Near Mora, SwedenA short break in Sweden combines cross country ski-ing, winning a prize in the SkejtVasan race and a visit to Stockholm’s cultural highlights.

"Did you hear what I said, please go straight to the prizegiving," said the announcer gently guiding me in the right direction. I’d crossed the finishing line of the SkejtVasan 45km skating race a few seconds earlier and vaguely heard that I was third in my women’s age class and had won a prize, but didn’t really take it in. The coffee and cake that had tantalised me for the last 10k hovered in my mind.

"The prizegiving is just starting, tell them you’re third, we knew you were coming." The electronic chip on my right ankle had tracked my progress through the snowy pines - they must have thought I was sightseeing! Although I worked hard to get my best time of 3hrs 55 mins for the distance, it wasn’t fast by Swedish standards. Nonetheless I was called to join the other winners on the podium, congratulated by a charming young man in a beige frock coat and tall black hat and given some useful sports kit. A gentle glow of success warmed me through the slushy fading light to the changing rooms.

Racing through history

Start of the 2007 SkejtVasanSkejtVasan race is one of seven that take place in the festival week prior to the Vasaloppet, the oldest, longest and biggest cross-country ski race in the world [www.vasaloppet.se]. Run over a gently undulating 90km course between Sälen and Mora in the Dalarna region of central Sweden, some 15,000 skiers follow in the footsteps of Gustav Vasa, a Swedish nobleman and 16th century freedom fighter. Having escaped the occupying Danes he tried unsuccessfully to raise support in Mora and was heading for Norway when, unbeknown to him, the people had a change of heart. Two of their fastest skiers pursued and caught up with him in Sälen; he returned to Mora and started the uprising that led to him becoming King of Sweden in 1523.

I had been too late to secure a place in the Vasaloppet and decided to take a short break to sample one of the other races and Sweden for the first time. As the SkejtVasan is held on a Friday, I’d been able to travel from the UK on Tuesday, get in some practice on the tracks, compete in the race and return on Saturday after an afternoon’s sightseeing in Stockholm.

I was glad of the warm sunshine when I got off the special bus to the SkejtVasan starting area near the hamlet of Oxberg with over an hour to kill. Situated in a large clearing about the size of a couple of football pitches it was sparsely equipped with a shack serving as the race office, a dozen portaloos and a table with free drinks urns. Loudspeakers flooded pop music to the distant trees and a myriad of flags fluttered relieving the bleakness.

A select field

I hadn’t given much thought to the number of participants but as I chatted with a couple of Australians from Melbourne, I realised they were in the hundreds and there would be no comforting gang of backrunners for company. The butterflies escaped back into my stomach before being corralled in a corner. The only way home was down the race route so I joined other competitors testing the tracks and reassuringly found my skis glided beautifully. The recommendations from a chance meeting with a man from wax company, Swix, seemed good.

Ski-ing around the world

Although I’ve competed in nine other Worldloppet ski races, a determination to finish rather than speed has underpinned my success. British skiers need to be willing to devote a phenomenal amount of time to training to truly compete against those from snow countries. Starting at an early age and having natural athletic ability also help but none of these applied to me. The Worldloppet is an association of 14 long distance popular ski races around the world, including the SkejtVasan and Vasaloppet, where all you need is some strange belief that you can complete the distance plus the entry fee. It has given me some great personal challenges and achievements, plus lots of fun and trips to places I wouldn’t otherwise have visited.

En route to Mora

At midday the ten lanes of skiers massed at the start soon funnelled into the trail through the white woods, snaking up short, steep inclines then skirting a semi-frozen lake. Heavy breathing gradually settled into more even rhythms as we passed trees feathered with sparkling snow under a cloudless blue sky. Views over rolling wilderness opened up as we joined the main Vasaloppet track. For the first 15k I kept up a steady tempo, increasingly looking forward to the drinks station at Oxberg where school children lined up to offer of water, sports drink, blueberry soup and bread. The warm purpley-pink soup looked inviting but previous experience reminded me that this was not the time for a gastronmic experiment.

