News

The Worldloppet Executive Committee had its Spring meeting in St. Moritz after the Engadin Skimarathon, discussing the passed season and preparing the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Hayward (USA) in June.

In general, an increase in participants and new passport holders could be noticed by all races which shows that long distance skiing is more and more popular and seen as a good way of combining physical activity with conviviality and travelling. And this special feature of Worldloppet races does not only draw young and old towards the races but also different celebrities, royals and heads of state respectively ministers.

With more World Cup skiers skiing a FIS Marathon Cup from time to time but not winning naturally, the importance and the high competition level is brightly shown and underlines the immense performance of the FIS Marathon Cup elite skiers who are racing basically every weekend throughout the season a long distance race.

Another point of discussion were the so called “exotic races”. These are smaller races which are not yet able to fulfil the minimum requirements in order to be able to be included in the Worldloppet Ski Federation as a full member. They shall now be able to get a status of an associated WL race which would enable them to stamp passports which in turn is most important to make many foreigners want to come to the race. An evaluation system each race has to undergo if it wants to become an associated WL race will now be installed.

At the occasion of the Executive Committee meeting, as all persons who were equipped thorughout the winter by Worldloppet’s new clothing supplier STONEHAM were together, the Executive Committee and all Worldloppet staff wanted to thank STONEHAM for a really good cooperation and great clothes which enabled everybody to stay warm and comfortable throughout the winter season. The clothes were tested in all kind of conditions, like really cold temperatures (La Transjurassienne), rain (König-Ludwig-Lauf) and snow. The cooperation will continue next season with a project in sight of which all Wordloppet racers will be able to profit. More information on that will come after the AGM in June.