Ski Ward

Ski Ward Ski Area is a small but well-used ski resort in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston. The resort has nine slopes and a vertical drop of about 220 feet (219.8 feet), making it compact but intensively used – especially for training and night skiing.

The top of the mountain is reached via a triple chair lift and a T-bar, while the beginner area is equipped with both a rope lift and a conveyor belt. At the base there is a lodge with a bar and barbecue, rental, guest service, toilets and the ski patrol's medical room. In addition to alpine skiing, Ski Ward also offers snow tubing with eight lanes served by two lifts.

Ski Ward is strongly associated with organized ski training. Several schools in the Boston area, including Wellesley High School and Westwood High School, have their alpine teams here and the facility is regularly used for both training and competitions. The White Out slope is almost daily an arena for training or racing, and Ski Ward also hosts USASA boardercross competitions, rail jams and other park-related events.

Thanks to the fact that all slopes can be covered with artificial snow, the resort is less dependent on natural snowfall, which means that the season can often start early and maintain even conditions even in milder winters. Ski Ward has also made a name for itself for its snow security through modern snow production, including with the Latitude 90 system, and was the first in North America to open for lift-borne skiing in both 2023 and 2024.

In the summer, the area is also used for other activities, including tubing and a dry slopestyle park with M-Snow surfaces, making the Ski Ward a year-round resort rather than a pure winter slope.

Ski Ward was founded back in 1939 under the name Ward Hill Ski Area and has been in continuous operation ever since. The historical connection is still evident – for example, the truck that once operated the original rope lift is still standing next to the triple seat.