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Michigan stoners can now ski for free at one of the country’s best slopes just for buying a very average amount of cannabis. When you flash your receipt for a $50 or more purchase from Lume Cannabis Company, you can hit the slopes from 3 to 8 pm at Lac La Belle’s Mount Bohemia.
The deal kicked off on Thursday, January 26, and runs for the next six Thursdays, ending on March 2. Your receipt has to be within five days of your ski bunny moment.
“It is a little unusual, but we work hard to get rid of that stigma that cannabis has,” Lume Cannabis manager Jeff Verlinden told a local news site. “With Bohemia being the most advanced ski resort in Michigan, we thought it would be a great partnership because the majority of skiers there are adults. People are used to going to the ski lodge to have a cocktail after skiing. We’re trying to show them there’s other options out there as well.”
Benzinga calls Lume Cannabis, “the largest single-state adult-use operator in the nation.” In July, a local NBC report said that the company employed over 1,000 employees in the state, and operates 32 locations ready and waiting to give flight to your powder passion.
Mind you, the deal is not an explicit invitation to strap on your skis while stoned. (Even if Mount Bohemia’s Facebook post announcing the deal ends with what could be interpreted as a 420 dog whistle: “Mark your calendars and enjoy Bohemia under the stars.”) Proceed with caution if you do consume, especially given the fact that other states with legal recreational marijuana, like Colorado, legislation has been enacted to prohibit skiing while under the influence of weed.
However, some experts question the wisdom of such bans, particularly given the prevalence of bars at ski lodges and other locales on the mountaintop.
“If alcohol consumption and skiing is considered acceptable and appropriate on the slopes, then there’s not much reason to think cannabis would be different,” Ashley Brooks-Russell, director of the University of Colorado’s Injury & Violence Prevention, told Westword. “I wouldn’t think it’s more risky.”
In the same interview, Brooks-Russell quickly qualified that statement, saying, “If people are using a lot, obviously that’s going to increase the risk. If they’re not as familiar with the effects, I think that’s a big factor, and people who are experienced with knowing how cannabis affects them will probably mitigate some risk.”
Know your tolerance, people! It’s also worth mentioning that Mount Bohemia is not for the ski noob. The resort is number three on USA Today’s list of the country’s best ski resorts in 2022. The publication called the spot “a hidden gem for extreme mountain sports,” further elaborating that, “this resort features some of the longest runs, highest verticals and deepest powder in the Midwest, with 273 inches of average annual snowfall.” It has a 900-foot vertical drop (the state’s longest)—and no bunny slope.
