Want to know the best location to enjoy cannabis and ski? Here is the advice of 2 seasoned Skier-Boarders.

The ski lift is a great place for all sorts of things…, for Matt and me, it was the place where we discussed the creation of an electric self-lighting pipe. Later we founded our company ARC Innovations.

It’s now November, and the resorts are starting to open. This means that it’s time to start planning your winter ski trips. We wrote this article to provide updated information and recommendations on great places to ski that also deliver a great 420 experience.

Before we go any further I need to remind everyone that most ski areas operate on federal land, which means that smoking while skiing is illegal and dangerous. We urge all of you to abide by all of the rules concerning cannabis consumption on your trip so that you can get the most out of your time in the mountains.

That being said, what makes a certain ski area a great 420 spot if you cannot legally consume on the mountain? Well, my business partner Matt and I decided to evaluate US ski areas based on the following three criteria:

· Proximity to cannabis dispensaries

· Quality of the skiing experience

· Overall vibe of the community.

Louis in a Salom Race while competing for Virginia Tech

Just so you all know, before professional work for ARC, I used to be a competitive mogul skier and ski racer. As a result, I have had the opportunity to compete and ski at nearly every major ski resort in the USA. I am also an expert level snowboarder, and I worked in both Kirkwood, CA and Breckenridge, CO ski schools.

ARC CTO Matt is also an avid skier. He spent two months last winter getting the most out of his Mountain Collective pass while living out of his Subaru. Needless to say we both really know what each place has to offer, and we are heavily involved in the cannabis community.

Lets start with the obvious: as of November 2017 Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Maine, California (2018) and Alaska are the only states that allow recreational cannabis use and have large ski resorts (Nevada skiing is basically Lake Tahoe… so I’m going to ignore Nevada). Each state has fantastic places to visit however if you only have the time or resources to plan one trip for the season we wanted you to make the most of it.

Before we name our pick for the best 420-friendly ski resort,we broke down what we like and dislike about the skiing and the cannabis community in each state.

Alaska: One of the best places in the world to ski, especially if you have the money to enjoy Heli Skiing. Alyeska resort is fantastic and there is even a dispensary in the village close by. Unfortunately we have been hearing that AK does not have enough bud to meet the demand causing high prices and shortages. AK is a late season type of place with the best skiing around March when the pack firms up and the days become sufficiently long.

California: There are a plethora of good ski resorts in California, from Mammoth to Lake Tahoe. After last season, where over 150” of snow fell in a single week (#IWasThere), you cannot deny that it’s a great place to ski. Kirkwood and Squaw are two of my favorite places to ski in the USA and a powder day at either place will make you smile. What we don’t like about California skiing is the high potential for rain mid-season, and when the resorts get record snow most of the high level lifts will be closed. In addition, as a San Francisco resident commuting is a dreadful process. However, if you leave at 4am you will not hit any traffic. As for the cannabis scene, I suggest loading up in a major city first, as there are only two dispensaries at Lake Tahoe. One is about a 20 minute drive from Squaw and the other in South Lake near Heavenly Ski Area.

View of Lake Tahoe from Palisades @ Squaw winter 2017

Colorado: This is a state literally built on the ski industry, and as a result the number of top tier resorts is incredible. Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Snowmass, Breckenridge, Vail, Beaver Creek, Copper Mountain, Keystone, Winter Park, Steamboat, Crested Butte, Telluride… just to name a few. Each has their own culture, terrain, and mountain towns. Spoiler Alert, our pick for the best 420-Friendly Ski Resort is from the state of Colorado so I will not say much more here.

Maine —It’s been a few years since I have been here, so I cannot give an up-to-date account of the ski areas and its cannabis culture. However, it’s worth stating that the only reason I ever went to Maine in the first place was for a ski race at Sunday River when I was living on the East Coast. In reality I’m sure all of us can agree that if you are going to travel for an epic ski trip, Maine would be low on the list given that all of the North East ski-resorts tend to have bitterly cold weather and icy conditions.