Red Bull Nordenskiöldsloppet is the world’s longest and arguably the toughest ski race in the world. The 220-kilometer race will be organized in 2020 for the fifth time in modern history. However, the race was first organized by Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld in 1884 as a way to prove to skeptics that it was possible to travel such distances on skis.
During preparations for his second expedition to Greenland in 1882-83, Nordenskiöld needed reliable and strong men with extensive skiing experience to explore the inner parts of Greenland. Outside Jokkmokk, he found Pava Lars Nilsson Tuorda and Anders Rassa, who covered 460 kilometers in 57 hours during the expedition.
Back home, this was met with great skepticism. To prove his skeptics wrong, Nordenskiöld organized a race from Jokkmokk to Kvikkjokk and back, a distance of 220 kilometers. On April 3, 1884, 18 men of varying ages started the race. The skis they used were between 210-300 centimeters long, and the bindings consisted of simple leather straps.
The 36-year-old Pava-Lasse and 40-year-old Per-Olof Amundsson Länta arrived in Kvikkjokk at 04:10 in the morning. After a short food break at the parsonage, they turned back toward Jokkmokk. Following a tough battle between Pava-Lasse, Länta, and Apmut Anders Ahrman, Pava-Lasse emerged victorious with a time of 21 hours and 22 minutes. This is also the time required in today’s race to receive a medal.
-
-
-
Participants compete during Red Bull Nordenskioeldsloppet in Jokkmokk, Sweden on March 30, 2019. // Magnus Östh / Red Bull Content Pool // AP-1YVUDZKG92111 // Usage for editorial use only // -
-
