Loppet History

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Building on a rich history

The Loppet traces its beginning to a cross-country ski event created by the Viking Ski Club in 1972, an event that has become a welcomed winter tradition in the Laurentians. As recently as 2001, the Loppet offered four events, including a gruelling 50-km test of a skier’s endurance, skill and fortitude. Just completing the trek earned participants the respect of other cross-country skiers. The 50-km race is no longer a part of the Loppet.

In 2002, The Viking Ski Club partnered with the Municipality of Morin-Heights to take the Loppet in a new direction, building interest in cross-country skiing by making the event an affordable family outing. A 10-km race would run along the area’s Aerobic Corridor, and the two longer races would start from the Viking Ski Club. All of the races would finish in Morin-Heights.

Street crossings would be protected by numerous volunteers who shovelled snow onto the pavement for approaching skiers to pass. Buses would ferry skiers to their starts and a hot meal would welcome participants at the end. The partnership saw successful events from 2002 to 2016. But poor snow conditions, which would have put skiers at risk, forced the cancellation of the Loppet in 2017 and 2018.

Given the unpredictability today’s weather conditions, organizers have decided to consolidate the venue of the Loppet to the Viking’s Racing Trails where they can concentrate their trail grooming efforts. The trails are wide and can be groomed with more robust machinery, minimizing the reliance on Mother Nature for snow cover.

All three Loppet events will now start and finish at the newly renovated “Skip’s Hut”, with parking and waxing located at the Viking Ski Club’s clubhouse on Jackson Road in Morin-Heights.

The Viking’s Racing Trails have a storied history. They have been used for events like the Canadian Cross-Country Skiing and Nordic Championship, the World Masters Cross-Country Championship, and the Shell Cup between 1970 and 1983.

Dr. Huntington “Skip” Sheldon was the owner of the 310 acres of land where these Racing Trails are located. It was his wish to protect the land from commercial and residential development and in December 2017, shortly before he passed away, he donated the land to the SPFSA and the Municipality of Morin-Heights. And, in doing so, secured access to the cross-country ski trails in perpetuity.

It is in his honour that the 47th edition of the Loppet will be held.