I'm originally from CT, so I know how awful Northeast winters can be. Flagstaff is very beautiful and very high, nearly 8000ft. The weather can be very chageable, going from warm and sunny to cold and rain and back again in an hour. That's common for living at altitude. The winters, though chilly, have been very dry, with very little snow. I would live up there if we had a local office. It's like a little slice of Colorado in AZ. There is definately a very active triathlon, running, cycling, hiking culture up there with tons of races between Tuscon, Phoenix, and Flag. If you get too cold, Phoenix is less than 2 hours away and the temps are 30 degrees warmer!