There's nobody happier than Claire Wilson today. She's the executive director of the Loppet Foundation, in charge of next weekend's big World Cup Cross Country ski race at Minneapolis' Theodore Wirth Park.
The event is officially a 'go' after many stressful, snowless, warm weeks in Minnesota that threatened to cancel the entire event.
"I am sitting here watching multiple crews at work preparing the course, we are waiting for the temperature to drop just a little bit more and we're going to start the snow guns to make a bit more snow," Wilson explains to WCCO's Laura Oakes. "But it's happening, it's really happening, and we're literally seeing hundreds of people descending on our little park getting it ready."
They've already been able to make seven kilometers worth of trails that are about two feet deep.
She says the past several weeks have been stressful for organizers.
"Literally, every second of the past two months has been either about making snow, preserving snow or, you know, just working over time to ensure that we can have a course," Wilson says.
The good news for the event are temperatures will stick mostly in the 30s over the next week so even if temps are above freezing, any melting would be minimal.
They're asking everyone to stay off the trails as they prepare for the event. Skiers from all over the world will descend on Minneapolis beginning next week.