Great conditions - good skis if you are careful to avoid random sticks, etc. As mentioned in other reports, there are a couple spots in Butler require care - the tight left hand turn before Anwantin has some ice, but you can go straight through the pine boughs marking the turn if you want to avoid the ice. Also the pond near the school is bare ice and we backtracked. Otherwise, really nice! The forest provided welcome protection from the wind at -1F.

(Eric Leugers)

Actually pretty nice out with the sun, windy only in the open areas. The Bog Trail pretty good, tracks not real deep set and some washouts on the corners but stIll a lot of fun. No tracks on the I-394 bridge but adequate snow cover. Brownie Lake pretty good, Cedar Lake was good on the west side but the eastern side was pretty wind blown and not much of a track. The Cedar side of the tunnel is pretty dirty and icy for a short stretch. The trail into the park was good. And Anwatin was good, the pond ice frozen over and not too bad getting across. Nice to see a fair amount of other hardy souls out on the trails but a lot of sections I had to myself!

(Dave Carlson)

Skied all trails between Cedar lake and Hwy 55. Good conditions throughout. To be picky there was some ice on the sharp left downhill on the Anwatin trail. No wind down on Brownie lake.

(Mark Bushinski)

Good conditions out there! Where is everyone? Faster snow than I’d expected given the cold. Some leaves on the bog and picnic pavilion trails but nothing bad. It seemed like all was recently snow mobile groomed. There’s a little ridge in the center of the trails in places but nothing too bad. Bundle up and get out there!

Photos:

(Katharine Woodman-Maynard)

Groomed after sunset. Skate deck refreshed full width both sides of the parkway. Snow too hard and thin to reset classic tracks but tracks remain almost everywhere. Warning: Anwatain pond was flooded by a water main break. For now the trail has been rerouted to avoid Anwatain pond and Anwatain School. Will resume the usual route as soon as pond conditions permit.

(Zachary Handler)

Relatively "warmish" afternoon for a nice lunch hour ski under the bright sunshine, with about 1/16 of an inch of fresh new snow over the Wirth South trails. Still really nice race ski conditions throughout South Wirth - and all trails are skiing great for skate and classic - except for a detour around the Anwatin pond, which appears to have a new river forming across the top. I am guessing there was a water line break somewhere nearby... so needless to say, the pond was not skiable as of today.

Photos:

(Bill Oyler)

Skied around Brownie Lake from Wirth beach and back. Best classic tracks I've seen this winter. Tracks were a little windblown on Brownie lake but otherwise great. Stayed warm from soaking up some sun.

(Mark Bushinski)

Skate lane groomed in bog and butler. Only able to get one pass down the middle in the bog because of mechanical issues, but at least the annoying rut that was in the middle of the skate deck is fixed. Classic tracks mostly intact.

(Zachary Handler)

Wirth South trails are still in great shape for skate and classic - race ski ready! Skate deck is a bit compacted by this afternoon, but good for balance and much faster than yesterday, even without any new glide wax. Classic tracks are mostly intact everywhere. The Bog and Butler loops are a great place to avoid the windchill and enjoy the bright afternoon sunshine. I saw more skiers on these loops today than on any other day this season! Apparently everyone knows the ancient Norwegian proverb, "There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes." Wirth Beach parking lot almost full this afternoon!

(Bill Oyler)

The groomers captured all of the new snow very well - the course was in great shape! There were still classic tracks in many places through the bog and Eloise, but the deck worked better for me, especially in spots with snow blown into the tracks. There were no bare spots or concerning areas. The downhills were a little crusty since they had been snowplowed out, but getting an edge was easy. Even the reeds in the pond were pretty well covered.

(Dan Boody)