Shrewsbury, Massachusetts — Technically, Massachusetts offered lift-served skiing for the 2026-27 season before Colorado.
Thanks to their Latitude 90 snowmaking system, Ski Ward offered skiing and riding on October 25 and 25th to avid skiers and riders.
I personally didn’t count it as the first opening of the season because operations were intermittent, and their next scheduled opening period was uncertain. Then you get into technicalities like whether Trollhaugen’s lift-served skiing in October counts with last year’s snow, and I think it should go to the first one with consistent operations. That went to Arapahoe Basin, which began its season last week. However, Ski Ward is making its case to be the first to open in New England.
Last weekend, Ski Ward operated again for skiing and riding to the public. However, it was a limited timeframe, operating from 3 to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Parkrats didn’t have any rails to hit on Saturday, but they reportedly had one on Sunday.
At this point, I’d argue their ski season is underway. The whole reason for the early snow buildout is lessons, which started this past weekend. Public ski sessions aren’t out of the question either, as it appears no New England ski areas will be open for at least several more days.
For now, if you want to find skiing on snow in New England, you should keep an eye on Ski Ward’s social media pages.
