With an 11 a.m. and 36 F start, I hit the sweet spot--at least for my tastes in snow. Although there was minimal ice at the surface, it was hard to get a good pole plant due to a frozen underlayer, especially on north-facing uphills. But this problem lessened as the day progressed. There was a lot of work crew traffic with snowmobiles, ATVs and such, still putting stuff away after the big event last weekend. They've got to do what they've got to do, but it did create a few challenges, that likewise got better as the snow softened later in the day. Or maybe it was just that I got used to it. I suggest B skis because of dirty snow and some tree debris, but there were no bare spots so good skis might be okay. Overall, I was grateful for another day of skiing in this age of climate weirding.

(Lois Braun)

Main trails are open again and a track is set (albeit it is shallow and icy in a number of places). Need to park at Chalet and take La Squadra up. "Full loop" now includes Twin Lakes, Coaches corner climb, North Finger, La Squadra, Ridgeline/machine shed loop, then down big hill past Trailhead and over bridge back to the stadium. The normal Jim's Hill return from the upper to the lower stadium is closed and looks kaput given all of the dirty foot traffic during the WC. Overall loop is nice, not icy and well groomed.

(Jim Carlen)

Parking at the chalet is still closed, so you need to get on at the bottom of the La Squadra loop. The trail is closed at Coaches corner, but Ridgeline and the finger loop make up the trail. Tracks are shallow, but mostly ok. The two big downhills have big lumps of soft snow to navigate. Around noon, it was all pretty soft, except a few icy bits on shaded parts of the tracks.

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(Laurie Ford)

Went out to ski the man made trails this morning and it appears there was some sort of event this holiday weekend!? Trails were set slightly differently but overall same good old Theo. Conditions were fast and near best of the year. Even the lake loop was nice and firm although some trails near the trailhead appear to have sustained a bit of foot traffic this weekend.

(Karl Kroll)

Skied 8.5k total from Wirth lake boat launch all the way to the bridge connector by the Chalet. For the winter the trails are great! However there are lots of bumps in some parts and places around pavement that are nearly bare ground. No snow under 55 or the railroad underpass. Saw a bald eagle and trumpeter swans while out and the sunset was amazing. Thank you volunteers for getting it rolled!

(Jolene Johnson)

I skijored around 4:45PM and had so much fun. There were some bumps and grassy spots, along with a few rocks in the bridge over the creek, but all were easy enough to avoid. I started by the chalet and skied all of the golf course. I started going to to tornado alley but could see it was pretty much bare asphalt. It may be possible to ski in the snow on the grassy shoulder if you don't have a dog pulling you. Overall surprisingly great coverage and my 12-y/o pup loved it!

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(Amy Oberbroeckling)

I was at Wirth picking up my course marshall credentials and we took a tour of the courses. It's looking really good.

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(Mark Lahtinen)

Jumped on the Arctic Cat around noon. Started off on Trail 18 and made my way up to the Upper Stadium before following the sprint course back down into the Lower Stadium. Had to share the trails with a few other snowmobiles, a skidsteer, and a telehandler; otherwise oddly quiet for a sunny Sunday afternoon. There were several dozen porta potties and a parked trailer, but it was easy enough to go around those areas. The snow was clean, firm, and fast. Fresh corduroy as far as the eye could see. Easily the best snowmobiling in the metro area right now. No need for your rock or B snowmobiles; use your best snowmobile without risk of damage.

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(Nick Swanson)

The Loppet is shutting things down soon to preserve the track for the World Cup, so this morning may be my last ski from there for a bit, but today was one of the best so far this year. I was out early (5:45 - 7:15), and the track was hard and fast and fun! There's a ton of snow still on almost all parts of the course including the North Finger, La Squadra, and the Machine Shed loop. Some of the flats seem a little thin, but overall conditions were amazing. Thanks to the grooming crew for the great work. Amazing skiing despite the rotten weather!

(Bill McKinney)

Theodore Wirth trails will close starting this Wed, Feb 7th and most likely stay closed through the World Cup weekend, in an effort to preserve the snowfall they currently have. The Loppet Foundation has worked with Three Rivers Park District to allow all all-season pass holders to access Three Rivers trails during this closure.

(Bruce Adelsman)