The Vasaloppet organizers were taken by surprise when nearly 3,000 participants were unable to complete the traditional race on Sunday, leading to significant logistical challenges. Reports indicated that by around 19:00, approximately 2,700 participants had already dropped out, with numbers likely increasing as the race wore on due to adverse conditions.

During the event, which typically involves providing support bus services to pick up exhausted participants, the organizers failed to have an adequate number of buses on hand, resulting in lengthy queues for the pickup service. Known colloquially as "dropout buses," these transport vehicles are crucial for ensuring that participants who can no longer continue can be returned safely to key points such as Mora and Sälen. Julia Viberg, responsible for race transportation, confirmed that ten additional buses were summoned as the situation escalated.

The unusually harsh conditions on Sunday contributed significantly to the high dropout rate, with about 20 centimeters of fresh snow falling in parts of the racecourse during the event. Awareness efforts were launched to encourage private citizens to assist in picking up participants using personal vehicles as organizers worked to manage the high number of dropouts and ensure the safety of all involved. This incident raises questions about event preparedness in challenging weather conditions and the adequacy of support services for large-scale sports events in Norway.