I wasn't expecting much when I arrived at Wirth about 7 and the empty parking lot did nothing to encourage me. But we found the snowmaking trails beautifully groomed. We skated 5 cool laps on a smooth skate deck. By the time we left there were mashed potatoes developing where the sun was hitting climbs. I used good skis but there is some debris and dirty snow. There may be a communication problem regarding Trail 18. It was barricaded with a "Closed" sign so I stayed out but it looked groomed and some skiers were skiing it. Judy looked like a ribbon of death.

(John Kendrick)

Freshly raked ice crumbs over a glacier. Very few glare ice spots. Somewhat dirty. Very skatable. Classic tracks were set. Not done yet.

(Bill Weber)

Passable early morning ski. Didn’t really freeze last night so quite a bit of mush. Classic tracks are there but shallow. After skiing I observed the SPA coach waxing in the parking lot. Early prep for state meet. A few wise older skiers were dispensing advice.

(Andy Ubel)

It was super spring skiing on the snowmaking loops this morning! The classic tracks were deep and well formed with good kick and glide for my no wax skis! Hopefully Theo will still be decent for quite a while!

Photos:

(Bill Lundberg)

Epic grooming on the 5k man made loop this AM at 6:30! Double classic tracks (best line) and great skate surface - not too icy but nice and fast and firm. Morning skiing is the best during this warm up!

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(Bill Oyler)

Great early morning ski on the snowmaking loop this morning. Early mornings have been great all week - fast but not too icy. Today was a bit harder/icier than previous days, but still quite fun. Note that the grooming is a bit different today - looks like it is set up for a classical race or something. The tracks weave back and forth across the deck, making it challenging to skate the whole course safely. Lower stadium and green meadow/twin lake are normal, but the rest is set up for classic.

(Sam Knuth)

Skied the snowmaking trails and the Judy loop. Lots of slush, but better in the shade and north-facing trails. The Judy loop is still skiable, but may not last until the weekend. Sections of pavement showing through. Be careful going down the first hill, it's nearly bare at the bottom!

(Adrian Swanson)

I've always been nervous about skiing in the early morning at the time of year when the snow is going through freeze thaw cycles. I like fast, but I don't like scary fast. But when I woke this morning I realized that, between the warm forecast, high school races set to start at 9 a.m. and my work schedule the next week it had to be now or maybe not again until next winter, so I'd better go for it! Am I glad that I did! At 7 a.m. just below freezing, it was fast, but there was enough loose snow to get an edge. Of course, conditions softened with each successive lap, but I didn't see enough sugar to really slow me down until 10, when the races actually started. Now I know not to fear sub-freezing conditions on a trail that receives such constant grooming as Theo Wirth! Bonus: five trumpeter swans flying over the Twin Lake trail.

(Lois Braun)

Skied the snowmaking loop. Crunchy snow but overall very good coverage. A little "mushy" on the uphills but still ok. Solid skate deck. Was out there at about 7am and there were actually a lot of people out. Would do it again! [ Trails are closed most of the day Mon-Wed this week for high school sections --Ed. ]

(Eva Maxson)

I was planning on skiing the snowmaking loops this morning, but they were closed for high school races. I went over to the natural snow on the golf course and skied the Bridge and Skyline loops. It was definitely warm, spring skiing with a strong south wind. The classic track conditions were variable alternating between ice, slush, good, and windblown snow. The skate deck had been recently groomed and was decent most of the time. I headed over to Cedar and Brownie after the golf course.

Photos:

(Bill Lundberg)