All of the Theo Wirth South natural snow trails were in lovely shape this morning after a nice little inch or so of new snow! There are classic tracks in most areas, and the skate deck was in super clean shape. No major risk of ski damage except a few usual spots that are easy to spot and avoid.

Photos:

(Bill Oyler)

Skied South Wirth today. The snow itself is great, but there are quite a few spots with brush sticking up through the snow. I went down to Brownie and the hill down and back up definitely has a couple problem spots. The bog had a few spots with brush, especially on the newly routed outer loop on the SE side. The new routing in the Bog has some sharper turns including on the N end (where it was gentle before). The Anwatin loop had several dog walkers on the trail, and beware on the hills as some skiers and walkers were going the wrong way on the trail. As others mentioned, the pond in Eloise is unpassable without skiing over a lot of reeds/cat tails. The path off Wirth Lake has the same dirt/reeds spots as the other sections. It was cleaner on the way to N Wirth but double poling under 55 is a must now - several skate pushes down to the pavement were visible. Skyline was pretty great except a few patches on the east ends of the turns. There was a good amount of dirt and some low branches. The uphills and steeper downhills were quite clean. Lots of people using everything from Wirth Lake to N Wirth, nice to see so many new skiers out too.

(Dan Boody)

Spectacular conditions on all of the South Wirth natural snow trails this morning! Fresh grooming for both classic and skate throughout, and super clean snow means you can use your best skis! There are 4 or 5 small areas of debris to avoid, but they are easy to spot and easy to avoid. I skied everything from Tornado Alley down to Bownie Lake, and it is simply outstanding thanks to the great work of the grooming team. The only loop I suggest avoiding if you have your nicest skis would be the Jar Hill/Wirth Lake loop, as there are quite a few things to jump around. If you are looking for some great skiing in the woods and want to avoid the crowds, this is a gem of a trail system. Park at Wirth Beach lot on Glenwood and parking is a breeze.

Photos:

(Bill Oyler)

Fresh snow, fresh grooming on all South Wirth trails. Tracks have also been set and are in good shape. Generally good ski conditions, but a few small spots and occasional brush stubble exist, but are easily avoided. Trails are groomed across Wirth Lake and Brownie Lake. Cedar Lake is scheduled to be groomed Thursday.

(John Daniels)

I skied all the trails between 55 and 94. Snow coverage was across the board very good, albeit soft. There were just a small handful of sections where non-snow was poking through - thus the recommendation for B skis. Of these, only the first rise of Wedding Hill (going south) has the potential for hitting a rock, but this is avoidable if you're careful. All trails between 55 and 94 were open and previously groomed, including across the lake. Have fun out there!

(Mike Schowalter)

I was super happy and surprised to see that the natural trails were already groomed overnight. Everything north of Glenwood has classic tracks set. I was skating, but the tracks looked solid almost everywhere. The snow is soft, but felt fast. Overall, it's awesome. I'm happy to use my good skis now with a few caveats - my good skis are not that good (not racing skis); there are several places (especially around Wirth lake, which is groomed!) where tall grasses/reeds are coming through. I don't think more snow will solve this - they need to be trimmed. But, I don't think those present much risk of damage; steep inclines (such as entrance/exists to bridges) are thin and need some caution. Under 55 was fine (but of course be cautious). I am very grateful to the grooming crew, who are working literally all hours. Great to see the lake groomed!

(Sam Knuth)

Fun to ski in the woods for first time this year! Trails hard packed for skating - skiers had made some classic tracks. Few bare spots at Eloise Butler. Look out for oak leaves.

(Betsy Hoium)

Continued great skate ski conditions on all South Wirth trails! I appreciate that no additional grooming is taking place as there is just enough clean compressed snow for a great ski on B skis. Eloise Butler and Bog loops are so fun - and the natural snow is way faster than the man-made snow today! Use caution in the usual areas - frozen pond on Anwatin loop and southwest uphill by 394.

Photos:

(Bill Oyler)

The whole bog is in good. I would be most comfortable on B skis but you could use good skis. Snow on the 394 bridge is pretty dirty but the trail ends at Brownie Lake, so no real need to go down that way. Most of Butler and JD Rivers are in pretty good shape but there are a number of sketchy spots (hidden curbs, thin snow over pavement, debris frozen into pond) that I stuck to rock skis.

(Spencer Davis)

Skied all Theo Wirth south trails this afternoon. Solid trail deck throughout with a couple spots where the trail or sidewalk pokes through that is avoidable. The connector trail between Wirth Beach parking lot and the JD River trail back towards the trailhead is a little low on snow. Big downhill on the Anwatin loop at the south part of Theo Wirth was snowplowed when you turned left and would advise you not to shoot down the hills in that area leading to that sharp left. Some parts of the trails had classic tracks, but many parts did not. Great day for a ski.

(Joe Kane)