Skied just after noon, hitting the manmade snow loops hoping to avoid some of the slick conditions. The Twin Lakes loop was open and a lot of the trees along there are covered in snowmaking runoff. Skate conditions were mostly very good with a firm deck and just enough give for a nice push off. Fast but very controllable. My only quibble was there was a slight ridge running along a much of the loop, which was unusual in my experience at Wirth. With the gray sky and low contrast, the ridge made balance work a little more interesting. A couple of lesson groups out, but generally no issues with crowding. Saw the snowmaking/grooming crew working on North Finger. Snowmaking was also active in the prairie section. Note: With the La Squadra complete, it's possible to park at the chalet lot and get on the snowmaking trails there.

Photos:

(Bruce Adelsman)

5 k of snowmaking ski trail, including Twin Lakes, is now open. The snowmaking loops will be closed Saturday 7am-12pm for the Loppet Invite races. The snowmaking loops and natural snow ski trails North of Glenwood will be closed Sunday 7am-1pm for Pre-Loppet races.

(Robert Ibler, Loppet Foundation)

I skied JD Rivers, Bassett Creek, Bridge and the snowmaking loop this morning. It is icy on the natural trails, but not too bad. I found I could get an edge and there were just a few places that I was slipping around a bit. But, I would be cautious and double polling may be better in spots (I skipped Skyline thinking it might be too icy for me). Coverage is still great and tracks are looking good. On the snowmaking side, still no connection to trail 18. But, Twin Lake is open, which is super fun.

(Sam Knuth)

I skied the snowmaking loops tonight after viewing "The Luminaries" documentary at the Trailhead and, although somewhat icy on the flats and downhills, I didn't have a problem although I was being careful. I found all the uphill climbs were good with good edging. First nighttime ski of the season and it was fun!

(Dave Carlson)

Very very icy (not surprising given the weather). Skied green meadow (saw the groomers working on inner meadow and twin lakes) and Jim's hill into ridgeline. Overall skiable but not great. Hoping for cooler weather and less ice.

(Chance Davis)

Natural snow trails are being groomed daily and are in good condition, except for lakes, which remain slushy and icy due to the weight of all the snow. 4 kilometers of the usual snowmaking ski trails are open and groomed nightly with Pistenbully groomers. Grooming plans: Snowmaking is wrapping up on Twin Lakes and it should be ready for skiing soon. Snowmaking will be starting on North Finger shortly. Even though there's a lot of natural snow on the ground, it's only about 4" deep once it's packed down, which isn't anywhere near enough to get us through the season with nightly Pistenbully grooming, so we are continuing with snowmaking like normal for now to ensure a full length season. We hope to open the Judy Loop soon, as well.

(Robert Ibler, Loppet Foundation)

Skyline was some of the best coverage we're likely to see. And the deck was firm but with plenty of traction. Very few tracks were on the new corduroy. The made snow loop had a cold deck that was pretty firm but still allowing people to get an edge. Still no inner meadow, twin lakes or north finger open. I had been hoping to ski Judy with all of this great snow, but it's ungroomed and not connected due to no north finger.

(Dan Boody)

Tornado alley and JD rivers in surprisingly not excellent condition. Track was fair to good. Didn't appear to have been set in the past 24 hours. Deck to right of track was soft and would not hold a pole. Wirth lake not groomed at all. [ As previously reported, the lakes have too much slush snow to be groomed -- Ed. ]

(David Abrams)

Tracks were in good condition. Skate lane was firm with a nice inch of loose powder which was great for getting an edge.
I skied the manufactured snow loop. I was surprised to see that Green Meadow and Twin Lakes loops were still not groomed! With 2 feet of natural snow? The natural snow loops on the golf course across the street were not groomed either.

(Kathleen Miller)

Wirth natural snow trails on land are groomed for classic and skate and are in good shape. Conditions on lakes are currently quite poor due to large amounts of slush under the snow due to the weight of the snow and the amount of moisture in the most recent snowfall. It makes grooming equipment get stuck, and then turns to ice after we come through. We are hoping for conditions to improve as temps turn colder.

(Robert Ibler, Loppet Foundation)