A perfect day to get in some training for the big 50K ski race that everyone is getting ready for (the Battle Creek 50K of course!). I checked out the World Cup natural snow loop (the outer loop) and it was super fun. After removing about 30 large branch chunks and big rocks, it's in pretty good shape, although you will still need rock skis because there are still a bunch of small rocks especially on the final climb out of the woods. The cold snow helps make the descents a little slower than usual so they are manageable. The Enchanted Forest natural snow trail is in excellent shape - you can use good skis with caution. Of course the whole man-made snow loop is in perfect shape and all of the loops are open. Overall fantastic conditions for early season.

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(Bill Oyler)

All natural snow trails were combed Friday night. This was our second time on the trails and considering our first snow fall it is ok skiing. Attempted to set classic tracks but the snow is just to thin. The big machine was out working on the man made snow trail as I left, it will be good skiing Saturday!

(Bill Stuber)

I skied the front side where the snow was made by machine and covered with natural snow yesterday. Conditions were excellent. Snow was fast. Tracks were set and there were no bare spots.

(Greg Filice)

Skied all the man-made loops. Looked like some brave souls took to the natural snow trails, but I did not follow as trying out my new skis. Classic track was in excellent fresh condition, though some sections went down to the ice. As I was going down Cowabunga, a coyote came out of the woods and started running up the hill towards me. He saw me before I got too close and darted back into the woods. I used Swix extra blue which should have provided plenty of kick but ended up a little slick.

(Rick Vatsaas)

Outstanding conditions today. I classic skied and the tracks were awesome. The skaters I talked to said things were slow (due to cold new snow). 100% of the man-made loops are open and in great shape. Looks like the crew did some rolling of the natural snow loops.

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(Richard Hoban)

I skied the Pond, Prairie, South Tree, and North Tree loops. It was my first time on snow this season, so I used today to work on adjusting from rollerskiing to skiing on snow. The trail coverage is very good with a solid skate deck and what appeared to be nicely set classic tracks. Given the general lack of natural snow, the Battle Creek trails are pretty heavily used, and there was very little corduroy left. The snow was generally slow, and I had to work to get much uphill glide. Downhill control was very good, although the snow was starting to get scraped down to hardpack in places. The trail system is well mapped with intersection points numbered, but there are no number signs along the trails to advise skiers as to where they are, making it difficult to get on the trails you want to ski and stay off the ones you want to avoid. I routinely see skiers going the wrong way when they get to a black diamond downhill they can't safely ski. But all-in-all, a very nice ski this morning.

(David Sonnenberg)

Groomers hard at work packing down the fresh snow. No tracks yet, skate deck still very soft. Its soft and its slow, but at least we have snow!

(Bob Cattanach)

A nice ski with the EU Wednesday morning group. Nearly all snowmaking trails were open, with a generally fine skate deck. However, there were various segments of thin sugar over a semi-icy base. Hopefully some new snow can bond with rather than slide off what's there now. The Cowabunga descent is well groomed and skiable, but (as always) not exactly for the faint of heart. The "slipback" is a fine alternative for returning to the start.

(David Moore)

All of the trails with lights and snow making are open now except for A and A2. I classic skied around 9:20 pm and the skate deck was a bit chopped up from people skating on soft snow with like an inch deep ski marks that had turns into crusty snow on top of the groomed surface. The conditions for classic were decent, but the trails were covered in a thin layer of ice. There were a few spots on the home stretch of the pond trail where the right classic track had washed away and also same on a few turns. Otherwise, classic tracks were pretty good and skiing was decently good. There were a few spots where lights were out that left the area a bit dark, but you could still see well enough. I only skied the green trails, so I did not venture into the newly opened back loops. There were a few skate skiers out who seemed to be moving pretty fast still, despite the less than ideal skate conditions. When I glided a few strides skate style in my classic skis, they seemed to move fine even with the trails being a bit chopped up with an inch of snow on the skate deck.

(Megan Evans)

I skied the man-made loops yesterday and today, and conditions were skiable but icy. Classic tracks in the stadium and prairie loops were like luge runs. Snow was better quality on the upper loop. The skate deck was ok. Skiable with decent purchase. The snow is getting really dirty. We need some real snow!

(Richard Hoban)