News

The 100th Vasaloppet! The start is in Sälen on Sunday, March 3 at 08:00. Millions of TV viewers worldwide can follow the race, which was fully booked already in March 2023. There are a record number of foreign participants, the age limit for participation has been lowered, there will be an opening ceremony before the start, and participants will experience an additional historical checkpoint between Risberg and Evertsberg. Here are all the conditions for this year’s edition of the world’s largest long-distance ski race.

Yes, Vasaloppet now joins the exclusive collection of international major sporting events that have been held for 100 years or more. One can think of events such as Wimbledon, The Boat Race, Kentucky Derby, Tour de France, FA Cup, Stanley Cup, British Open, World Series, Indy 500, Giro d’Italia… But with the difference that anyone can sign up and participate in Vasaloppet.

Since the first race in 1922, Vasaloppet has recorded 624,559 finishes; put together across the 99 races, participants have skied a distance equivalent to 1,405 laps around the Earth or 73 round trips to the moon. Counting all the different Vasaloppet ski races over the years, a total of 1,543,461 skiers have completed their race. If we also include all the finishes in the summer races since 2008, 1,813,643 finishes in Mora have been recorded (after Vasaloppet’s Summer Week in 2023).

VASALOPPET QUICK FACTS
DATE: Sunday, March 3, 2024
START: Vasaloppet start, Berga by, Sälen
START TIME: 08:00 CET
FINISH: The finish line portal at the belfry in Mora
DISTANCE: 90 km, classic technique
FOLLOW PARTICIPANTS: The official Vasaloppet app >
LIVE BROADCAST: On radio, TV and streaming (see broadcast times below)
FIRST RACE: 1922
CANCELLED: 1932, 1934 and 1990
THIS IS RACE NUMBER: 100
RULING CHAMPIONS: Emil Persson, Sweden, and Emilie Fleten, Norway
REGISTERED PARTICIPANTS 2024:15,800 (Total of 60,000 across all of Vasaloppet’s Winter Week 2024.)
RECORD NUMBER OF STARTING PARTICIPANTS: 15,709 started in 2010
HILL PRIZE: Evertsberg 47 km
OTHER SPRINT PRICES: Smågan 11 km, Mångsbodarna 24 km, Risberg 36 km, Oxberg 62 km, Hökberg 71 km, Eldris 81 km
SKI CLASSIC CLIMB: The highest point of Vasaloppet (528 metres above sea level) 3 km
SKI CLASSICS SPRINT: Smågan 11 km, Evertsberg 47 km
NEXT YEAR: Registration for the 101st Vasaloppet on March 2, 2025 opened on Thursday, February 22, 2024.
WEBSITES: vasaloppet.se/en, vasaloppet.tv

Sveriges Television
The first live TV broadcast of Vasaloppet took place in 1966. This will be the 47th time that Vasaloppet (in part or in its entirety) is transmitted live, and it’s the 42nd time that the Vasaloppet start is broadcast live on television. 1973 was the first year with a live broadcast in colour. Since 1992 Vasaloppet has been shown live every year.

History

Gustav Eriksson’s adventure in Dalarna took place during the winter of 1520–21. On June 6, 1523 he was elected King of Sweden – as Gustav Vasa. The first Vasaloppet took place in 1922. This year will see the 100th Vasaloppet, which is also the 28th with a special competition class for women (started in 1997). Since 1948, the race has always run on the first Sunday of March, except in 2015 when the race ran on the second Sunday because of the World Ski Championships in Falun Robin Bryntesson is making his debut as an elite skiing reporter and will provide reports from near the front. Artist Klara Hammarström and comedian Måns Möller will be featured as skiing reporters you can follow along on SVT Play throughout Vasaloppet. Follow them and participate by sending encouraging messages.

The extra checkpoint 2024

At an additional checkpoint, beyond the seven regular Vasaloppet checkpoints, participants and spectators will be transported 100 years back in time. The checkpoint will be set up between Risberg and Evertsberg, just before the Evertsberg lakes, in a historical environment with open fires and torches. There will be pine branch decorations, functionaries in period clothing, and horses and sleds. The focus is on the experience, and no extra food or drinks will be served; participants can instead enjoy those at the regular Vasaloppet checkpoints.

Lowered age limit

The Swedish Ski Association decided ahead of the 2023/24 season to remove the distance restriction for younger juniors (men/women aged 17–18). According to previous regulations, this age category could only ski a maximum of 50 km in a competition class, meaning that you could participate in Vasaloppet from the calendar year you turned 19. Now, there is no upper limit in the distance table when an athlete reaches junior age, meaning that you are eligible at age 17 to obtain a FIS code for international competition and thus, with current regulations, you’re able to move up to a senior class with unlimited competition distances. Hence, you can now participate in Vasaloppet from the year you turn 17 (this year, that means being born in 2007 or earlier.

