We classic skied part of Magney today. The snow is 100 % connected where we skied, just the main area out and back not Ely's or Bardon's. There were a couple of small patches of dirt showing, no big deal though. Pole plants were firm and it is starting to turn into the fun corn snow. We used our good skins.

Photos:

(Eve Graves)

We classic skied part of Magney today and it was totally snow covered with lots of snow! Some skate skiers were just leaving as we got there and had done all of it. No grooming nor skied in classic tracks, but pole plants were firm. We picked up tons of sticks off of the trails as we went out and it was really nice skiing on the way back without them. Someone left deep snowshoe prints throughout the middle of the trail along with some dog prints.

Photos:

(Eve Graves)

Icy, rutted and lots of tree debris. Two trees are down across Bardon Peak route. Magney-Snively is skiable but probably not our area's most pleasant trail. On the other hand, it's April 8, you'll have the trail to yourself and the view is great.

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(Nick Lansing)

Started out classic with hard wax on but snow was so abrasive I was skating pretty quickly. It was 30° so it was a pretty good crust but occasionally sinking just a little. Pretty fast on downhills. There's an 8" tree down across Bardons loop and a smaller one just a bit further. Neither are on a downhill and the rest of the trail just has lots of small branches. Very skiable but difficult to hit the wax for classic. Skating was much better with good edge/glide.

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(Carol Koos)

I walked the snowmobile trail and peaked at Magney. No one had attempted to ski it as of 2 pm Thursday. The entire trail is littered with branches and sticks. The consistency of the snow would make for some pretty darn fun classic skiing, but skate would be next to impossible due to the thick crust on top. The connector was in the same shape. If you have some "stick" wax and want a good workout and to be a good citizen at the same time, head on over, ski and pick up sticks!

Photos:

(Eve Graves)

I caught wind (or a text) that Magney was groomed yesterday, so made a bee line there thinking magic may have happened. It appears a couple of people took the magic with a few deep ruts along much of the trail in the warmer temps. A fresh 1/2 inch of snow covered up some of it and it was still good--just not great. Then again, it is almost April, so expectations should be appropriate.

(Jena Ogston)

Just groomed today and had excellent skiing on my skin skis. The temp was 29F degrees with light snow when I started skiing. The skating lane was not as wide as usual causing the skaters to go over the tracks in places but generally the conditions were excellent especially for this time of the year. Thanks again groomers. Its a real treat to ski Magney groomed like this at the end of March.

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(Gene Karwoski)

Is it mid January or almost April? Can't really tell today! I classic skied all but Ely's and Bardon's at Magney today. The tracks were 99% intact. There were leaves and some birch bark scattered in spots, which were "skin stopping" sometimes.... I just went out of the tracks for those. I'd say the tracks are 85% debris free. They are very solid and the pole plants are very firm throughout. The skate deck was well used with some deep ruts and some very firm areas with very little edge. If you are a good skier, you will absolutely love it today. If you are more timid, the skate deck could present some challenges in places.

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(Eve Graves)

Very good to excellent spring skiing conditions on the main loop, with the most wear and tear on the two-way section, especially in the vicinity of the Spirit connector junction, where there was a bit of track washout. A slight glaze in portions of the tracks, but at mid-morning with mid-20'sF, still able to manage with blue kick wax, although there was some slippage on a few of the south-facing hills. Also, herringboning was necessary for me on several of the uphill sections. Corduroy still allowing fairly good control on the more challenging downhills. Some debris in the tracks from the persistent winds off the big lake.

(Joel Rosen)

Thanks to the groomers for giving Magney a needed refresh after the weekend drifting. The tracks are mostly excellent—deep and firm. Snow conditions varied from loose and dry to icy, and skins worked great throughout. The skate deck looked soft in spots, but not overly rutted.

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(Betsy Tabor)