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.

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(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!

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(Robert Ibler)

Today was my first ski on the newly configured Wirth South natural snow trails south of Glenwood Ave, and it was definitely worth the trip! It feels like exploring brand new trails for the first time. The new direction for the Eloise Butler and Bog trails seems to flow nicely, and you can tell the trails crew put a lot of thought into the new routing. Signage is very good so just follow the directional arrows and you'll be all set. Must have been 5" of fresh powder so it felt like a northwoods back-country ski. Skating was surprisingly fast with my leftover SkiGo HF Orange wax from Loppet weekend. I highly recommend checking out the new trail map, which does a great job showing the new directions and newly configured loops.

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(Bill Oyler)

I skied all of the trails from the North Wirth man made loops down to 394. Everything is really good and good skis can be used. The Butler and Bog trails are a little bumpy in spots and not as firm as the golf course but it is a fun ski. They changed up the flow of the trails in this section and haven't updated all of the signs so it's confusing. To get on to the black diamond loop on the bog trails you have to enter at the old exit at the south end close to 394. There is a do not enter sign there but it can be ignored, once you get going on that trail the signs are corrected. There was one loop in the Butler section that I could not figure out how to get on but I'm guessing this is due to the signs not updated.

(Nick Raisanen)

Grooming was happening as we finished up in the afternoon. Some of the best conditions all year! Super fun to have a great classic track set.

(James Young)

Very thin cover. Mostly rolled with very few tracks set and limited corduroy. Some sections were quite decent while others had dirt or pavement showing. Hope the Loppet crew can improve the conditions or reroute if needed for this weekends events.

(Genevieve Johnson)

Please stay off of natural snow trails on Friday Feb 1st as they are being prepared for the Loppet Festival races this weekend. Skiing is available on the 6.5k snowmaking loop.

(Isaac Kasper, Loppet Foundation)