For every Minnesotan hating nonstop shoveling and tough commutes, there are those who say these days are the best of the year.
“We love it,” said Greg Egbert of St Paul. “Snow days, yeah, they're a beautiful thing.”
Especially when you spend them on cross country skis. Dozens of people were at Theodore Wirth Park in Golden Valley this morning, some saying it's a snow globe come to life.
“On the trails it's really nice because it's not as windy,” said Kellen McMillen of Minneapolis. “So it's just you and nature, and it's kind of nice.”
Even with a month of record snowfall and cold temperatures, many give Mother Nature a frosty high five, getting outside in big numbers. The Loppet Foundation says it's held double the number of cross country skiing lessons since last year and issued 30 percent more trail passes.
“I’d love to see this snow happen December 15th and be like this until the end of March,” said Egbert.
A lot of kids agree. Many have had five or six extra vacation days thanks to this winter's weather.
“My school closed today because of the snow,” said Lauren Anderson, a fourth grader at Cornelia Elementary in Edina.
When Lauren and the rest of the district got yet another day off Wednesday, their parents sent them outside, inviting the whole school on Facebook to a neighborhood sledding day.
“We have total cabin fever,” said January Thompson, who organized the event. “We need to get out, we’re cooped up. It's a beautiful day where before it was so cold that we couldn't get outside, so now we're outside and enjoying the snow. It’s beautiful.”
And it's not over yet. Our forecast calls for at least two more rounds, both this weekend and next week.
“This is why I live in Minnesota!” said Allison McMillen of Minneapolis.
Finding fun in the record-breaking snow
Some Minnesotans who have been waiting for a lot of snow are very happy.