Another Kind of White Powder Hits Ski Slopes

In the lodges of Austria's winter resorts, mulled wine has given way to more stimulating après-ski treats: cocaine and ecstasy. Austrian police report a 60% rise in drug-related arrests in ski areas and say that bartenders and ski instructors are turning into part-time dealers during the season. "It would be better if we all focused on the real snow," said a hotel manager in Salzburg.

According to the Times of London, coke-snorting ski bunnies have used Internet forums to arrange deals and discuss the best ways to score on the slopes. The phenomenon is not confined to Austria; in neighboring Switzerland, authorities have noted a substantial uptick in cocaine use at resorts such as St. Moritz. All of which gives new meaning to the slogan of one of Europe's most famous mountain resorts: "It's Snowtime!"
(More cocaine stories.)