Finally, after several years of lack of snow, I was able to ski to entire system! What a treat. The manmade trails were a bit icy but manageable. The natural snow was good overall. Ski games was a little soft with a few spots that were slick. I used my B skis but I think my good skis would have survived.

(Ethan Knuti)

Soft for ski skating. A bit bowl shaped, too. Classic track looked very good. One large icy spot, two small ones.

(Amy Lynn Storbakken)

All trails at Battle Creek West have been groomed. The man made snow trails were groomed early this morning and are in excellent condition. The natural snow trails were also groomed and classic trails set. The natural snow trails are still a bit soft so maybe not your best skis.

(Rob Adams)

Conditions were great this morning. Groomers are rockstars! A little soft in some areas but looking forward to cooler temps and hopefully a lot of snow.

(Jeremy Eckert)

I arrived at Battle Creek about 11:30 to once again find that the trails were in good condition, given the extended period of warm weather we've been experiencing. Trail coverage was good edge-to-edge, but there were areas where the snow is exhibiting a distinctly brownish hue (most obvious in the classic tracks), and as the melting has progressed, more tree debris is being exposed to add to that which falls daily. That said, I skated several laps over the Pond, Prairie, South Tree, and North Tree loops. The snow was in reasonably good condition - solid skate deck overlain by a thin layer of wet, granular snow that provided acceptable push, decent glide, and good downhill control. The uphills are getting a little churned up, and the downhills are getting packed and scraped to a certain degree. The downhill hairpin turns at the south end of South Tree and the north end of North Tree are both developing troughs along the inside of the turns, but not to the extent of being unmanageable. We could really use more natural snow and/or weather cold enough to make snow. But in the meantime, thank you Battle Creek for keeping us skiing.

(David Sonnenberg)

Perfection. Pristine tracks and skate deck on the man made snow loops. A wonderful Christmas present.

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(Ray Johnston)

Beautiful conditions this morning; I wasn't sure how it would be after the warm previous day and races the day prior. Freshly groomed. I skated but classic tracks and skiers looked great as well. Lots of skiers out. Thank you to the grooming team!

(Christina Ewig)

Returned to Battle Creek today after a nice ski yesterday, this time with my granddaughters (4, 7, & 9). We got there about 2:30, so the grooming was no longer fresh. However, the groomers have done a great job building a solid base that has held up well under traffic. The skate deck was firm with a surface layer of edgeable snow that made for both decent push and glide. Also, the classic tracks appeared to be solid and relatively deep in most areas. My granddaughters and I skied the Pond and Prairie loops, and we all had a great time. About 3:30 pm, the Irondale ski team showed up, followed by others, which worried me at first with the little girls, but the high schoolers were very considerate of us slow-movers, never pushing or crowding us. Many wore Santa hats and other holiday apparel, were clearly having fun with each other, and they set a wonderful example for my granddaughters, both in terms of quality skiing and respect for others on the course - quality boys and girls. It was a fine afternoon ski, made even better by the Christmas spirit brought by the high school kids. Merry Christmas, everyone!

(David Sonnenberg)

Mint conditions on the man made loops this morning - perfect time to start training for the Battle Creek 50K!

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(Bill Oyler)

Tremendous conditions this morning. The skate deck was groomed nicely making for a snow pack far better than i expected to find. Some uneven conditions and rough grooming but still, with the weather we've had, I found it exceptional, not icy and plenty to push from. The classic tracks were deep and clean; I glided in them at every chance. Thanks grooming team for the amazing trails.

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(Glenn Hansen)