The youngest person on the 2024 start list is Olof Sundin (born 2007-09-23). He will be younger than Alvar Myhlback when he participated in Vasaloppet 2023. The youngest woman in Vasaloppet 2024 is Ester Borg, (2007-11-23), becoming the youngest woman ever in Vasaloppet.

The average age in Vasaloppet 2024 is 43.0 years.

More women than ever
20.5 percent of the registered participants on Sunday’s track are women, which is the highest percentage ever.

Start list
RESULTS.VASALOPPET.SE/2024
(The elite start group is ”Elit”, after which there are ten additional start groups.)

Winners

The last ten Vasaloppet winners, women
2014 Laila Kveli, Norway
2015 Justyna Kowalczyk, Poland
2016 Katerina Smutná, Czech Republic
2017 Britta Johansson Norgren, Sweden
2018 Lina Korsgren, Sweden
2019 Britta Johansson Norgren, Sweden
2020 Lina Korsgren, Sweden
2021 Lina Korsgren, Sweden
2022 Astrid Öyre Slind, Norway
2023 Emilie Fleten, Norway

The last ten Vasaloppet winners, men
2014 John Kristian Dahl, Norway
2015 Petter Eliassen, Norway
2016 John Kristian Dahl, Norway
2017 John Kristian Dahl, Norway
2018 Andreas Nygaard, Norway
2019 Tore Björset Berdal, Norway
2020 Petter Eliassen, Norway
2021 Tord Asle Gjerdalen, Norway
2022 Andreas Nygaard, Norway
2023 Emil Persson, Sweden

Last year’s results
Only eight different men’s victors and four different women’s victors have managed to defend their Vasaloppet win the next year. Most recently, John Kristian Dahl 2017 and Lina Korsgren 2021. Ten times in the men’s class (since 1922) and four times in the women’s class (introduced in 1997), the person who finished second in Vasaloppet won the race the following year; something Emil Persson accomplished last year when he ended a ten-year streak of Norwegian men’s victors.

Results Vasaloppet 2023, women
1 Emilie Fleten (NOR), Team Ramudden, 4.04.08
2 Silje Øyre Slind (NOR), Team Aker Daehlie, 4.06.41
3 Ida Dahl (SWE), Team Engcon, 4.08.08
4 Magni Smedås (NOR), Team Eksjöhus, 4.09.21
5 Astrid Öyre Slind (NOR), Team Aker Daehlie, 4.11.22
6 Anikken Gjerde Alnes (NOR), Team Ragde Charge, 4.13.28
7 Jenny Larsson (SWE), Team Ragde Charge, 4.14.02
8 Kati Roivas (FIN), Team Naeringsbanken Stora Enso, 4.14.05
9 Hanna Lodin (SWE), Ski Team Göhlins, 4.18.16
10 Sandra Schützová (CZE), Vltava Fund Ski Team, 4.18.44

Results Vasaloppet 2023, men
1 Emil Persson (SWE), Lager 157 Ski Team, 3.37.43
2 Andreas Nygaard (NOR), Team Ragde Charge, 3.37.43
3 Kasper Stadaas (NOR), Team Ragde Charge, 3.37.44
4 Petter Stakston (NOR), Team Aker Daehlie, 3.37.45
5 Johan Hoel (NOR), Team Ragde Charge, 3.37.49
6 Joar Andreas Thele (NOR), Team Ragde Charge, 3.37.59
7 Oskar Kardin (SWE), Team Ragde Charge, 3.37.59
8 Alvar Myhlback (SWE), Lager 157 Ski Team, 3.38.00
9 Max Novak (SWE), Team Aker Daehlie, 3.38.01
10 Karstein Johaug (NOR), Team Ragde Charge, 3.38.01

Record number of foreign participants
More than 4,800 of Vasaloppet’s registered participants in 2024 are from 52 nations other than Sweden. The 20 countries with most foreign representation are: Norway 948, Czech Republic 769, Finland 675, Germany 573, Denmark 430, Italy 305, Estonia 253, Switzerland 187, Austria 111, France 93, Netherlands 93, Iceland 80, USA 70, Poland 46, Slovakia 42, UK 37, Slovenia 28, Canada 27, Belgium 15, Latvia 14. Alterations may be made up until the start and statistics are not final.