Many people are trying their best to stay indoors during these bitter cold snaps. But this year, smokers have no choice but to step outside, thanks to the Clean Indoor Air Act. We wanted to find out how they're reacting to the change.

"Who wants to go outside and smoke a cigarette right now?” Mona Yeagley, manager of Smoker’s Express says it’s too cold to go outside to smoke. “And I think the people who take smoke breaks, I'm sure they don't like having to go outside and smoke a cigarette."

In fact, it seems smokers don't even want to go out and buy cigarettes. It was a slow day at Smoker's Express; employees say most of their regular customers stocked up before this recent cold snap started, and the few that do pop in complain about the cold weather. Yet things aren't as slow at the Black Eagle Country Club.

"The first couple of cold snaps, people tend to stay indoors more and they tend to react to the initial cold,” explained the bar’s manager, Rich Pavlonis. “And then there's like a general awareness that they remember they're living in Montana and this is how winters are and they begin going about their normal life."

Outdoor patios are the normal thing for smokers now, and they'll most likely sit empty when the temperature is well below zero. Still, Pavlonis says while he's not losing customers in the bar, his gaming machines are not pulling in as much money as they did before the smoking ban.

"I think you get more complaints about the weather in general,” he added. “Not about how the weather is affecting their ability to smoke."

It seems most people are reluctant to step outside, whether it's to smoke or not. That’s why many bars and casinos around Great Falls have built covered patio areas to keep customers more comfortable during the cold winter months.