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Island pot smokers won’t be allowed to light up on the ski hill

Mount Washington maintains smoke-free policy in light of marijuana legalization
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Mount Washington Apline Resort’s smoke-free policy will not change with the legalization of marijuana on Wednesday.

“The entire resort property is smoke free,” said Sheila Rivers, marketing manager at Mount Washington Alpine Resort. “So that includes cigarettes to any type of cannabis product. Whether you’re in front of the alpine lodge or on the lifts or groomed runs or nordic area, that’s all the resort’s property.”

The ban also extends to the parking lots.

This will be the first winter season with the smoke-free policy in place as it was first introduced June 1, 2018, but Rivers says they have gotten very positive feedback from resort users.

“A lot of our guests, especially the ones who are coming through with massive school groups, were encountering a lot of problems when they’re stepping off of their buses or coming out of their cars,” she said. “We had tons of teachers, tons of parents calling in saying this is crazy, we’re here for fresh alpine air, and we get off into the parking lot and it’s just this cloud of smoke.”

Rivers adds that Mount Washington is in the business of outdoor activities, so the resort hopes to promote healthy lifestyles in any way they can.

“It’ll definitely be something we encounter again as we go into our winter season and obviously with the legislation changing, but it’s been great,” she said. “We’ve had great feedback from our guests, so it’s something we’re really keen to continue on with.”