Vasaloppet presents the Vasaloppet Year 2020 – more challenges than ever to choose from

Do you remember when Vasaloppet was just a ski race? Since 1979, when Öppet Spår first ran, many new ski races have been added and this last decade summer races have also run in the Vasaloppet Arena. (See our list below for when races were created.)

This past Vasaloppet year had 95,122 registered participants. Vasaloppet and Cykelvasan 90 were fully booked. The maximum number of participants has been raised these past few years, requiring more participants to fill a race. A new race was also held last winter: Nattvasan 45.

3,325 people participated in both a winter and summer race in 2019. Ultravasan 45 and Ultravasan 90 especially had a large increase in registrants, 13 and 16 percent, reaching new participation records. More participants than ever before have also completed Vasaloppstrippeln 45 or Vasaloppstrippeln 90.

This winter Öppet Spår was held for the 40th time and next summer will see the 30th Vasastafetten. In 2020 Vasaloppet will also introduce a completely new running race, Trailvasan 30, and those hankering for a Vasaloppstrippeln T-shirt thereby have a new option – Vasaloppstrippeln 30: Complete Tjejvasan or Kortvasan in the winter and Cykelvasan 30 and Trailvasan 30 in the summer. Hopefully this news will spur even more participants, both men and women, to try races at new times of year.

Eva-Lena Frick, Vasaloppet’s CEO:
”During the Vasaloppet year 2019 we had 95,122 registered participants, all kinds of weather, 26 marriages at the finish line, a number of dreams fulfilled, extraordinary functionary work as always, happy participants, Swedish and Norwegian winners as well as American and Russian winners in Ultravasan. We had 3.8 million people viewing the SVT broadcast from Vasaloppet, also broadcast live in other countries. Put together an incredible amount of people have experienced Vasaloppet, whether it be as participants, spectators, TV viewers, functionaries, leaders, sponsors or in some other capacity.

Registration for Vasaloppet’s Winter Week 2020 opened as early as March 17 and registrations roll in regularly, currently numbering almost 40,000 for the ski races. As soon as the weather changes at least 50,000 cubic metres of snow will be produced as part of the snow insurance plan that Vasaloppet now follows every winter.

FACTS/ Do you remember when Vasaloppet was just a ski race?
Since 1979, when Öppet Spår first ran, many new ski races have been added and this last decade summer races have also run in the Vasaloppet Arena. Which year had the first race?

Winter Races
1922 Vasaloppet (2020 it will be held for the 96th time)*
1979 Öppet Spår (2020 it will be held for the 40th year)**
1988 Tjejvasan (2020 it will be held for the 32nd time)***
1997 Kortvasan (2020 it will be held for the 24th time)
1997 Halvvasan (2020 it will be held for the 24th time)
2003 Stafettvasan (2020 it will be held for the 18th time)
2008 Ungdomsvasan (2020 it will be held for the 13th time)
2016 Blåbärsloppet (2020 it will be held for the 5th time)
2017 Nattvasan 90 (2020 2020 it will be held for the 4th time)
2019 Nattvasan 45 (2020 2020 it will be held for the 2nd time)

Summer Races
1991 Vasastafetten (2020 it will be held for the 30th time. Arranged by Vasaloppet since 2008.)
2009 Cykelvasan 30, 45, 90 (2020 it will be held for the 12th time)
2010 Cykelvasasprinten (2020 it will be held for the 11th time)
2012 Ungdomscykelvasan (2020 it will be held for the 9th time)
2014 Ultravasan 45, 90 (2020 it will be held for the 7th time)
2015 Cykelvasan Öppet Spår (2020 it will be held for the 6th time)
2017 Vasakvartetten (2020 it will be held for the 4th time)
2020 Trailvasan 30 (First ever in 2020!)

Footnote: Cancelled races
* Vasaloppet has been cancelled three times: 1932 and 1990 due to lack of snow, 1934 due lack of registrants
** Öppet Spår was cancelled 1989 and 1990 due to lack of snow.
*** Tjejvasan was cancelled 1990 due to lack of snow.