Off-Belay: Beating the Early Winter Blues on Mt. Lemmon
Climate change has likely altered previous conceptions of the winter season timeline. If you’re from the Pacific Northwest as we are, you have learned to be patient because winter will come, but chances are it’s not going to be on time.” Regardless of where you’re from, all winter freeriders have been granted a couple of extra dry months absent of white, fluffy precipitation. So, what’s a mountain brother or sister supposed to do while their skis or boards sit waxed, tuned and ready to go? Our trick for survival during the early winter season blues is to head south. Enter Mount Lemmon, an elevated craggy oasis perched high above the city of Tucson, Arizona. Ascending from the desert floor takes one through five distinct biomes ranging from giant Saguaro Cactus…