MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Maybe it’s all the snow or maybe it’s the recent uptick in temperatures that has people excited about this year’s City of Lakes Loppet.

Registration for this year’s cross-country skiing festival is way ahead of last year.

So far, more than 5,000 people are registered for events. With two weeks to go, registration is running 66 percent ahead of 2010.

This year, organizers expect more than 9,000 skiers. They said they expect the big events like the Loppet Freestyle, Luminary Loppet and Hoigaard’s Classic to fill up this year.

Mail-in registration closes on Saturday, Jan. 29. If you are interested in learning more about the event, click here.