Industry News
The race to open for the 2024-25 ski season is over, and in a surprise twist that’s becoming something of a tradition, a small Massachusetts ski area has technically won. Every year, ski areas nationwide see who can get their snowguns running the fastest and their ski lifts running first. In years past, Arapahoe Basin in Colorado has often snagged the title of first to open with a late October or early November opening while other resorts like Keystone, Breckenridge, and Wolf Creek fight to make enough snow to beat them. But they were mistaken to think they would grab the unspoken title of “First Open.”
⛷️Skiing, @jacksabbycraftlagers , and a petting zoo?? Best. Day. Ever. 🎃
We’re here until 4 👻
Posted by Ski Ward on Saturday 19 October 2024
Yesterday, Ski Ward in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, opened its magic carpet for skiing and riding, making it the first outdoor ski area to open lift-accessed terrain in North America for the season. The resort offered $5 lift tickets, limiting the number sold due to the minimal open terrain (one thin, groomed slope and magic carpet). Ski Ward opened the run as an offering of its Fall Festival, among other festivities such as a petting zoo, children’s games, pumpkin paintings, tubing, and a bouncy house.
Ski Ward’s ability to open one of its smaller slopes for skiing this early in the season is thanks to its strong snowmaking capabilities. This year, it began making snow on October 2.
The resort will also be open on Sunday, October 20, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Ski Ward may not be the height of Western resorts, but it offers a compelling experience with a 220-foot vertical drop. The resort features four lifts—including a T-bar, a triple chair, and a magic carpet—serving nine trails across 45 acres, along with a tubing park for added fun.
Ski Ward’s base area has essential amenities, including a slopeside bar and grille, a winter sports school with expert instructors, and a rental shop stocked with gear. The race facility caters to competitive skiers looking for local challenges.
Here is a list of the first resorts to open over the last 15 years or so:
- 24/25: Ski Ward, Massachusetts – October 19
- 23/24: Ski Ward, Massachusetts – October 22
- 22/23: Wild Mountain, Minnesota – October 18
- 21/22: Wolf Creek, Colorado – October 16
- 20/21: Wild Mountain, Minnesota – October 19
- 19/20: Arapahoe Basin, Colorado – October 11
- 18/19: Wolf Creek, Colorado – October 13
- 17/18: Arapahoe Basin, Colorado – October 13
- 16/17: Arapahoe Basin, Colorado – October 21
- 15/16: Killington, Vermont – October 18
- 14/15: Arapahoe Basin, Colorado – October 17
- 13/14: Arapahoe Basin, Colorado – October 13
- 12/13: Wild Mountain, Minnesota – October 18
- 11/12: Wolf Creek, Colorado – October 11
- 10/11: Sunday River, Maine – October 23
- 09/10: Loveland, Colorado – October 6
- 08/09: Loveland, Colorado – October 7
