Arizona’s temperatures have started to make the turn toward fall weather, and Arizona’s culture, in regards to entertainment and fashion, have followed accordingly. Many students are happy for the upcoming season to arrive, claiming the summer sun is just too much.

“I can’t wait for winter! I’m sick of this long-lasting summer!” says junior Lee Gill.

The average temperatures for Phoenix in October and November are 75 and 62 degrees respectively, providing the local areas with a reprieve from the heat. Although most students don’t wear coats and boots, the upcoming average temperatures of December, at 62 degrees, suggest the necessity of such items.

Fall and winter activities in Arizona are geared toward outdoor activities like Fear Farm and outdoor volleyball and basketball now that the heat is subsiding. In comparison, people in places like Michigan and Colorado are jumping in the first snow piles of the season.

“I’m so ready for the slopes. I’m broke so I’m selling the subs in my truck and my iPod so that I can buy a ski pass for this year,” says 2010 graduate Nick Ball who is currently living in Colorado.  Ski resorts Arapahoe Basin and Loveland in Colorado are packed for the opening days, and flip-flops and shorts are being packed away.

Even northern Arizona attracts people around the state for winter sports including snowboarding, skiing, and ice-skating. Up in Flagstaff, at an elevation of 7,000 feet, the people get a full-blown winter. In fact, Flagstaff receives an average yearly snowfall of 110 inches. In the winter of 2009 and 2010, Flagstaff was the second snowiest town in the country behind towns in Alaska.

 “If you go to Flagstaff, bring a person who doesn’t know how to snowboard and bring a camera, it’s so funny!” says senior Mark DeVane.

Weather in an area dictates a certain aspect of their culture, just as the heat in the summer and moderate temperatures in the winter determine elements of Arizona’s culture. Sales for summer clothing remain popular year-round, while the summer gear was removed from shelves in northern states in August. Phoenix residents experience a snowless fall and winter; however, children and adults alike can now enjoy playing outside and outdoor sports comfortably.

Fall fashion in Arizona tends to be another perk of suffering through the summer heat. The moderate winter weather allows girls to wear short shorts year round, and jackets are scarcely used. According to the student population at Millennium, sweat pants are out and more fashionable clothing is preferable.  

“My clothing style is to be louder than the crowd, yet not so loud I am obnoxious,” says senior Karl Hume-Dawson. It may not be surprising to know that he has never worn sweat pants to school; however, if he lived in places like Pennsylvania or Michigan, sweatpants and hoodies are common attire.

 As winter approaches the entertainment for students is changing, and 2010 Millennium graduates, like Nate Kobylinski, are packing for Flagstaff to snowboard.  A widespread relief of winter and a simmering-free season is taking Arizona by storm.