Tanner Hall made counter-cultural history this week when he signed with cannabis brand Black Rock Originals. For $14.95, fans can show their support of their favorite skier by purchasing the SKIBOSS Collection. The set features an Anodized Metal Grinder Card, a cheese-grater-style instrument to turn sticky buds into smokeable pebbles; King Size Rice Rolling Papers are 100 percent gluten free; and the SKIBOSS Torch, a bic lighter with a graphic on it, which "is good for up to 3,000 lights; perfect for high-wind scenarios," according to Black Rock Originals.
"There are so many smokers in skiing and snowboarding. They finally can have a brand name to identify with, you know, that actually wants to work with athletes," Tanner told Powder Magazine.
While this brand partnership will not result in Super Bowl ad spots, it marks an important moment for both skiing and marijuana legalization. Hall has weathered two season-ending injuries, and weed has helped him in his recovery. In 2005, he came up short on a landing and broke both his ankles and heels. In 2009, he overshot a landing, breaking both his legs and rupturing both ACLs.
"The amount of pain pills I was prescribed that [I could take based on] my whim was scary," Hall told High Times in a video interview. "That was the first form of drug addiction I ever had. I got back to skiing by throwing all that s--t away, going to the gym, and smoking marijuana."
Hall's situation, though unusual compared to the general public, applies broadly to the addiction landscape of North America. Roughly 52 million Americans have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons, according to the National Institute On Drug Abuse. Fourteen percent of people who reported nonmedical use in the past year have either abused the drug or depend upon it.
Hall's sponsorship validates and empowers those who have come to benefit from the use of marijuana. It also speaks to a large demographic of skiers and snowboarders who feel unconnected with brands like Red Bull or Nike.
"The partnership occurred organically," said Black Rock's co-founder Tommy Joyce in a press release. "Our brand is focused on debunking the lazy stoner stereotype and Tanner has been poking holes in that misconception for decades."
