Worldloppet - medal
Gatineau-loppet, American Birkebeiner and Vasaloppet were my last 3 Worldloppet ski races.
I was happily surprised when only 10 days after Vasaloppet I got an envelope, which included diploma and a medal for successfully completing Worldloppet. It was 4015th time since it's beginning.
Based on my subjective opinion and experience from the different Worldloppet events I composed a comparison of different Worldloppet ski races. Part of this comparison has been published earlier on my previous postings (Feb 24th, 2013).
| Birkebeinerrennet | Dolomitenlauf | Marcialonga | König Ludwig Lauf | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distance | 54 km CL | 42 km CL | 70 km CL | 50 km CL* |
| When (week) | 11 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Total ascent (m) | 1010 | 745 | 757 | 272* |
| Start | Rena | Obertilliach | Moena | Ettal |
| Finish | Lillehammer | Obertilliach | Canazei | Oberammergau |
| Track condition | 10 | 10 | 9 | 1* |
| Route | 10 | 8 | 9 | 8* |
| Fluency (no jam at track) | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7 |
| Washing facilities | 9 | 6 | 4 | - |
| Transportation | - | - | 9 | 9 |
| Comments | Scenic route over the mountains. Physically tough. | At high altitude. Steep and long climbs. | Through tiny villages at Val di Fiemme valley. | *Due to exceptionally warm weather and lack of snow, route was shortened to 42 km. |
| Tips | Start slowly, demanding climb at the beginning. | Travel 2-3 days before to acclimatize to higher altitude. | The start place is crucial. Lots of waiting and standing in queues if start place is in the last groups. | Original 50 km route would have been more scenic. |
| La Transjurassienne | Tartu maraton | Finlandiahiihto | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distance | 50 km CL | 63 km CL | 50 km CL |
| When (week) | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Total ascent (m) | 648 | 695 | 527 |
| Start | Les Rousses | Otepää | Lahti |
| Finish | Mouthe | Elva | Lahti |
| Track condition | 10 | 10+ | 5 |
| Route | 10 | 10 | 6 |
| Fluency (no jam at track) | 8 | 9 | 7 |
| Washing facilities | 8 | - | 9 |
| Transportation | 5 | 8 | - |
| Comments | Very scenic route. Lots of snow. | Well organised. Easy and good route. Tracks in excellent condition. | Overpriced. Tracks always in poor condition. |
| Tips | Rent a car from Geneva airport, don't take transportation from the organiser. Get accommodation from Mouthe. | Tampere maja accommodation in center of Tartu is excellent. Buses to start leave very close. | Never again… |
| Gatineau | American Birkebeiner | Vasaloppet | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distance | 51 km CL | 55 km CL | 90 km CL |
| When (week) | 7 | 8 | 10 |
| Total ascent (m) | 891 | 819 | 805 |
| Start | Wakefield | Telemark | Sälen |
| Finish | Mont Bleu in Gatineau | Hayward | Mora |
| Track condition | 6 | 7 | 1 |
| Route | 10 | 10 | 8 |
| Fluency (no jam at track) | 7 | 9 | 1 |
| Washing facilities | 0 | 0 (paid only in separate location) | 3 |
| Transportation | 7 | 7 (too early bus drive to start) | 8 |
| Comments | Near Ottawa. Route in beautiful Gatineau - park. Can be very cold. | Can be very cold. Lot's of short and steep up and downs. | Too crowded, no medals, overvalued, expensive |
| Tips | Stay couple of extra days and see Ottawa area. | Fly to Minneapolis and rent car from there. 3 hours drive to Hayward. | Choose open track instead of main race |
As requested I added similar comparison table from three well-known ski events in Finland...
| Pirkanhiihto | Pogostan hiihto | Vuokattihiihto | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distance | 90 km CL | 51 km CL | 60 km CL |
| When (week) | 9 | 11 | 12 |
| Total ascent (m) | 749 | 447 | 777 |
| Start | Niinisalo | Ilomantsi | Vuokatti |
| Finish | Tampere | Ilomantsi | Vuokatti |
| Track condition | 8 | 8 | 9 |
| Route | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Fluency (no jam at track) | 8 | 9 | 9 |
| Washing facilities | - | 9 | 9 |
| Transportation | 9 | - | - |
| Comments | Early start at 7 AM. Typically dark and cold at the beginning. | Hospitality and nice atmosphere. Beautiful route in wilderness up to Petkeljärvi national park. | Scenic climb to Vuokattivaara. |
| Tips |
