Some are young, some are old, there are women and men, beginners and pros. The skiing tracks around Mora, where Vasaloppet ends right on the main square, is full of skiers these days.

Some are locals, having a day out in the tracks. But an increasingly large proportion of the skiers are from the southern part of Sweden, taking a chance to test out the last half of the 90 kilometer race course from Sälen to Mora.

Yours truly, having a drink in Oxberg.

“This year is a record year, we have a bunch of people coming here to train,” says Staffan Larsson,  a native cross country skier who has set up a training camp in Mora.

Happy punters, getting good use of their poles.

One explanation is that there’s a shortage of snow in the southern parts of Sweden. Another explanation is that Vasaloppet has grown quickly the last years.

Until the end of the 1950′s Vasaloppet only had a few hundred participants. But between 1964 and 1966 the race doubled, and 3 000 participants suddenly turned into almost 7 000. Since then the numbers have risen dramatically.

The coffeehouse in Hökberg.

This year more than 60 000 skiers compete in nine different races during ten days in the end of February and the beginning of March.

Vasaloppet has become an industry built around the old motto “I Fäders Spår för Framtids Segrar” (In the footsteps of our forefathers for the victories of tomorrow). The winter week has been joined by a summer week with running and mountain biking on the schedule.

“Vasaloppet means a lot to Mora, both commercially and as an identity for our community,” says Staffan Larsson.

Staffan Larsson

Facts about Vasaloppet:

Distance (main race): 90 km

Number of participants 2011: 15 800 (that’s maximum and the limit was reached in May 2011).

Stages: Berga, 0 km, Smågan 11 km, Mångsbodarna, 24 km, Risberg, 35 km, Evertsberg, 47 km, Oxberg, 62 km, Hökberg, 71 km, Eldris, 81 km, Mora, 90 km.

The other races: Open track (two races with the same distance as the main race, but not so many participants), TjejVasan (30 km, for women), UngdomsVasan (3/5/7/9 km, kids), HalvVasan (45 km), KortVasan (an even shorter version of the main race, 30 km), StafettVasan (a relay), SkejtVasan (skating instead of the classic style, 30/45 km)

More info: Vasaloppet is the oldest, the longest and the biggest cross country ski race in the world. The race started 1922 and has been organized every year since then.

Staffan Larsson from Mora was the first skier to use only his poles to cover the 90 km’s in Vasaloppet. In his first try 1994 he ended up in fifth place. Four years later, 1998, he was came in second, only two tenths of a second after the winner.

Footnote: La Rambla is a famous street in central Barcelona, popular with both tourists and locals alike.