Skied the manmade trails, which were in excellent condition. Skate deck was firm and very skiable, climbs were really good all morning, not chewed up at all even with the warmer temperatures. Tracks were fast from my small sample. Did not go on the natural trails. Let's do it again tomorrow! :).

(Craig Woodley)

What a joy to ski at Battle Creek at night when the the temperature is mild. Skied all the man made trails. Tracks were firm all around the course. Some leaf litter in the tracks up on the hill. Groomers were out sprucing up the skate lanes.

(Rick Vatsaas)

Natural snow trail coverage is okay with thin spots and dirt mixed in here and there. I do not recommend skiing on the first downhill under the jack pines as it is very thin and I picked up a new gouge. Ski Games was good besides vegetation poking through in spots and deep footprints. The big southwest facing climb was in better shape than I expected. The last uphill next to the prairie has exposed gravel. I didn't go back for a second lap but if you are careful and determined you could manage just fine on rock skis (walking around the two bad segments).

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(Karen Katz)

I skied the classic tracks and conditions were ideal. Even with a good crowd enjoying the whole area, the tracks were deep and consistent even on all the hills, and the skate deck looked perfectly firm.

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(Glenn Hansen)

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)