running, mountain biking and kayaking categories also make up the seven-leg event, ending at Marine Park in Fairhaven. Over the past 35 years, athletes have traveled from around the world to participate in this event; in 1993, a Bellingham sponsored team had four Olympians competing in the race.

Ski to Sea might happen all in one day, but it is anticipated for weeks and months, both by racers and spectators. A Junior Race at Lake Padden for kids in third to eighth grade was added to the annual festivities in 1991, and the whole Bellingham community enjoys events like carnival rides at Bellis Fair Mall, an art show by Lake Whatcom and an all-day finish line festival in Fairhaven. This year also features a YouTube Video contest for aspiring filmmakers to document all the exciting Ski to Sea moments. And, of course, what community event would be complete without a parade?

According to a HistoryLink.org article about Whatcom County’s history, Bellingham's spring festival was called the Tulip Time Festival, back when George Gibb’s flowers covered north Bellingham in the 1920s. A series of frosts in 1929 removed the industry to Skagit County, and the tulip fields were converted into much needed farmland during the Depression and World War II. Following the war, the festival was changed into the Blossomtime Festival. Enthusiasm for the festival dwindled throughout the 1960s, but the community parades and fun were revived with the Ski to Sea Race during the next decade.

Floats, marching bands and more turn out for the Ski to Sea Junior and Grand Parades.
Photo courtesy Bellingham Chamber of Commerce.

The Junior Parade takes place on the Friday before the Junior Race and all are welcome to participate, either by watching or by joining in the procession. The Grand Parade is on the Saturday preceding Race Day at noon (both parades take place on Cornwall Avenue, heading into downtown Bellingham).

This year's parade theme is Transportation: Past, Present and Future and the Grand Marshal of the parade is Bob Diehl of Diehl Ford. This year marks the 100th anniversary of his family’s business in Bellingham. The Diehl’s have a long history with Ski to Sea; Bob’s grandfather Hugh Diehl drove Joe Galbraith, the Mt. Baker Marathon’s first winner, to the finish line in 1911.

Whether you or your kids are racing or just watching the event, Ski to Sea Weekend celebrates some of the best things of the Bellingham community: a sense of adventure, an appreciation for the outdoors, and plenty of family-friendly fun.

Want to learn even more about this great race? Check out Ski to Sea Factoids, courtesy the Bellingham Chamber of Commerce.

Special thanks to Mel Monkelis and Maria Dahl for their Ski to Sea date and fact checking help in the preparation of this article.