Start of race enjoyable for everyone

And what a course it is! The groomer from the Mt. Baker Ski Area works magic with the late season snow to create a smooth, fast path. The route snakes up and down the Heather Meadow ski runs, sneaking through little valleys and basins to create a fun and challenging course.

The start of the cross-country leg of the Ski to Sea race is just as exciting to watch. Over 400 racers line up in rows 35 skiers wide in a starting pen that is half the size of a football field. Those who think they will finish near the front line up near the front. Those there just for an early morning ski with 400 of their closest friends line up near the back.

When the dynamite goes off, they all surge forward in a wild cacophony of poles, skis and color.

I train for cross-country skiing and ski throughout the winter, which is why I line up in front. Fellow cross-country ski aficionados fill out the first and second rows, but after that the remainder of the skiers are less intense.

As chairman of the crosscountry ski leg, I go back out onto the course after finishing myself. That’s where I see friends skiing together with the simple goal of finishing. Others are skiing their best to beat their time from last year. In the last few years, the crowd always includes a skier dressed as a vegetable from the Co-op team and at least one guy in a kilt.

The great thing about doing the cross-country leg of the race is that by 10 a.m. you’re done. The rest of the day is yours. Watching the start of the cross-country leg, which is also the start of the entire 85-mile race, offers the added bonus of getting to see the downhill and running legs, as well.

You should have some experience with cross-country skiing to race, but you don’t need to be an expert.

The course is approximately three miles long, with some sustained climbs and fast downhill sections.

Any type of cross-country ski will work, but you’ll do best with a touring set-up — medium width skis easy to balance on, ankle high boots for control and waxless bases for grip. Leave the wide skis with metal edges and high boots at home.

The average skier takes 30 minutes to an hour to complete the course.

You’ll enjoy your own time on the course if you get out and ski a few times now while it is winter. Don’t wait until late spring when your only choice is to drive to the ski area and slog through sticky mush. As race day approaches, do something close to home like biking or jogging to keep your lungs and heart ready to have some fun.

The top 75 or so skiers use a technique called ski skating. If you are an experienced skier and want to skate in the race, start learning or refining your technique now.

Regardless of what kind of skier you are, check out the Nooksack Nordic Ski Club Web site for local skiing options (nooksacknordicskiclub. org). If you are looking for winter ski training partners, e-mail me at hindman.steve@gmail.com, and I can hook you up with local folks who focus on technique, fitness and racing. On the day of the race, leave town by 5:30 a.m. to find a parking space and be on time for the pre-race meeting at 7:45 a.m. If you are coming to watch, leave by 7 a.m., since the road closes at 8:30 a.m. in Glacier. The road does not reopen to downhill traffic until 10 a.m., so your canoeists, mountain bikers and kayakers should not be with you.

Come up to the ski area and race or watch — I promise your day will start off with a bang!

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the seventh in a series of weekly stories leading up to the May 25 Ski to Sea race that will give a behind-the scenes look into the largest annual community sporting event in Whatcom County. Each story will be written by a member of the Ski to Sea Race Committee. This week’s story is by Cross Country Chairman Steve Hindman.

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