Ski to Sea: Alpine running leg breakdown

THE COURSE

Year leg added to the race: 2015.

Where: From the White Salmon Lodge at Mt. Baker Ski Area to Heather Meadows.

Course length: About 3.3 miles.

Approximate time to complete: About 20-25 minutes for top runners, 30-40 minutes for everyone else.

Course description: A 7:30 a.m. blast will set runners in motion from the White Salmon Lodge and send them up a series of service roads and trails through Mt. Baker Ski Area to Heather Meadows — an elevation gain of approximately 600 feet. Runners will then make a clockwise loop on the pavement around Picture Lake before finishing at the Ski Shop.

Alpine running race chair: Roger Gresley.

Pre-race meeting: 7:10 a.m. in the parking lot of White Salmon Lodge.

Timing chip: Start with the timing chip, run the leg and hand off to the downhill runner. Alpine runners will not be swiping the timing chip at the end of their leg.

TRAVEL AND

VIEWING ADVICE

Mount Baker Highway will be closed at 7:30 a.m. at Canyon Creek Road in Glacier, going east toward the mountain. Any viewers, participants or additional support vehicles must pass Canyon Creek Road before then. The road will be closed westbound at 7:30 a.m. at Mt. Baker Ski Area’s Heather Meadows Day Lodge. No vehicles will be allowed to travel down the mountain before it reopens, which is expected to be around 9:30 a.m. this year.

Suggested departure time: 4:45 a.m.

Best place to watch the leg: Heather Meadows, where spectators can watch runners finish the climb from the White Salmon Lodge and cheer them on their loop around Picture Lake.

TIPS FOR THE RACE

This story was originally published May 19, 2015 at 10:30 AM with the headline "Ski to Sea: Alpine running leg breakdown."