Ski to Sea

Over Memorial Day weekend I participated in the Ski to Sea, a 100-mile, 7-leg race in Bellingham, WA. We had a team of 8 ladies and I was responsible for the road bike section. The race breaks down like this:

• 4 mile Cross Country Ski
• 2.5 mile Hike up Mt. Baker and Downhill Ski
• 8 mile Downhill Run
• 42 mile Road Bike (not downhill)
• 18.5 mile Canoe
• 20 mile Mountain Bike
• 5 mile Kayak

2011 was the 100th anniversary of the race, so they lengthened it to be 100 miles. Not that I've ever done this race before, but my leg was one that they lengthened. Since I had done the Seattle to Portland bike ride last summer - a 200 mile, 2 day ride - and since I've been biking to work fairly regularly, I figured biking 42 miles would be one of the easier legs. I would soon find out that was not true.

Even though my runner wouldn't reach me until 10:30 or so, I had to get up at 5am to head up the mountain and get dropped off in the bike staging area. I brought a sleeping bag and took a nap.

Mt. Baker from my nap spot - luckily the weather was nice

The bike turned out to be harder than I expected and I was pretty pooped by the end of the ride. The highlight was that about 2 miles from the finish, a group of people were BBQing and offering bikers free beer and hot dogs. They had an unofficial station set up where bikers could grab a beer as they were riding by. I didn't partake, but the guy in front of me did and he got some big cheers. Seeing the beer gave me the burst of energy I needed to finish the race and get one for myself.

It was a fun weekend and even though I was one of the slower bikers in the race, I felt pretty good for completing my leg and living to tell about it.

The "Betty Rockers" - Girl Power!

Skiing in the Rain (Read: Skiing in Washington State)

This weekend we went up to Mt. Baker. We planned our trip months in advance, booked a place to stay for Friday and Saturday night, and got all pumped up because a huge snow storm came into Seattle during the week. It snowed a few inches in Seattle (which is rare) and multiple feet on all the surrounding mountains. Then on Thursday and Friday it rained. It rained in the city and it rained on the mountains. All of them. Including Baker.

It also rained at Baker on Saturday. It poured on Sunday.

Laura in the Rain at Mt. Baker

We braved the rain on Saturday and went up to the mountain. Ironically, the only other time I tried to ski Baker, the mountain was closed due to too much snow. The next day it rained. I think this is why there are no true ski resorts in Washington. All the mountains are filled with locals and devoid of tourists. If you're not from the state of Washington, you're not going to take your chances by planning a ski vacation here. Go to Colorado, Utah, or Tahoe, where the threat of rain is non-existent. Even if you don't get a powder day, you're more likely to get a bluebird day than a dousing.

Me and Laura in a Rain Cloud

We had a good time cruising and attempting the new-snow-turned-slush. We made the best of it and came dripping into the lodge about 3 hours later. We did not attempt to ski on Sunday. Some day we'll have a dry day at Baker.

Staying Dry in the Lodge

I just hope it's sooner, rather than later.

Don't Worry - We still had fun and beer!