Vasaloppet !
That is: "The Vasa Race".
If you are wondering what "Vasa" means or is, it was part of King Gustav Vasa's name. Vasa (1596-1560, reigning 1523-1560) led the Swedish War of Liberation and is considered the "father of the nation". In 1520, during his quest for liberation, Vasa fled from Christian II's soldiers. skiing from Mora to Sälen.
In 1922 a cross country skiing competition was established that continues today. The racers travel a reverse route from what Vasa did, and ski 90 km. from Sälen to Mora. Vasaloppet is the world's oldest and longest cross-counrty ski race. I is huge participation at just under 16,000 people. There are a total of 17 different races, so, if I understand it correctly, all 15,800 are not in the same race. An aditional fun note is that because the race takes place between two small towns, with Mora having just under 11,000, and Sälen having a mere 652 inhabitants, there are not nearly enough hotel rooms for the racers. Thus, some of racers stay in residents homes. - And I have no idea where the rest stay!
Vasaloppet is held on the first Sunday of March. Some friends of ours, Eva and Göran, invited us to join them to watch the race. Göran kindly picked us up and took us to their home in plenty of time for the 08:00 start. It's OK - the coffee was ready when we got there.
That is: "The Vasa Race".
If you are wondering what "Vasa" means or is, it was part of King Gustav Vasa's name. Vasa (1596-1560, reigning 1523-1560) led the Swedish War of Liberation and is considered the "father of the nation". In 1520, during his quest for liberation, Vasa fled from Christian II's soldiers. skiing from Mora to Sälen.
In 1922 a cross country skiing competition was established that continues today. The racers travel a reverse route from what Vasa did, and ski 90 km. from Sälen to Mora. Vasaloppet is the world's oldest and longest cross-counrty ski race. I is huge participation at just under 16,000 people. There are a total of 17 different races, so, if I understand it correctly, all 15,800 are not in the same race. An aditional fun note is that because the race takes place between two small towns, with Mora having just under 11,000, and Sälen having a mere 652 inhabitants, there are not nearly enough hotel rooms for the racers. Thus, some of racers stay in residents homes. - And I have no idea where the rest stay!
Vasaloppet is held on the first Sunday of March. Some friends of ours, Eva and Göran, invited us to join them to watch the race. Göran kindly picked us up and took us to their home in plenty of time for the 08:00 start. It's OK - the coffee was ready when we got there.
And they're off!
Lest we faint from hunger, this was the first of our breakfast.
This is a picture of those who are going before the racers, creating the tracks/ paths.
Blåbar soppa. That is, blueberry soup, which is essentially hot blueberry juice. It is good for you and it is delicious. It is offered to the skiers as they are racing - and to the watchers as we were sitting.
The winners typically cross the finish line after around 4 hours.
A fun time was had by all. At least all of us watching.
