Vasaloppet, Sweden March 2026

On 1st March 2026, a 65 Degrees North team took on the challenging Vasaloppet, a 90 kilometre cross-country ski race through the snowy trails of Sweden, with over 14,300 competitiors. The team comprised our Chair Aston, CEO George, Trustee Rob and George’s son Ross.

The Vasaloppet is the world’s largest and most historic cross-country ski race. Since its inception in 1922, hundreds of thousands of skiers have taken on this legendary course, testing their endurance, resilience and spirit. The team tackled this incredible challenge to raise much-needed funds for our charity.

After a long day of travel, the team arrived in Trysil, Norway, to begin final preparations ahead of the Vasaloppet; the following few days were spent training and acclimatising in the Trysilfjellet, focusing on technique, pacing and adapting to the conditions.

These sessions were about more than mileage, they were about building confidence, consistency and readiness for the 90 kilometre challenge ahead. After a solid day and night on the skis, the team felt strong having completed training sessions under changing light and snow conditions which all helped sharpen both their fitness and focus.

Post-registration in Mora, Sweden, final kit checks were completed and a final rest before the early 0400 departure to the start line in Sälen.

Conditions were set to be challenging but the team were ready and looked forward to stepping off the start line.

This daunting 90 kilometre ski race is a serious challenge and conditions on the day were acknowledged locally to be the worst for many years with mild temperatures and icy tracks.

The team had to dig deep to cover impressive distances and to make the time-limited check points en route.

Congratulations especially goes to Rob Wake, who showed tremendous willpower and endurance to complete the race in just over 12 hours, which is impressive for someone relatively new to the sport of cross-country skiing.

We sincerely thank everyone who donated to this fundraising effort as the total raised at the time of the race was £10,000 for the charity. This generosity helps us to continue to deliver our ambitious programme of rehabilitation through adventure.

Donations can still be made at: Just Giving 65 Degrees North Vasaloppet