Ski Ward Beats All To US Opening Day
While heavy hitters in the Rocky Mountains have passed the torch back and forth for years, a new contender enters the ring as the first to open. Ski Ward claimed the honors last year, and with the flip of a switch the resort has managed to repeat this, beating Colortado's Wolf Creek
Thanks to investments in cutting edge snowmaking technology, ski resorts in the Northeast are working to insulate winter sports from the variable swings of what weather guru Tim Kelley calls “the most interesting weather on earth.” In a recent interview on New England Ski Journal’s Basecamp podcast, Kelley describes the Northeast like “a toilet bowl of weather” flushing together inputs from anywhere between Alaska to Africa over a calamity of topographic features that all come into play, creating an infamous spectrum of snow and rain balancing on a knife edge of conditions. Resorts cannot change the wild ride this weather takes them on, but snowmaking investments like at Ski Ward in MA, or Powder Ridge in CT, can make an unpredictable season a smoother ride for visitors. Similarly, resorts in the Southeast are looking at a season that is essentially 8 weeks long. These resorts are very interested in anything that can help them open earlier, remain open later, and ensure consistent conditions along the way. The tech from Latitude 90 and others like it allow snowmaking in temps well above freezing, opening up as many options as water sources allow.
The snow quality is rumored to be just-like-natural. Not that that matters… Eastern skiers and riders are well versed in the many versions of snow- both man made and mother nature provided. From frozen rain to fat floaty flakes, hard-pack to loose-granular, the East sees it all, sometimes in the same day. The 2023-24 season served up a case in point: rain literally washed out the bases of areas for the holidays, only to then have March dump multiple feet of freshies. The devotees of the East are an unshakable core, frothing to get out and get down, regardless of where that surface comes from.
While Ski Ward is certainly not boasting bottomless glade runs and waist deep pow, for the frothing masses of snow sliders in the Northeast, this is an opportunity to bring the sport close to home. Located in Shrewsbury, MA and standing at a mighty 220 ft vertical, Ski Ward spins 4 lifts to service 9 trails and a tubing park. A T-bar, triple chair, and a carpet lift shuttle skiers and riders up the 45 acres of the resort. A slopeside bar and grille, winter sports school, rental shop, and race facility pack plenty of amenities into the base area. Lessons begin November 1st, putting the Ski Ward schedule in perfect harmony with families looking to get new enthusiasts geared up for bigger missions farther afield later in the season.
Ski Ward is a short hop from Worcester and a quick trip from Boston. With 100% snowmaking and night riding coverage, you can look forward to having a lot more fun than you thought, a lot sooner than you expected.
