Hearing that all the natural snow trails had been groomed this morning, I tagged along with a group heading to the bogs. But on finding even the Skyline trail was icier than I care for even at 10:30, I turned back to snowmaking loop, and was glad I did. Awhile later I found out that others heading to the Bogs had also turned back for the same reason. That the snowmaking loop was excellent goes almost without saying. I like skiing hard and with confidence, even if it means doing the same route over and over again. I was surprised that it was still pretty good at 1 p.m. and 41 degrees, though starting to slow a bit.

(Lois Braun)

Folks, we have world-class, mid-winter conditions at Wirth right now! With temps below freezing overnight all week, mornings should be superb this week. Lots of glittering freshies and sunshine out there!

Photos:

(Bill Oyler)

We received about 4 inches of fresh snow overnight and our crews are out rolling all natural snow trails this morning. We plan to start grooming when we are done rolling late morning. The snowmaking trails were groomed this morning after the snow.

(Isaac Kasper, Loppet Foundation)

Wow, what a difference a few inches of high-water-content snow makes! All of Wirth's natural snow trails have been transformed into excellent conditions from Monday's snowfall. I skied all of the North Wirth trails this afternoon around 11am and the grooming and snow conditions were top-notch. The Judy loop has been fully restored with the return of the second big climb that had previously been bypassed. The Front 9/Skyline Trail was also in great shape with just a few small icy patches that were easy to avoid. Tornado Alley was about the cleanest, nicest conditions I've seen this season. The entire snowmaking loop is also in perfect shape. In addition to great skating, the classic tracks are in solid shape throughout the North Wirth trails. One word of caution is that the Bridge Trail still has some ice under thin snow at the bottom by the wooden bridge, so take that descent slowly and safely. Should be excellent skiing at Wirth this weekend.

Photos:

(Bill Oyler)

Skated front nine, tornado alley, JD Gardens, and Bog. All freshly groomed. Generally nice edge-able corduroy on the skate deck, with some icy places in windblown areas of the front nine. Tracks were thin in spots. There are a few thin spots, but good skis can be used with care.

(Sue Schroeder)

Got out at 2 pm, and skied a number of laps of the snowmaking loop. The snow was still soft with temps above 40, but the gray skies kept the snow a little firmer than Saturday. There was even more debris on the hill heading into the woods (leading up to the meadow), enough so that it was pretty much unavoidable. Some sticks and pine cones, with pine needles covering the trail. There was also a fair amount on the hill coming up from the valley (right before heading down the sledding hill). The spot under the tree on that hill had less snow remaining than Saturday, so it was starting to look a little too thin. I didn't see any areas of major concern, and any scraping I heard was just some snow that had refrozen (such as in Twin Lakes). I would be comfortable using good skis, just maybe not new ones.

(Dan Boody)

Skied about three laps of the snowmaking loop mid to late afternoon. The snow was getting soft with temps above 40, but things felt fast (even though I had teal wax on). There was some debris on the hill heading into the woods (leading up to the meadow), and a fair amount on the hill coming up from the valley (right before heading down the sledding hill). Under the tree on that hill was probably the thinnest area of snow as well. I would be comfortable using good skis, just maybe not new ones.

(Dan Boody)

The snowmaking loop was in very good shape this morning - just a few small icy sections where people were snowplowing. The "bonus" downhill and uphill loop at the sledding hill was closed, but even with that loop closed I measured 6.4K for the snowmaking loop, which is still the longest in the metro, and it is safe for good skis. The Skyline Trail (Front 9) was in pretty good shape after the light grooming snowmobile went by to "etch" up the icy base this morning. However, the Tornado Alley connector trail to the South Wirth trails was too icy for me to ski on. Also, I suggest avoiding the Bridge Trail descent from the snowmaking loop across Wirth Parkway because it's very icy at the bottom. The Judy Trail was also too icy for me this morning, but as I was leaving I saw the groomers doing a lot of work on the Judy Trail so I suspect it will be in better shape this late morning/early afternoon.

(Bill Oyler)

The snowmaking loop is being groomed and tracks are being set nightly. This week we repaired the lights in the lower stadium and nearby Hap trail.
We continue to groom all of the natural snow trails (Bridge Trail, Skyline, Tornado Alley, JD Rivers and Wirth Lake) each morning. We are currently not setting new tracks in most locations because of insufficient snow depths, however most of the skate deck is still in good shape with a few thin or icy spots. Most areas have held up very well this past week.

(Isaac Kasper, Loppet Foundation)

Skied the man-made loop this morning and it is super hard. I think the course would benefit from 4-12 inches of new snow but I am probably being greedy.

(Luke Malm)