‘Race against time’ for Stifel Loppet Cup at Theo Wirth Park

'Race against time' for Stifel Loppet Cup

The last month of abnormally warm weather had Minnesotans golfing, at a time when most would expect to be skiing. However, it appears Mother Nature won’t be able to keep skiers away for much longer.

(FOX 9) - The last month of abnormally warm weather had Minnesotans golfing, at a time when most would expect to be skiing. However, it appears Mother Nature won’t be able to keep skiers away for much longer.

"I am obsessively checking the weather, and I feel more optimistic now that we’re seeing more days below freezing," Claire Wilson said. "While we anticipated a warm winter, we did not anticipate anything like the temperatures we’ve experienced… typically this time of year we’ll have at least 7 km of trail open. This year we have about a kilometer and a half."

On President’s Day weekend, Theodore Wirth Park is set to welcome the best skiers in the world for the Stifel Loppet Cup, "Right now, it’s going to be a race against time to make the course," Wilson said.

Before that, Loppet Foundation executive director Claire Wilson hopes to welcome close to 20,000 people to the Luminary Loppet on Lake of the Isles, in the first weekend of February.

"I am somewhat concerned just because we haven’t had those deep freezes yet," Wilson said.

Last year, unsafe ice conditions forced organizers to move the event off of the lake and onto land.