s. o. damocles

Maine Ski Resort to Ban Smoking on All Property [08/26-5]

Excerpts from: Maine Ski Resort to Ban Smoking in Winter

Daily News.com [08/25/04]

A Maine ski resort banned smoking and other tobacco use beginning this winter,
and other ski areas owned by the same non-profit will look into such bans.

The policy forbids use of cigarettes, cigars, pipes and chewing tobacco on the
slopes, lifts, buildings and parking lots at Black Mountain of Maine Ski Resort.
Visitors who violate the policy would be asked to leave. For workers, being
tobacco-free on the job is a condition of employment.

"What we're trying to focus on is creating healthier communities in the state,"
said Andy Shepard, president of the Maine Winter Sports Center, which bought the
resort last year.

The Black Mountain ban starts Sept. 1. Other ski areas owned by the center in
Mars Hill, Fort Kent and Presque Isle will look into similar bans. Maine Winter
Sports Center is a nonprofit that aims to help rural communities by promoting a
skiing lifestyle in Maine.

The Partnership for a Tobacco-free Maine office said Black Mountain was the
first ski area in the nation to completely ban the use of tobacco products. The
resort had 17,000 visitors last season and hosted the U.S. Cross Country
Championships.

The state of Maine has banned smoking in bars since January, and earlier had
banned smoking in restaurants.

In Colorado, the nation's top ski state, a number of communities have completely
or partially banned smoking in restaurants and bars, including Aspen and
Snowmass. Summit County, home to the Copper Mountain, Keystone and Breckenridge
resorts, has also banned smoking in public areas.