Question: So as a skier how do feel about ski bus marijuana tours?

[abc]

I'm an innocent in this regard, but you made me wonder what it would feel like to be completely comfortable in my own skin. I'm not sure if I can remember a time when I don't feel at least a little bit anxious about something or other . . .

Maybe this explains why I have no interests in any mind altering chemicals.

I'm quite comfortable in my own skin. So I never wished my sense of reality be altered, however slightly.

(or perhaps, my sense of reality had always been naturally altered to my liking already, I have no need for chemicals! )

 

[Pequenita]

What that means is, IF the mountain wants to, they have a perfect basis to enforce the pot ban.

Lol. If you knew what I did for a living, you'd realize that I'm well aware of this.

 

[pinto]

The law limits the amount of pot an individual can have. Tourists are allowed significantly lesser amounts. The law also limits where one can smoke, privacy of your home. I'm thinking groups will be controlled more as authorities will be watching and businesses won't want to lose their business license. Also, the feds are watching how Colorado handles this. Smoking pot is illegal on federal land and most ski areas here are on federal lands. Some ski areas are making statements that it's prohibited. A-Basin has already cracked down and pulled some passes. In Summit and Eagle counties it's illegal to smoke cigarettes on the lifts and I'm thinking the sheriffs dept. will be riding the chairs looking for violators. Many communities are not approving pot shops, at least not for another year.
Many tourist ski buses stop at AppleJacks in Wheatridge for the tourist to stock up on alcohol. So I don't see anything different here. The town of Wheatridge did approve pot shops so they're looking at how they can make money. Not sure if any licenses have been approved there yet.

Denver just reversed its decision and will now allow pot smoking on one's front porch (citing that enforcement would be a huge problem if they made it illegal). My little town approved pot shops, but then they reversed their decision, because all the towns around did not approve them, and they didn't want to become a little island in the middle of the other "dry counties" so to speak.

So yes, everyone is just feeling out how this is going to go, that's for sure.

 

[RachelV]

Maybe this explains why I have no interests in any mind altering chemicals.

I'm quite comfortable in my own skin. So I never wished my sense of reality be altered, however slightly.

I'm comfortable in my own skin and pot is still super fun, fwiw.

I don't love the idea of buses full of people that are high being delivered to the slopes, but I really doubt this is going to increase the number of high people skiing very much, if at all. Would I rather people not ski high / drunk / whatever? Yep. Are people already smoking / chugging beers in the trees / on the gondola / wherever they can sneak it in? Yep.

 

[mustski]

So here is *koff* revelation that will probably shock most of you ... I was a daily pot smoker for over 20 years. I even cultivated my own for awhile. I only stopped because it was illegal and when I became a teacher, it could have cost me my career. Shocked? I am still concerned by the tour sell. "Come to Colorado (or any state) get loaded all the way on the bus to the mountain and then go skiing." My biggest question is how it will affect the ski industry? Like I said earlier, DH is 16 now so I wouldn't care if he was exposed ... but when he was 14 and under, we always chose "family friendly" vacation destinations. Hearing about the "pot tours" would have been enough for me to choose Utah over Colorado. No, it's not hypocritical. I wanted (and still try) to expose my child to a healthy, goal oriented, life style. Oh, also, this is the first year we will be taking him to what is actually my favorite local mountain - Bear Mountain. We haven't been there since he was born because it's a party mountain.

 

[geargrrl]

To answer the direct question, it's be pretty well legalized here in WA and it seems a pretty much non-issue here, other than how they are going to tax it. I think the tour thing is a whole lot of nothing, myself. You can put me into the category of "former" also... 70's and all that.

 

[pinto]

Nah, I don't think it's hypocritical. Things change. Besides the fact that it is a nonmotivating influence on me, one reason I don't smoke is because I'm a parent and it (was) illegal (also, my lungs suck. And blow. And suck. And blow ... j/k ... no they burn and they are kind of weak).

But what is the difference between this and party buses? They are both legal, and as has been said repeatedly, it is really preferable to having drunks on the mountain.

I have heard stories about Bear Mtn, and other California places, and it does seem quite different than what we see here. If you aren't looking for it, and don't know what it smells like, it isn't really that obvious. I know my kids had no clue about skiing and pot until they were in high school. They know how I feel about both smoking and drinking. I don't hide my drinking from them. I have told them that I don't mind marijuana for adults, but I certainly don't want them drinking or smoking, partly because it's illegal, but mainly because of the health effects on developing brains. We get into the science of it.

I know my kids, and you know your kid, and I am not second guessing that. But I don't think this is a big deal, in the sense of keeping people away. At least it's legal ... they are still doing it in Utah, believe me.

That said, we don't really know how it will affect the landscape. I am not seeing it change much, and frankly, if it would slow the tourons down, I'm all for it. ;-)

 

[mustski]

Like I said, it's never bothered me before. The alcohol party buses I have heard of drop off at a hotel after a long, partying ride. I could be wrong, but this is the first I have heard of "we pick you up, take you to the store, you load up all the way to the ski mountain" type of thing. I've never heard of, "we pick you up, take you to the liquor store first thing in the morning and you drink all the way to the mountain." It's why I brought it up. It's new to me. Bear Mountain has never made money and yet it's sister mountain (Snow Summit) rakes in the bucks. Bear is higher elevation, has better and longer steeps, and has a greater vertical drop. For years it was considerably cheaper ($200/yr less for a season pass). It's been bought out by at least 3 different companies and is now owned by Snow Summit. They "combined" them into one resort a la same pass good at both so same price. It's the demographic of 20 something partiers that has been the kiss of death for Bear.

 

[bounceswoosh]

I know my kids had no clue about skiing and pot until they were in high school. They know how I feel about both smoking and drinking. I don't hide my drinking from them. I have told them that I don't mind marijuana for adults, but I certainly don't want them drinking or smoking, partly because it's illegal, but mainly because of the health effects on developing brains. We get into the science of it.

In high school, my parents always told me, if you drink at a party, just call us to get you home. And we'd rather you grab a beer at home than drink somewhere that might be less safe.

... Naturally, I abstained completely from alcohol, had two wine coolers for my 21st birthday while studying for an exam, and am still a lightweight drinker. And didn't touch pot until my late twenties, and could probably count the number of times since then on one hand.

 

[mustski]

I used to hitchhike to the bars in high school so my dad's response was I drive you and pick you up. It worked. When you have to talk to your dad all the way home, you keep the buzz minimal.

 

[gardenmary]

I used to hitchhike to the bars in high school so my dad's response was I drive you and pick you up. It worked. When you have to talk to your dad all the way home, you keep the buzz minimal.

Oh, the mind pictures this generates.

 

[gardenmary]

The federal lands issue is interesting...

I've been wondering this for a long time, since it's the crux of the feds' argument against state legislation on the issue. Federal law can trump state law in some circumstances. Makes you wonder if they decided to go hardcore, whether the feds would pressure USFS to cancel the leases of those ski areas that allow pot smoking.

Aside from that - it's none of my business what someone's been doing as long as they are in control on the hill. Out of control is another story. The trick is whether there's any way to guarantee that (and there's not, wasted OR sober).

 

[mustski]

I am betting that the Federal Govt will stay out of it. Some ski areas may use the law as a tool to limit the visibility of pot smoking. There's a big difference when it's kept on the down low and when it's blatant and everywhere. In the end though, it's impossible to enforce a federal law in an area as large as a National Forest.