Skied the made-snow loop and things were great. The afternoon was not warm enough to soften things too much. There was some loose stuff on a few patches and climbs, but the deck was still pretty firm. All the turns were still in great condition despite all of the snow plowing going on. The only debris was at the top of the catwalk and it was minimal. The snow felt a touch slow to me, but it was great skiing out there.

(Dan Boody)

Excellent conditions (race skis), as always, in the morning on the man-made loop, for both classic and skate skiing. Deep, double classic tracks in several areas. Snowguns are making great progress in filling up the bridge near the Trailhead, and huge piles of snow in the Twin Lakes area look awesome. The natural snow trails (Bridge Trail and Skyline Trail) had just been groomed and were in good condition for skating, fair for classic skiing (shallow tracks), and probably B skis to be safe. The connector trail between the man-made loop and the bridge over the parkway was getting very thin and dirty so you may want to take skis off. Tornado Alley was mostly good, and there is actually plenty of snow under the Highway 55 bridge, amazingly. There are a few icy places on the natural snow trails, but if you carefully double pole the icy sections they are not too bad... better than not having any natural snow!

(Bill Oyler)

Skied the Green Meadow section a few times and it was great. Kids were able to navigate the downhills just fine, no icy spots at all. And the tracks were in great condition with no ice or debris. The snow machines were busy the whole time making huge piles. Thanks for the grooming!

(Dan Boody)

Great conditions on the man made loop. Some leaves in the classic track but otherwise no complaints. The Green meadow loop was also in great shape. Snowmaking guns were going on the twin lake trail. Parking was a little difficult at 6:20 pm.

(Mark Bushinski)

The snowmaking loop at Theodore Wirth is currently 4.5k and the snowmaking crews are working on the final 2k.
Note: On Saturday Jan 11th the west half of the snowmaking trail will be closed until 1:00 for the ABC Relays. Pass holders will still be able to ski on the east half of the snowmaking loop and be able to access it from the base of LaSquadra, or stadium 18 behind The Trailhead and up the stairs. The open trails will be LaSquadra, Trail 18 and the East half of Ridgeline with the cutoff being at 4 corners. Parking will be a challenge that morning, so plan accordingly.

(Isaac Kasper, Loppet Foundation)

My partner and I got to Theo Wirth at 3:30 pm, in the middle of high school races. Yes, we knew that was likely, but that was the time we had available. I had a great time anyway, but my partner did not. He found the chaos intimidating, so we went home early. As far as I have been able to find out, unless the course is posted closed, it is okay for citizen skiers to use the course at the same time as high school races. [ High school practices and meets are held at snowmaking courses through early February from mid-afternoon to early evening. Read 'Avoid the Crowds' from the Skinnyski FAQ for more tips --Ed. ]

(Lois Braun)

Hit the made-snow loop at 8:15 or so. There were quite a few people finishing up and a few others getting started. The deck was hard in most spots but not icy. The turns were no issue. There was some sugar out there, mainly in La Squadra and the back of Trail 18. In some spots up to 3/4 in of sugar, but it wasn’t really in the way. There was a snow gun going at the top of Trail 18 and the fresh snow was like sandpaper. The cold wind ramped up a lot and will likely leave some blasted parts by tomorrow. Temp is dropping fast (at least 5 degrees while I was out). Worth fighting the wind to get out there.

(Dan Boody)

Lovely conditions on the snowmaking trails this morning around 8 a.m., with just a couple sugary or slightly icy patches. The grooming crew is doing a fantastic job keeping the trails in good shape, despite the sometimes warm temps we've been having.

Photos:

(Laura Hermer)

Mint conditions on the man made snow course this morning at 6:15! Double classic tracks in most places and wide skate lane with mostly clean snow throughout. Also, the Green Meadow loop by the Luce Line is open and snowguns are going in the final Twin Lake section. Thanks grooming team!

Photos:

(Bill Oyler)

I was apprehensive heading out, but the deck was great despite (or because of) the event in the morning. The trail leading up to the meadow was a bit slushy but the meadow itself was firm. The deck everywhere else stayed quite firm even though it was a warm and sunny day. The bottom of Trail 18 was a little mushy but pretty clean. No icy spots on any hill, lots of control. Beautiful afternoon!

(Dan Boody)