The Race

Since 1980, the event has grown from four categories to seven, and now to nine. Participants can choose to compete in open, open mixed, women’s, masters, recreation, corporate, junior, solo (men’s) or solo (women’s). This range of categories provides an opportunity for both super competitive teams as well as fun loving race enthusiasts to compete in a fun and challenging event.

Today, the event has grown to include hundreds of competitors and volunteers. While the event is organized and run by volunteers, many local businesses have been instrumental in its ongoing success through sponsorships.

From the slopes of Big White to the shores of City Park in Kelowna, teams of up to seven people and soloists race others and the stopwatch over six legs that span 95 kilometers. The legs, in order of completion, are: alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, mountain biking, road cycling, running, and canoeing/kayaking. Two people are required for the canoeing leg. The race is a relay and all team members are required to help bring the canoe equipment across the finish line.

Pre-Race Meeting

All teams must be present at 7:00 am in City Park near the old band shell site to receive race packages and review any last minute changes.

Start & Finish

The race starts at 9:30 am near the top of the Black Forest Express at Big White (see Alpine leg for detailed instructions). Chair begins operating at 8:30 am. Your team officially finishes the race once all team members have carried the canoe into the “drop-zone” and have crossed the finish line. Bibs must be worn across finish line by all team members.

Fees

A lot of work goes into planning the Ski2Sea race and some of that planning is based on the number of teams that have registered (like verifying registrations, ordering shirts, preparing race-day packages, etc). Late registrations make our job more difficult when we are at our busiest during the last stages leading up to race-day. So, a few years ago, we introduced an “early-bird” price to encourage participants to sign-up early. This year, we’re adding a “late fee” to discourage participants from registering at the last minute. The new fees are as follows:

Race Course

We’ve designed a Google Map of the entire Race Course, so teams can study the course before the race. You’ll also find other details such as water stations, parking areas, etc. If you have any comments or suggestions regarding the map, please contact the webmaster.

View Ski2Sea Race in a larger map