Vasaloppet's Winter Week 2024 approaching 60,000 registered participants – several races are filling up

The snow situation and conditions in the Vasaloppet Arena are close to ideal, and interest in cross-country skiing is high across the country, as evident from the number of registrants.
”The winter weather has been good overall, and people have been able to train. Even smaller facilities have been able to stay open this year, and we see a strong response when it’s possible to ski locally. We had an initial forecast of 55,000 registered participants, but we have already almost reached that number with three weeks left until the first race,” says Johan Eriksson.

Apart from the fully booked 100th Vasaloppet taking place on Sunday, March 3, there are currently only a few hundred spots left in Öppet Spår Sunday, held on February 25. All other races currently have start positions available, and participants can register right up until the start, subject to availability.
”Young and old people alike getting moving for the sake of their health feels more important than ever. So it’s pleasing to see our colleagues in the industry also signalling a positive development, with interest in recreational races growing, for example in En Svensk Klassiker,” says Johan Eriksson.

Record number of foreign participants
Over 8,000 participants from nations other than Sweden have already registered for Vasaloppet’s Winter Week 2024, setting a new record! Traditionally, Norway, Denmark, and Finland have been the largest foreign nations. Norway is still the largest this year, but Germany has now risen to second place; for the first time, over 1,000 Germans are registered for the Winter Week. Also new in third place is the Czech Republic.
”Of course, this is excellent from a tourist economic perspective, and we believe it’s the 100th Vasaloppet that adds a little extra appeal. The fact that Czech TV has broadcast Vasaloppet in recent years and that the Czech long-distance race ‘Jizerská50’ is considered one of the four ‘Grand Classics’ races in Ski Classics is clearly having an effect. After Sweden and Norway, the Czech Republic is the third largest nation in the 100th Vasaloppet on March 3, 2024. Over 750 Czechs will participate in the race. It’s fantastic and it demonstrates the international appeal of Vasaloppet,” says Johan Eriksson.

10 pieces of trivia about Vasaloppet’s Winter Week 2024:
– Currently, 30,000 participants have registered for the 90 km races, while the rest have chosen races ranging between 9 and 45 km.
– Stafettvasan has surpassed 1,500 registered five-person teams (7,500 participants), with the company Ahlsell accounting for 89 (!) of the registered teams.
– In Tjejvasan on Saturday, February 24, we will witness the 200,000th finish in the race’s history; the world’s largest ski race exclusively for women is being held for the 36th time this year.
– Two new races are introduced: Öppet Spår Monday 30 and Öppet Spår Monday 45, where participants can choose between skating and classic skiing.
– In total, 38 percent of the registered participants in Vasaloppet’s Winter Week 2024 are women. In the 100th Vasaloppet on Sunday, March 3, 21 percent of the registered participants are women, setting a record; in 2023, 18.4 percent of participants in Vasaloppet were women.
– In Vasaloppet 10 on Saturday, March 2, participants are encouraged to wear clothing and equipment from bygone eras. The slogan is: On skis throughout time!
– Several races, including Tjejvasan and Vasaloppet, have lowered age limits for participation.
– Swedish Television, SVT, broadcasts Tjejvasan and Vasaloppet live.
– Vasaloppet’s own streaming service, Vasaloppet.TV, covers all races during Vasaloppet’s Winter Week 2024.
– Barnens Vasalopp on skis in Sälen and Mora, for children aged 3–10 years, will be visited by Bamse.