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Organizers of the Loppet Cup passed a major test Friday, when the International Ski Federation approved the condition of its courses for this month’s World Cup races. With two weeks remaining before the event at Theodore Wirth Park, local officials are mounting an all-out effort to protect that little slice of winter from the spring-like weather.
Claire Wilson, executive director of the Loppet Foundation, said organizers are in “a race to save the snow” for the sprint and 10-kilometer events Feb. 17-18. She said the international federation, known as FIS, thought conditions were surprisingly good during Friday’s snow-control check. The FIS approval gave “the official green light” for the races to proceed, Wilson said.
For the next two weeks, Loppet Cup officials will keep the fields enriched with snow stored in Wirth Park, brought in from elsewhere or freshly prepared on site if the weather is cold enough. Wilson said the only thing that can prevent World Cup racing would be if the rain forecast for next week was incredibly strong or if temperatures during race week were too high. She doesn’t expect any of those scenarios.
“We have no plans to cancel‚” Wilson said. “All systems are go.
“I think we’re pretty compatible with the (snow) we have and what we can bring. We are going to offer the most productive field possible, given the conditions. It’s not what any of us dreamed of,” but it’s going to be a smart course.
FIS officials have been following weather reports, Wilson said, and hope to have an “emergency crisis meeting” on Friday. But they were satisfied with the final inspection before the World Cup.
Wilson said a lot of snow was produced and stored in Wirth Park at the time of the cold snap in early January. If needed, others can be brought in from the Bush Lake Ski Jump in Bloomington.
This weekend, the Loppet Foundation will host the Town of Lakes Loppet Winter Festival at Wirth Park, which includes cross-country events. The park has also hosted the best school runs, but the last two races scheduled for next week will be moved to its location in an attempt to maintain Wirth Park’s trails.