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)

Skijored JD Rivers, Tornado Alley, and the golf course. There are icy spots and areas of thin cover, but overall it was better than I was expecting. The groomers brought snow to cover up the large icy section in Tornado Alley.

(Fritz Cleveland)

Started just after 7. The small lot was nearly full already. Half of the deck was soft, fresh corduroy and half was hard, icy and smooth crust. When we started Trail 18, we saw the groomer ahead of us. They finished and made another pass, taking care of the icy side. It seemed to set up fairly quickly, but by the time I finished (8:45), the track was pretty beaten up again and starting to get icy. The snow at the bottom of Trail 18 was pretty dirty. The rest of the deck was fairly clean. The classic tracks were icy and had leaves in spots, but were ride-able and very fast. The only spot where sugar seemed to be developing was the bottom hill on Trail 18. Otherwise, the hills were pretty firm still.

(Dan Boody)

I skied the natural trails of Wirth North this morning, as well as the manufactured snow loop. The natural snow trails are overall great. The coverage was good and there was fresh grooming. I didn't see any bare ground or spots that were too thin, but there are icy spots on JD Rivers and the Skyline trail (avoidable). Under 55 is skiable, with caution. The biggest obstacle of note is an impassable ice patch on Tornado Alley, near where the trail forks off from the bike trail portion to the golf course. I took my skis off to walk across this. You'll find something similar on the bridge trail as it approaches the Theo Wirth overpass, but as Trail 18 is closed I didn't try to go up there. I used good skis but you might want b-skis given the ice.

(Sam Knuth)