This Massachusetts Hill Is Making Snow While It Is Still Warm
Ski Ward in Shrewsbury fired up Latitude 90 all-weather snowmaking in late September, putting another October lift opening within reach for the 220-foot hill.
Ski Ward in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, is already building a snow base for 2026-27. The 220-foot hill started making snow at the end of September with its Latitude 90 all-weather system, a machine that can produce snow when conventional guns are useless in mild autumn air.
Manufacturer SMI says Latitude 90 units can run in temperatures as warm as 77°F. Ski Ward uses the L60 model, which produces roughly 156 cubic yards of snow every 24 hours and pushes it out through two outlets onto the beginner area. That output is tiny next to a Colorado destination resort, but Ward only needs coverage on a small carpet-served pod, not a full mountain.
Why warm-weather snow matters here
Traditional snowmaking needs cold, dry air. Latitude 90 makes snow inside an enclosed unit first, then blows finished product onto the hill. That is how a 45-acre, nine-trail area outside Worcester can stay in the early-season conversation while greens still show on surrounding slopes.
Ski Ward first used the system widely in 2023. After sustained October production, it became the first North American area that season to offer outdoor lift-serviced skiing, opening a magic carpet on Oct. 22. The hill has since opened lift-served terrain in October for three seasons in a row, according to its own lesson materials.
October is possible, not promised
The resort has not posted a public opening date for general skiing this fall. An October open is therefore not locked, even with guns already running. Beginner programs for November are already on sale, with the first sessions listed for Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 on the same Latitude 90 beginner zone.
Ward's regular winter calendar usually runs from around Thanksgiving through mid-March. The all-weather machine is the tool that stretches that window earlier, and sometimes later, than New England's traditional freeze-and-blow cycle.
For Northeast trip planners watching the race to first turns, Ski Ward is again the small hill punching above its vertical. It will not replace an opening day at Killington or Sunday River, but it can put outdoor skis underfoot weeks before most of the East Coast spins a chair. Watch the resort's own channels for a public open call once the carpet zone is thick enough.
Primary reporting: Unofficial Networks on Ski Ward's Latitude 90 start.