2026 Vasaloppet USA Skier Instructions

2026 Skier Instructions (Updated 2/3/26 3pm)

*** We look forward to welcoming you to Vasaloppet 2026 Race Weekend! Please allow plenty of time for travel, bib pick-up, parking and getting to the starting line before your race start! *** 

NOTE: Fluorinated Wax (Fluoros) are banned from use and not permitted in the Vasaloppet Nordic Ski Center complex or on the Vasaloppet trails. 

Location – Vasa/Dala & Classic/Half Classic start and finish on Union Street in downtown Mora. Bellringer/Team start on Mora Lake and finish on Union Street in downtown Mora. Miniloppet start in Library Park (details below).

Parking

• Saturday 2/7 – parking on downtown Mora streets plus parking lot of St. Mary’s Catholic Church (201 East Forest Avenue, Mora)
• Sunday 2/8 – parking on downtown Mora streets. Only after 11:15 am – parking lot of St. Mary’s Catholic Church (201 East Forest Avenue, Mora).  Please do not park in the lot before 11:15 am, as it will be used for Mass.

Same-day registration – is available online and at the bib pick-up area at the St. Mary’s Parish Center (201 East Forest Avenue, Mora).

Bib Pick-up

• Friday 2/6: 3 pm – 8 pm at Vasaloppet Headquarters located at 100 S Union Street, Mora, MN
• Saturday 2/7: 8 am -1:30 pm at St. Mary’s Parish Center (201 East Forest Avenue, Mora)
• Sunday 2/8: 8 am – 1:30 pm at St. Mary’s Parish Center (201 East Forest Avenue, Mora)

Bag drop-off & pick-up – Vasaloppet Skier Tent (corner of Union & Forest Ave.), near the race start/finish. You must have your race bib to claim your bag. 

Changing rooms – Vasaloppet Skier Tent (corner of Union & Forest Ave), near the race start

Ski Course Maps – See course maps here: maps

Start & finish lines

• Vasa/Dala & Classic/Half Classic start and finish on Union Street in downtown Mora. 
• Bellringer/Team start on Mora Lake and finish on Union Street.  To get to the start for the Bellringer/Team, proceed on the west side (right side as you are facing the lake) of Union St toward Mora Lake and follow the signs to the start. 
• Miniloppet – start in Library Park next to the Mora Library and finish on Union Street. To get to the start for the Miniloppet, proceed on the east side (left side as you are facing the lake) of Union St toward Mora Lake and follow the signs to the start in Library Park. 

Watch Race Live Stream: Watch Saturday’s events – Here. Watch Sunday’s events – Here.

Saturday Freestyle (skate or classic) Ski Races 

See maps on course maps page.  As in the past, the longer distances are comprised of completing multiple loops/laps of the trail.  It is a little over 1km each direction to reach the loop.  The Saturday skate/freestyle loop distance is about 16km. 

• Vasa Freestyle – 51km (3 laps).  9:30 am start; 12:30 pm awards
• Dala Freestyle – 34km (2 laps). 10:30 am start; 12:30 pm awards
• Bellringer & Team – 12km (1 lap). 1:30 pm start; 3 pm awards
• Race cut-off time: 3pm

Sunday Classic (classic-only) Ski Races 

See maps on course maps page.  As in the past, the longer distances are comprised of completing multiple loops/laps of the trail.  It is a little over 1km each direction to reach the loop. The Sunday classic loop will be around 19km.

• Classic 42k (2 laps): 10am start. Awards at 12:30pm
• Half Classic 21k (1 lap): 10am start. Awards: 11:30 am
• Race cut-off time: 3pm
• Miniloppet children’s ski races (0.5km, 1.5km, 4km): 1:30 pm start at Library Park near the bell tower and finish downtown Mora. The 0.5K will start in the park and proceed directly to the finish on Main Street.

*For mass start races, if you prefer to avoid the crowd with the mass start, you may wait until the mass start leaves the starting area, then begin your own race anytime up to 30 minutes after the mass start. Please know that your race time will still be based off of the mass-start clock time.

Soup stops

There are three soup stops on the course with “Ekstrom’s Blueberry Soup,” along with Gatorade Energy Drink, water, and Honey Stinger energy gel. Soup stops are located at approximately the following distances:

• Vasa: 4 / 12 / 16 / 20 / 28 / 32 / 36 / 44 / 48 km
• Dala: 4 / 12 / 16 / 20 / 28 / 32 km
• Bellringer: 4 / 10 km
• Half Classic: 4 / 12 / 18 km
• Classic: 4 / 12 / 18 / 22 / 30 / 36 km

See course maps for soup stop locations here: maps.

Drop out—if you drop out of your race, please report to the nearest Soup Stop. Advise a soup stop volunteer that you are dropping out and ask them to report your bib number. You will need to turn in your bib to them and not walk past the finish line.

First Aid—First Aid services are provided along the race course by the National Ski Patrol, OEC (Opportunities in Emergency Care) from Spring Lake Park and Osseo Schools, and Welia Health. A Skier Aid Station, staffed by professional medical volunteers, is located in the Nordic Center garage and at the finish line. 

Bib Return – We clean and reuse bibs for future races to reduce costs and environmental impact.  Please help us out–just drop your bib into one of the bins located at the finish line, in the Vasaloppet Tent, or in the St. Mary’s Catholic Church Parish Center (201 East Forest Avenue, Mora).

Skier Lunch–racers will receive a ticket for a free skier lunch served in the St. Mary’s Parish Center after the races.  Additional tickets are available for $12.

• Saturday – lunch served 12 pm -3 pm in the St. Mary’s Parish Center (201 East Forest Ave, Mora)
• Sunday – lunch served 11:30 am – 3 pm in the St. Mary’s Parish Center (201 East Forest Ave, Mora)

Results – Results for 2026 races can be found here.

Awards Ceremonies – All awards ceremonies take place in the St. Mary’s Parish Center (201 East Forest Avenue, Mora):

• Vasa – Top 3 male & female finishers – 12:30 pm Saturday
• Dala – Top 3 male & female finishers – 12:30 pm Saturday
• Bellringer/Team – top finishers + all age classes – 3:00 pm Saturday
• Classic – Top 3 male & female finishers – 12:30 pm Sunday
• 1/2 Classic – Top 3 male & female finishers – 11:30 am Sunday

• Note: Age class awards are still awarded for all races. However, formal awards ceremonies are held only for overall podium finishers, except for the Bellringer and Team races, which include age-class ceremonies. 
• Note: Age class award winners will pick up their Dala Horse awards at the Parish Center. While there will be no formal ceremony for age class awards (except for the Bellringer/Team races), age class winners are invited to have a photo taken with their award in front of a Vasaloppet USA backdrop. Kranskulla’s will also be available for award photos.

Mora Classic and Mora Motion Series – if you are completing your series with Vasaloppet 2026, you will receive your medal at the awards ceremony for your race on Saturday or Sunday at the St. Mary’s Parish Center (201 East Forest Avenue, Mora). 

Double Loppet – if you qualify for a Double Loppet award, you may pick it up at the booth at the St. Mary’s Parish Center (201 East Forest Avenue, Mora). 

Lost & Found – Please drop off anything that you may have found or fill out a form for anything you may have lost at the Vasaloppet Headquarters Building (100 Union Street S., Mora). Be sure to check at Vasaloppet Headquarters if you have lost anything to see if it has been turned in. Items will be kept for only 30 days after the race.