Minnesotans making the most of the snow: 'We really needed it'

MN weather: First large snowstorm of the season

A snowstorm Thursday caused many cities to declare snow emergencies, and had people outside making the most of it. FOX 9's Soyoung Kim and Maury Glover have the latest.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - For cross country skiers, Theodore Wirth Park is a winter wonderland.

"Guess I can ski now. It's really nice and l can get outside when it's so dark and kind of miserable outside and it's like a good positive winter activity for me," said Sarah Boelter.

Even though the trailhead has been making snow for the last few weeks, a fresh flurry of flakes from Mother Nature is making it more inviting for some outdoor enthusiasts to hit the trails for the first time this season.

Heidi Swanson and her family strapped on their skis because it was the activity in their advent calendar.

"We love the snow. We love Minnesota," said Swanson.

But they say the first major snowstorm of the winter left behind an early Christmas present.

MN kids enjoy first snowstorm of the winter

Kids and adults in the Twin Cities were enjoying the first major snowfall of the winter.

"We just said the other day we were excited for a white Christmas. We hoped it would snow," said Swanson.

Meanwhile, at nearby Victory Memorial Park, the blanket of snow is a win for sledding.

"We really needed it. We had kind of a bummer year last year. We've been ready for it. If we're going to have winter, we might as well have snow.," said Jo Crosswell.

Even though a winter warmup is expected next week, folks on the sledding hill say their excitement for the snow won't melt away.

"We're of the opinion to keep it here. We like to ski. We like to go sledding. We like to get out and enjoy it. So once it's here, we'd like it to stay," said Crosswell.

Winter Weather Minneapolis