I classic skied the trails south of Glenwood this afternoon. Overall trails are in very good condition. Skate deck was firm but not overly so, and much faster than I expected with the cold snow. Classic tracks are firm and mostly in good shape. I would recommend B skis because on several trail sections adjacent to Theodore Wirth Parkway, aggressive road plowing has pushed dirty and icy snow onto the trail, and the little ice balls are hard to avoid.

(Robert Ibler)

Delicious sunshine! The South Wirth trails are in the best shape in 5+ years, and the sunshine this time of year is strong and really warms you up on a cold day. The JD Rivers, picnic pavilion, Anwatin, wedding hill, oakvik, erickson, quaking bog, and 394 corridor loops are all in excellent shape for skating and classical skiing. In fact, the classic tracks look about as good as it gets in the woods. I ventured out to Wirth Lake but I found it way too chilly with lots of windblown snow, so I aborted and went back into the woods, which are completely protected from the wind. If you are looking for a wind-free ski on a cold day, the wooded trails south of Glenwood Avenue are the perfect solution.

Photos:

(Bill Oyler)

Classic skied from Wirth Trailhead south through Butler and the Bog, around Cedar Lake and back with a group of 9. Cedar not groomed (no snowmobile available until tomorrow) but tracks had been skied-in nicely. Recommend getting out and skiing these trails ASAP - it was beautiful and really fast for new snow. Cold blue kick wax worked great (group was on Vauthi Tar Blue, Rode Multigrade Blue, Swix VR40, skins. Rode Green was a bit slippy in some sections for someone with my technique.

(Eric Leugers)

Great conditions through the bog and wildflower garden as well as on the golf course. Ski races happening over by the Trailhead building on the par 3 course. Pristine snow and tree flocked vistas. Not crowded and the skate deck was firm with a light coating of loose snow on top making it easy enough to propel. No debris even in the woods. Some areas were a bit less firm and at times ski poles would sink through the surface crust but overall an excellent an excellent job of grooming. Classic tracks were set well. A beautiful day for skiing the incredible and varied trails at Wirth!

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(George Wawro)

Beautiful, quiet, winter wonderland in the late afternoon hours. Skied all segments between Glenwood and I-394 on the east and west sides of Theo Wirth Parkway. Used waxless classic skis due to 4"-5" of fresh snow prior to any grooming. Fluffy conditions, excellent coverage, lots of fun.

(Genevieve Johnson)

Butler, the bog, 394, and Brownie lake trails all freshly groomed and in great shape. The debris is mostly covered, the deck is firming up nicely, and the groomers were able to widen the deck on most sections. I did go under the tracks to Cedar lake around 12-1pm and it had not been groomed since the last few inches came down. And I didn't go north of Glenwood so I don't know how that is, but wow, the trails between Glenwood and the Cedar Lake trail are so much fun. A big thanks to the groomers!

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(David Hutcheson)

Ran into the groomers in the picnic pavilion loop this morning as I was wrapping up my ski. Groomers are laying down fresh cord and solid classic tracks all through South Wirth! About as good as it gets!

Photos:

(Bill Oyler)

I groomed and tracked the trails south of Glenwood this morning. Overall it cleaned up pretty well after the wind, but there is a lot of small debris blown down in the woods, and still some evidence of drifting in exposed areas. I cleaned up as much of the bigger debris as I could.

(Robert Ibler)

Skied the south loop (all natural snow) including Wirth Lake and the Eloise Butler trail. Groomed while we were out there, but with or without the grooming the snow was great, and not many people out there. The snow was soft. Good classic tracks, too, though not really deep before the groomer went through, since there were an additional few inches of snow overnight.

(Brooke Magid Hart)

Fantastic morning skiing the "Re-Loppet" doing the entire Wirth South (and North) system from Cedar Lake through the man-made loops. Fantastic conditions throughout the system on a beautiful bluebird day. This is truly a world-class trail system that is second to none. And the red beans and rice from Cajun Twist hit the spot at the end! Thank you to the Loppet Foundation for organizing the Re-Loppet. Hope they do this again next year. Trail conditions on the lakes were a "10", the rest of the south Wirth trails a solid "9", the man-made loops a "10", and the Judy Loop a "7", as that segment was still pretty soft.

Photos:

(Keith Gilbert)