Kortvasan is the race for everyone! Since its inception in 1997, Kortvasan has gathered families and friends, young and old, to tackle the 30 km from Oxberg to Mora. With good training and preparation, anyone can take on this challenge! The technique is classic and everyone from the age of 12 and up are welcome to participate. Take this opportunity to experience true joy and fellowship in the ski tracks!
Vasaloppet
Vasaloppet – the world’s oldest, longest and biggest ski race.
Vasaloppet is the world’s oldest, longest and biggest cross-country ski race. It has a rich history and tradition; hundreds of thousands of skiers have tackled the 90 km stretch from Sälen to Mora since the start in 1922.
The first race was in 1922 and the classic 90 km stretch from Berga by in Sälen to Mora was, for a long time, the only Vasaloppet race. Today there are sixteen different races; cycling, running and cross-country skiing, that together attract 100,000 registered participants every year. All these races run along the historic stretch between Sälen and Mora.
Vasaloppsföreningen Sälen-Mora has approximately 35 year-round employees who work with planning, preparing and developing these events.
The classic races in Vasaloppet
Vasaloppet 90 km
Vasaloppet is the world’s oldest, longest and biggest cross-country ski race. It has a rich history and tradition; hundreds of thousands of skiers have tackled the 90 km stretch from Sälen to Mora since the start in 1922. Rigorous training and careful preparation is needed to complete this 90 km challenge. It is a race with classic technique along a magical landscape, followed by two million television viewers in Sweden alone. Now is the time to rise to the challenge!
Öppet spår 90 km
For those who wish to participate in the world’s longest ski race from Sälen to Mora without competing against anyone but themselves. The track is exactly the same as in Vasaloppet and it runs past the same checkpoints. The challenge is identical, as is the marvellous nature along the track. Train rigorously and prepare yourself for 90 kilometres of classic technique skiing. See you in Mora!
Vasaloppet 30 km
The race for everyone, young and old.
Tjejvasan 30 km
The world’s biggest ski race only for women.
This race is 30 km long and only for women. An unusual experience where the elite stands side by side with groups of friends competing for fun. The festive mood is high and the track lined with live music and activities. Simply put, it is a fantastic combination of joy, sweat and community. Although the race is relatively short, you will need to prepare well to complete this challenge. Tjejvasan is broadcast live on Swedish Television every year since 2012.
Vasaloppet 45 km
If you want a real challenge and a marvellous nature experience. This half Vasaloppet starts in Oxberg and, unlike our shorter races, takes an extra turn around the terrain before reaching the finish in Mora. The race is 45 km and relatively easy to ski, but remember that none of our races should be undertaken without good preparation and training.
The story of Vasaloppet
Vasaloppet started in 1922, but really it is much older than that. The first Vasalopp was carried out as early as 1521 by Gustav Eriksson. During his flight from the Danish king he stopped in Sälen and returned to Mora to lead the uprising against the occupation forces. Gustav Eriksson eventually united the realm and became Sweden’s first king, better known under the name Gustav Vasa. In other words, Sälen is not only the starting point for the world’s largest exercise race; it is also the starting point for the history of our whole country.
Anders Pers, from Mora, is the father of Vasaloppet. It was from his thoughts that the world’s biggest ski race was born. He wrote about the contemporary interest in skiing and linked it to Gustav Eriksson Vasa’s flight on skis from Mora towards Norway in 1521.
In an article in a local newspaper, Vestmanlands Läns Tidning, on 10th February 1922, he launched the idea of a Vasalopp. The national newspaper, Dagens Nyheter, reprinted his article the day after and, at the same time, gave its support for a long ski race, a test of endurance, as a commemoration of Gustav Vasa. After some considerable press debate, both for and against the idea, IFK Mora’s Board decided on 5th March to run a trial race, if there was some suitable financial backing. Dagens Nyheter donated 1,000 crowns to the arrangers and thus made it possible for the first Vasaloppet to be run on Sunday 19th March 1922.
Carl Emmanuel Berg from Göta in Karlstad was the first to register for Vasaloppet, on March 10th. In total 136 registrations came in to the competition secretariat by telegraph and telephone. 119 skiers came to the start, among them some of the foremost in Sweden: Per-Erik “Särna” Hedlund, Strål Lars Eriksson, IFK Mora, Jonas Persson, Arbrå, and Oskar Lindberg from Norsjö in Västerbotten.
At precisely 6.04 am, the race steward, Johan Westling, flagged the Vasalopps skiers off from Olnispagården on the west side of the river in Sälen. 7 hours 32 minutes and 49 seconds later the victor reached the goal in Mora after 90 kms skiing in sleet and snow. And it was Ernst Alm, from Norsjö IF, who won, five minutes before Oskar Lindberg, from the same club.
Contact Vasaloppet
Phone: +46 250 – 392 00
Mail: info@vasaloppet.se
Web: www.vasaloppet.se
Facebook: www.facebook.com/vasaloppetofficial
Instagram: www.instagram.com/vasaloppet