The Piston Bully was out for what is most likely the last time for the season. A new classic track was set all the way around the man made loop. The skate deck was tilled and leveled. Beattle's loop was tilled and tracked as well. Mark's park was left as is and wasn't tilled. The best conditions will likely be on the outer man made loop. The pond at the bottom of magic carpet was filled in with snow and should be very skiable. The Piston Bully crew would like to thank all the snowmakers and everyone else who made this low snow year possible. See you all next year.

(Mark Janis)

Fair to good conditions for skate on the manmade loops this morning. A soft freeze overnight followed by a grooming with the Ginzu left a slushy (not rutted) surface on a firm to icy base on most segments of the trail. A couple more icy spots have developed, which had not yet softened by noon, due to the cloudy conditions. Summerstage Hill has one good path down - otherwise it is icy. Magic Carpet is very nice, with a mostly soft surface. Best segment is the west-to-east segment of the Woods Loop. And, much to my surprise, I found a 4-inch long salamander walking across the trail. I rescued it.

(John McCarthy)

Fair, variable, conditions for skate on the manmade loops this morning, but not for lack of snow. Soft slush in most places on a firm base, with some firmer spots. Playground loops were nice and clean. Woods Loop has areas with a fair amount of pine tree debris. There is water at the spot in front of the snowcat garage, but it can be easily skied through. I used my ski to cut a trough across the trail through the saturated snow, and it really helped at getting the accumulated water moving off the trail. Tracks are old and soft.

(John McCarthy)

Skied the black loop, looks to have been groomed since the snow on Thursday. No classic track set but skate deck was nice for classic. I didn't run into any bare spots or rocks. Hardly anyone on the back part of the black. Quiet, saw several deer in the woods.

(Melissa Koss)

Skied the whole black loop Friday afternoon on good skis with no problem, but would probably use B skis after the trails get skied in. Trail was soft and only lightly groomed but very nice. Beautiful day. Didn't see much of a classic track.

(Steven Gardiner)

I skied the classic tracks on the man-made loops, which had fresh snow from Thursday night. The tracks on the outer 1-mile loop were pretty good; not too fast but enjoyable. The groomers may have made a pass, but likely skiers had skied in the tracks made earlier in the week. By late afternoon, the tracks were a little faster with some glazed spots, especially around the lower field. The inner segments only had skied-in tracks. The skate deck had loose snow, so it was slower and forgiving. I did see a few skiers enter or merge from the natural snow loops, but I didn't ski those trails. It was relatively quiet with so many skiers at the Birkie but was a beautiful day at Lapham Peak.

Photos:

(Thomas Benson)

Thanks to the Pisten bully grooming this morning enough loose snow was made on the hard base man-made for good controllable skiing. With the ice rain yesterday it would have been unskiable without the pisten bully. Thanks groomers.

(Don Howell)

Excellent conditions for skate on the manmade loops this afternoon. A mix of crushed ice and firm corduroy provided a fast and fun surface on the skate lanes. There is very little debris visible. The playground loops are especially good. Downhills are a little icy but mostly good. The ice patch at the bottom of Magic Carpet is magically gone. New striding tracks looked solid and fast. Be careful in the parking lot and watch out for the puddles.

(John McCarthy)

The Piston Bully was able to chew up the mess Mother Nature threw our way. The man made loop lives to ski another day. The classic track is very nice. It is a mix of fine ground ice chunks mixed with some powder. The skate deck has a nice layer of soft snow over a firm base. I would expect the trails to ski well today.

(Mark Janis)

Good to fair conditions for skate on the manmade loops this afternoon. Mostly a soft, medium depth layer of slushy snow on a firm base. Some harder packed areas, especially on the downhills. Magic Carpet is harder packed at the top but transitions to very slushy at the bottom, just before the ice patch. Lots of pine debris in the wooded areas. Tracks are old, deteriorated, and can have a lot of debris. Although it may not sound like it, it was actually a very fun ski.

(John McCarthy)