Passing the halfway point and reaching the Hökberg checkpoint well ahead of the 3pm cut off time helped to offset my aching feet. Then a small struggle of mind over matter began as the silent forests lost their magic. The undulating track was less strength sapping than those with longer steeper climbs but it meant constant work as there were few places to jump into classic tracks for a long, restful glide downhill.

The final reward

I glimpsed other competitors occasionally and smiled gratefully at lone helpers manning the road crossings who cheered encouragement. Eventually I reached the small settlement at Eldris 9 km from the finish and rewarded myself with an energy gel and a swig of water. I was delighted when the final 3 km marker came up sooner than expected and mustered my body into decent technique as I met skiers out on their afternoon tours.

The dark spire of Mora church appeared and I sped along determined to finish in under four hours. I powered up the last short steep climb to the section through the town and managed what I thought was a sprint to a few claps from sparse spectators and the announcer’s congratulatory voice at the finish line.

A different sense of place

The following day a four hour train journey transferred me easily from small town Sweden to its capital built on fourteen different islands. Snow-free, the main shopping area adjacent to the central station was busy with smart shoppers and family strollers but it had a relaxed, friendly air. I headed for the old town area of Gamla Stan with its tall 17th and 18th century buildings crammed into a network of winding alleys with views down to the surrounding water. Churches, galleries, restaurants and stylish boutiques rub shoulders with the occasional troll and trinket shop but in the side streets it was easier to rewind to bygone eras. A colony of blue tits playing among bird feeders in two small trees showed a modern love of nature in contrast to the adjacent vicious statue of George and the Dragon.

The royal palace and parliament building complexes are heavy, square, uncompromising buildings of grey-beige and grey-yellow stone containing museums that my Rough Guide recommended but I saved them for my next visit. I followed the dog walkers and joggers along the quays past a fisherman who seemed to be trying to sell what looked like a large salmon – I wondered if he really caught it in the dark, rushing waters or did he buy it in the market earlier in the day?

An artful finale

My target was the National Museum  where I focussed on their small but comprehensive art collection. It includes beautiful Russian icons along with works by Canaletto, Gauguin, Renoir and Rembrandt as well as Swedish masters, Anders Zorn and Carl Larsson. There was also the bonus of a special exhibition, the Language of Flowers, that linked the famous 18th century Swedish botanist Carl von Linné with paintings, glassware, china and photography to the present day. Monet, van Gogh, Matisse, Zorn, Georgia O’Keefe and Andy Warhol all feature. Well presented with unstuffy English translations and, although popular, there was plenty of space for all the visitors.

A bit of power walking got me to the station in time to catch the smooth express back to the airport with final glimpses of red and white wooden homesteads ringed by conifers in a snowy landscape. Of course I only scratched the surface of Sweden but in just five days I enjoyed sporting highs, friendly and helpful people, and cultural gems. Travel was easy, and prices were surprisingly reasonable. Definitely a successful trip.

Facts [March 2007]

Currency: Swedish Krona [SEK] £1 = 13.649 SEK

I flew with BA from London Heathrow – Stockholm Arlanda

Flying time: 2 hrs 35 mins – [March 2007]Flying time: 2 hrs 35 mins – http://www.britishairways.com/

Trains from run Arlanda C to Mora either direct or with one change in Borlange taking around 3hrs 30 mins. My return trip with reserved seats cost 604 SEK, prices vary according to the popularity of trains - http://www.sj.se/ Frequent express trains take 20 minutes to link Arlanda airport with Stockholm – 6 hour return fare 280 SEK –

http://www.arlandaexpress.com/

I booked accommodation in a private home through the local tourist office for 395 SEK a night – http://www.siljan.se/ or email mora@siljan.se

Cross country ski races:

http://www.vasaloppet.se/

http://www.worldloppet.com/