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!

Photos:

(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)

Since the North trails were closed for the races, I skied South and cut through JD Rivers to Eloise. Under the highway bridge, the snow was dirty but no worse than expected. The track on the way was skied in, but still firm enough for good skating. The track in Eloise and the Bog had plenty of snow for good skis, though there was some of the usual debris. Careful in the Bog, there are some branches to watch out for on the North side, especially coming down to the parking lot. As usual, the deck is a bit narrow for regular skating, especially on the connector tracks in Eloise and the Bog, so I end up doing a modified skate. Great snow out there! The only spots that could have used better signs were heading North into Eloise and then coming back into Eloise from the Bog (easy to go the wrong way up the hill).

(Dan Boody)

With races closing off Wirth North, I skied every bit of Wirth South. At first I was disappointed with the mixed conditions: some soft sides, some ridgy centers, leaves here, unevenness there. But then I realized that after 3 months of skiing constantly groomed snowmaking loops around town, Wirth South is what real skiing looks like: it's a mix, and you take it as it comes. So go ski it -- lots of variety -- and enjoy.

(David Moore)

Best conditions of the season! All of the Wirth South trails have been groomed just right for classic and skate, best conditions I've skied in Wirth South for quite some time. There is some forest debris here and there, but then again, it's a forest! I'm liking the new flow to the trails in the Eloise Butler and Bog sections, and there are new, larger navigational signs so it's easy to go the right direction. Enjoy perfect skiing conditions on natural snow!

(Bill Oyler)

Skied Eloise Butler and the Bog this morning for the first time this year. Generally speaking, I love the new course layout in Butler - very well done! There are a lot of people going the wrong way. Signs are up in Butler, but they are small and hard to see (especially if you are skiing around dawn/dusk). In JD Rivers and Bog, they have additional temporary signs up that are bigger with arrows and "wrong way" indicators. I do see a high potential for collision on some of the step, curvy hills if people are going the wrong way - be cautious! In terms of conditions, less than 24 hours after grooming, it's pretty chopped up. Tracks are hit and miss, but mostly viable. The snow is so soft they get crushed pretty easily, and the track is narrow so skaters cut into them. The bog was overall better condition, with less traffic. I hope they groom daily.

Photos:

(Sam Knuth)

All Wirth natural snow trails were groomed this morning. As of midday, it's still pretty soft out there, especially the skate deck. Classic tracks seemed to be holding up better. At any rate, very nice to be out!

Photos:

(Robert Ibler)