The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

Two Nature Conservancy teams are competing in this year’s Ski to Sea relay race in Washington state, promoting conservation and their love of the outdoors.

You can show your love for nature, too, by donating today.

Click here to watch a behind-the-scenes video report.

Click here to meet some of the team members.

Mother Nature faces many challenges. But sometimes she IS the challenge. Skiing down mountains, running through towering forests and paddling down rushing rivers can be hard work. It can also be a lot of fun.

The great outdoors are a natural gym. Forest roads can be endless treadmills or Saturday morning spin classes. There is a stair climber in every hiking trail, an elliptical within fresh cross-country ski tracks. It’s as if Mother Nature is encouraging us to get outside, find new challenges and improve our health.

Ski to Sea

In Washington, you can travel from Mt. Baker to Puget Sound by car. Or you can ski, bike, run and paddle your way there. The more adventurous route draws participants to the annual Ski to Sea relay race, a 100-year tradition in Bellingham, Washington.

This Memorial Day weekend, hundreds of eight-member-teams will race from snow-covered slopes near Mt. Baker all the way to Puget Sound. This race isn’t for the faint of heart – it’s a test of endurance administered by Mother Nature herself.

The race includes seven legs:

• Cross-country ski
• Downhill ski
• Run
• Road bike
• Two-person canoe
• Mountain bike
• Sea kayak

The 93 mile journey may look mostly downhill or flat, but don’t let that fool you. Ski to Sea will push each participant to their limits.

The Evergreen State vs. The Great White North

The Conservancy’s Washington and Canada teams will be competing against nature and each other in this year’s Ski to Sea. This is a friendly competition for conservationists who spend their days protecting forests, rivers, marine waters and wildlife in the Pacific Northwest. But collegiality aside, bragging rights are coveted, and each team will be giving it their best effort. Our Washington and Canada teams are in full-on training mode. Meet some of the team members.

Rising to the Occasion

You may be asking yourself: Who will win? Will it be the dashing Canada team, with their hardy dispositions, intriguing accents and strange Canadian team name we can’t pronounce? Or will it be the intrepid Washingtonians – dubbed Team ROTEN (Revenge Of The Earth Nerds) – veterans of Ski to Sea with a “home team” advantage?

The answer, we hope, is nature! The Conservancy’s Ski to Sea teams value nature because it provides challenges. It sustains them and keeps them healthy. And it provides endless fun!

We work every day to protect the lands and waters we all depend on in Washington, Canada and beyond. You can make a real difference for conservation here at home: support our Ski to Sea teams today. Your donations will go directly toward protecting forests along the west coasts of Washington and Canada.

Let’s take care of nature so it can take care of us.