Conditions: Near perfect (at 6:30am) on the snowmaking loop.
Skated the man made loop at 6:30 this morning. Only 2 other people out enjoying the nicely groomed - firm track for skate. Classic tracks also looked really nice. Hopefully with the colder temps things will stay firm for the races.

Photos:

(Patrick Johnson)

In an effort to try and get the Hap loop at Wirth to firm up, the Loppet Foundation is asking that skiers stay off the course after the following times: Thursday night 9pm; Friday night 8pm; Saturday night 8pm. Park board staff will make 4-5 passes of the course tonight in an effort to grind the ice pellets into a finer material with hope that the man-made snow will bond together and ultimately harden up for the events this weekend.

(Craig Rudd)

Conditions: Fair on the snowmaking loop. Very sugary, scraped away to icy base on a few uphills.
Still pretty solid coverage throughout the whole 3.5k loop. Chopped up and sugary throughout though. Nearly quicksand on a few uphills. Groomers are going to have to pull off a minor miracle whipping a few of them into shape---a sheet of glare ice is underneath about 4" of chopped up sugar on a few hills. The worst hill is the approach towards the groomer shed, where tonight you could barely get up. Hopefully the cold temps over the next 48 hours will start firming things up. Fingers crossed that it will hold up to all that Saturday and Sunday traffic.

(Joel LaFrance)

Conditions: Still all white and good for skating.
The manmade course is in good shape. Not as well set up today so things were sugary in the morning. Not such an issue for skate but made classic a challenge. Track was crumbing and the snowpack would shear under the force of kicking. Lots of people out enjoying the great course on a beautiful day. Very thankful for an artificial snow loop in the city.

(Zach Handler)

Conditions: Sugary/icy but fast!
Skied 20k on the manmade loop at 6pm. Overly sugary only on the uphill by the 9 hole course, otherwise good on the rest. A bit icy on the downhills. Very fast overall.

(Patrick Johnson)

Conditions: Perfect skiin on manmade loop continues.
Grooming was outstanding for the citizen junior and college racing this weekend. Saturday had chiseled classic tracks set up firm when people showed up at 6 am. These ran 3 and 4 abreast up all but the two herring bone hills. Perfectly done. Sunday had full width skate deck of compressed firm corn. This held up very very well to a full day of racing. Looks like there should be plenty of snow to get through this warm week.

(Zach Handler)

Conditions: Excellent even at 39 degrees!
Skied the man made loop around 1 PM and the classic tracks were in great shape. Lots of high school and college teams skiing in preparation for the races this weekend. The Wirth groomers have done a great job during all the temperature fluctuations this Winter.

(William Netznik)

Conditions: Perfect for skate and classic on the snowmaking loop.
The full manmade loop is now in perfect shape. Wide, deep, very clean, and no ice. There are some noticeable grooming improvements over previous years. The snow depth is excellent throughout with none of the thin spots and no dirty areas then have been present in the past. The skate deck is setting up properly so it doesn't turn to loose sugar over scraped ice. That is a clear improvement. The right hand downhill hairpin turn on top of the hill where people used to wipeout in races is now fully banked so it is easy and safe to take at speed. The terrain is the same as always - very very hilly. This is the best place in the Metro to Train for the Birkie because of the steep sustained climbs. Nice work wirth crew!

(Zach Handler)

Conditions: Very good for both skate and classic.
Skied the Twin Lakes and snowmaking sections. Skate skiing was great! Tuesday night's snowfall was enough! Wirth groomers were out too; I was pleasantly surprised with how skiable it was compared to earlier in the week.

(Paul Larson)

Conditions: Man-made Loop is in great condition!
The trail was very icy due to warm temps and heavy use yesterday. Trail is groomed with a perfect comb and classic tracks set. There are a few very isolated areas of track that are set a little thin due to firm and icy conditions from the last few days.

(Troy Tschida, Minneapolis Parks and Recreation)