'It's really good to be back downtown': Vasaloppet USA president Gerdin discusses 2026 race weekend

Downtown Mora will welcome more than 1,000 cross-country skiers when Vasaloppet race weekend kicks off on Saturday.

In an interview on Tuesday, Vasaloppet USA president Chip Gerdin said there's enough snow to make a Union Street start and finish line work for the 2026 schedule.

"It's shaping up really good," Gerdin said. "It's going to be an absolutely fabulous, beautiful race course. The trails are really, really nice skiing now. Just fabulous."

Gerdin said crews would put finishing touches on the trails on Wednesday night, with final grooming on Friday night before races begin on Saturday.

The return of the start and finish line on Union Street comes on the heels of a 2024 race canceled due to warm weather, and having to amend the course in 2025 because of a lack of snow.

"It's really good to be back downtown," Gerdin said. "The three things everybody knows about the Vasa is the downtown finish, blueberry soup at the soup stops, and Dala horses for awards. It's just a great thing, coming across the lake, you hear the bell tower ringing, you know you're close, and you finish right down on main street. It's really unique."

Registration numbers are on par with 2025's race weekend: Gerdin said the organization is expecting about 1,100 skiers participating in the various races.

Gerdin said the weather has cooperated for the 2026 iteration of the Vasaloppet, without having to rely on manufactured snow to do much more than buff out the trails.

"We've not made a lot of snow this year, but they're using that manmade snow for road crossings and improving in spots along the course," Gerdin explained.

The city of Mora will assist with putting snow down on Union Street; Kanabec County will remove the snow after races end on Sunday afternoon.

Whether it's the Mora Lions running the soup stops, or the Kanabec County Sheriff's Office reserves and other volunteers helping out at road crossings, Gerdin said the Mora community comes together to make the Vasaloppet happen.

"There's a lot of people doing a lot of work to make it happen," Gerdin said.

Gerdin encouraged residents to come out and cheer on the skiers: Parking is available on Mora's side streets downtown, and the Mora Library offers a wide view of the competitors crossing the lake.

"The winners are fast," Gerdin said. "Be at the finish line just after noon [on Saturday], and cheer on some fast racers, and we'll see who wins."

Gerdin said one of the organization's challenges is to make the race "as economical as you can so you can keep putting it on."

"We're always trying new things to keep the traditions, but make it the best experience we can for the skiers, so they come back," he said.

The Vasaloppet USA has been a Mora institution since 1973, and Gerdin — who first raced in 1980 ("I didn't finish it, I froze to death out there by Knife Lake") and finished in 1981 — said the race is a storied tradition.

"When you look back at the winners over the years, there are multiple World Cup skiers and Olympians who have come here and won this race," Gerdin said. "That's really amazing to see, here in the flatlands of Minnesota."