Vasaloppet
Vasaloppet by Mill56/Flickr
The oldest cross country ski race in the world, Vasaloppet, or Vasa-race, was started to commemorate the man that brought Sweden its independence.
The year was 1520. Sweden found itself in the awful throes of a tyrant overlord in the name of Christian II, king of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. The noble class opposed his rule, and Christian attempted to quell their rebellion with a nefarious ploy. Under the guise of making amends, the king invited all of the most notable members of society to a reconciliation party, then proceeded to massacre them under one roof. The kingdom came to mourn the event as the Stockholm Bloodbath.
The parents of a young nobleman were killed in the event, and young Gustav Eriksson Vasa fled for his life. Stopping for help in Mora, Gustav tried to convince the men there to rebel against the king. The men of Mora turned him down, so he took up his journey toward Norway for refuge. But the men of Mora changed their minds, desiring that Gustav would lead the revolution, and sent two of their most skilled skiers to follow him into the west. They caught up to Gustav in Sälen, and the revolution began. Three years later, Christian was overthrown and Gustav Vasa was crown king of Sweden, making it an independent nation from that point forward.
Vasa-race is done in reverse of the original trail, starting in Sälen and ending 90 km (56 mi) away in Mora. It has the highest attendance of any cross country ski race in the world.
The year was 1520. Sweden found itself in the awful throes of a tyrant overlord in the name of Christian II, king of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. The noble class opposed his rule, and Christian attempted to quell their rebellion with a nefarious ploy. Under the guise of making amends, the king invited all of the most notable members of society to a reconciliation party, then proceeded to massacre them under one roof. The kingdom came to mourn the event as the Stockholm Bloodbath.
The parents of a young nobleman were killed in the event, and young Gustav Eriksson Vasa fled for his life. Stopping for help in Mora, Gustav tried to convince the men there to rebel against the king. The men of Mora turned him down, so he took up his journey toward Norway for refuge. But the men of Mora changed their minds, desiring that Gustav would lead the revolution, and sent two of their most skilled skiers to follow him into the west. They caught up to Gustav in Sälen, and the revolution began. Three years later, Christian was overthrown and Gustav Vasa was crown king of Sweden, making it an independent nation from that point forward.
Vasa-race is done in reverse of the original trail, starting in Sälen and ending 90 km (56 mi) away in Mora. It has the highest attendance of any cross country ski race in the world.
