Update 10/28: Due to warm weather, they’ve moved the rail jam to November 11th. The information below is from October 15th.
Over the past couple of months, Ski Ward in Massachusetts has been making waves across the ski industry due to its new snowmaking equipment. This is thanks to the Latitude 90 & SMI snowmaking system, which helps make snow in warmer temperatures. Snowmaking with this system officially began on October 1st, with a projected opening set for November 1st for lessons. Last week, Ski Ward announced that they’ll host a rail jam in October. That’s not a typo, a Massachusetts ski area is actually hosting a rail jam in October.
On October 28th, Ski Ward will kick off their season with a Halloween Rail Jam. They will have three rails available for people to show off their skills. Tickets are only $15, which isn’t too shabby for October park skiing. If you’re interested in competing, you can register for the event here.
Here’s a description of the Latitude 90 & SMI L60 system:
“A real power trip. The L60’s production capacity is pretty eye-popping: 120 cubic meters (156 cubic yards) every 24 hours. That’s 2 x 30 tons of automatic snow production with a total water consumption of 42 L/min. (11 US/gal). This unit has two outlets that can each to blow snow up to 100 m (328 ft). Fully automatic and remotely controlled.”
Ski Ward is expected to open November 1st for children’s lessons, and then possibly become accessible to the public around the second weekend of November. If you want to check out the snow pile beforehand, Ski Ward is hosting a fall festival with a variety of activities.
Mountain Stats
Trails: 9 (one of which is appropriately named Nor’Easta)
Lifts: 6 ( including snow tubing park)
Vertical Drop: 220 feet
Location: Shrewsbury, Massachusetts (a suburb of Worcester or as it’s pronounced down there: WOSTAHH)
RELATED: Could A Massachusetts Ski Area Be The First To Open In The Northeast?
Image Credits: Ski Ward
