Very good conditions today. The PistenBully was out working on the snowmaking loop while I was there, starting to firm up, highly recommend getting out. I also made it onto the natural trails for the first time in three years, it is pretty well covered though a little bit soft in the middle. Only a couple of spots where there was some debris coming through but I made it through clean with my good skis.

Photos:

(Adam Lutz)

Attempted to groom the man made trails this evening but the strong winds were producing so much drifting that I abandoned the grooming after a couple of partial passes. The good news is that I was able to make a single pass around all of the natural snow trails with very good results. Classic tracks were set on a portion of the Gold trail. Grooming plans: Will make another attempt in the morning when the wind subsides. Should be able to set more tracks then. This presents a rare opportunity to ski the natural snow segments with Pisten Bully grooming.

(John Fitzgerald)

Conditions were great this morning. Temperature around 30 degree with just a touch of wind. Solid skate deck with very few icy sections. All sections of the man-made trails are open (but shrinking) except for the section around the parking lot-just start on the west side near the warming house. The Nordic track looked a little icy, but I did see a few Nordic skiers nonetheless.

(Ethan Knuti)

Really nice conditions at Battle Creek on Friday morning. Great coverage, firm and very fast, deep tracks, and far whiter than I expected. The entire snow making loop is open including the slip back aside from one portion of the pond loop as others have mentioned. I removed nine larger branches from the trail, but there are a few stretches covered with sticks from last night's wind so rock skis would be a good choice. Absolutely worth the trip as long as you don't mind dodging sticks.

(Alec Steward)

The BC trail crew needs new titles; how about Nordic Alchemist for how they've turned white stuff, formerly-known-as snow, into gold. The skate deck was mostly smooth and clean. The downhills and downhill corners were in great shape. The classic tracks were firm (icy in spots) on the bottom but well set throughout. I had to do a few more laps with trail conditions this much fun.

(Michael Sweet)

Tricky skiing this morning with variable snow conditions and speed. Corduroy was covered with a dusting of new snow, hiding dirty shots and making downhills tricky as the skis would accelerate and decelerate as they went from icy to new snow. Groomers must have moved some snow because the slip back seemed fully open to me. Pond loop is toast, so you'll want to start on the west side by the stadium to access the trails.

(Spencer Davis)

I classic skied all of the trail system that was open. I was a little hesitant to bring the skins but I was pleasantly surprised with the tracks that were set. A number of bare spots are easily avoided. Snow is pretty dirty and there is a lot of debris in the tracks and skate deck but that is to be expected given the weather. The worst spot was the hill on the return from Cowabunga which is the only way to get back to the lot currently. Overall, I am very happy to get another day on skis. Thank you to the grooming crew for keeping the trails alive.

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(Ryan Guthrie)

Man made snow trails were groomed Monday night after 10:00 pm. The overall condition of the trails is fair to good but will be soft until the temperatures drop below freezing. There are about six spots that are bare but that can be skied around. On the Prairie Loop there is a spot where run off water beneath the trail has caused a collapse of the trail surface. This too can be skied around but skiers should be cautious as the spot is significantly lower than the adjacent trail. The Pond Loop is closed on the north and east sides due to significant bare areas. Skiers should plan to use the trail head near the Rec Center building to access the trails. Unfortunately the Slip Back descent is now closed due to a very large bare areas near the intersection with the Prairie Loop. The majority of the Slip Back could be used but it would be necessary to remove your skis and walk across the bare area near Prairie Loop intersection. It was not regroomed.

(John Fitzgerald)

For the most part the trails are in good condition. The trail along the parking lot and the east side of the Pond Loop have some dirt spots poking through but can be avoided. Trails were groomed this morning to smooth everything out after yesterday's warm temps. They are soft and getting pretty dirty but definitely skiable for the die hard. With the forecast we will evaluate grooming operations daily. Thank you all for your patience and support.

(Rob Adams)

The manmade snow trails continue to have good coverage, and as expected slowly getting a bit dirty. A few bare spots appearing at the side of the trail. I classic skied all the man made trails and all had deep tracks. It would be appreciated if skaters could avoid skating down the tracks, as the groomers set beautiful tracks. Thank you groomers for outstanding trail management.

Photos:

(Ray Johnston)