Put a fresh comb on the Bronze and Silver trails this morning. Trail is in decent shape with a few bare spots that are avoidable. Enjoy!

(Mike Rohweder)

Battle Creek was amazing today. Great classic track throughout the whole system. A very few bare spots but easily avoidable. I used my favorite skis with swix extra blue wax and had great kick and glide. Need a good birkie or seeker workout? This is the best place In the Cities for big long climbs. I haven't seen it this good in years. A real treat! Heading back tomorrow!

(Ryan Atwell)

Groomed and track set on Bronze, Silver and ballfield. Lots of leaves, sorry, a very few slight bare spots; otherwise great conditions.

(Bill Kosfeld)

Ski games and the gold trail are freshly groomed: skate deck and classic track. The silver trail is skied in but has not been groomed since before the snow - loose snow on a firm deck.

(Karl Dewahl)

Skated every inch of Battle Creek, including Ski Games side, this morning in 15-degree moderate snowfall. The new snow kept things soft and a bit slow, but overall nearly everything was fine, leaves snowed over, deck mostly evened out. Classic tracks were of course filling with snow. My only reservation is that the Ski Games loop remains bumpy underneath the new snow. But it was great to be out at BC.

(David Moore)

Groomed the Ski Games but did not set a new classic track as it looked good. Also groomed the Gold where we set new classic track (see photos of the Gold trail) and it is excellent. Touched up the skate deck on the Silver/Bronze on the way back and it was also good except for more of the those darn oak leaves! Good skiing at BC West and hopefully more snow soon. High School ski meet Thursday late afternoon.

Photos:

(Dave Gorringe)

Excellent early season conditions at BC west. Noon hour outing in the sunshine and I skied the entire Bronze, Silver, Gold, and World cup trails. Good coverage with no bare spots on the skate deck, and a few grassy patches in the tracks were noted. Leaves and twigs yes, but nothing too annoying. Bronze, Silver, Gold sections were packed out well from skiers, and the World Cup extension to the south had 2" fresh snow covering the packed deck. So much fun to be on natural snow in early December.

(John Horns)

Groomed the silver trail including a classic track. The classic track has a couple of short bare spots near the parking lot. The gold trail and ski games are open but have not yet been groomed after today's snow. Very close to "no problem" for best skis.

(Karl Dewahl)

Skate skied this morning early. Very good coverage in most areas, especially on most all of the meadow climbs and descents. I would stick to the Silver Trail at this point until we get more snow. Gold was very icy and too many oak litter and sticks after yesterday's winds that provided extra resistance! Ski Games trails were skiable but very uneven at this point. Much different trail than a few days ago. A shout out to the volunteer grooming crew that does an excellent job of maintaining these trails!

(Bill Harrison)

All skating trails, including the ballfield and the Ski Games trails, were groomed today. Classic tracks were set on the Silver yesterday and are holding up well as are the classic tracks on Ski Games side. No more tracksetting for now until we get more snow. The trails are all in very good condition with few icy or bare areas which are easliy avoided. Leaves and small debris on the trail are the only reason not to use A skis. One short downhill coming off the prairie loops was re-routed due to grass showing throuh due to sun exposure. The entrance to this section was blocked with tree branches. Enjoy the cooler temps and the sun!

(Doug Schumacher)