UNPOPULAR OPINION: Titus did NOT compete in the tundra year (long)

So it is a HUGE headcannon and pretty widely accepted in the fandom that Titus, the cannibalistic tribute from District 6 who was eventually taken out by an avalanche, competed in the same year that Katniss describes the arena as a tundra where they watched "most players freeze to death at night" because there was no firewood. However, I disagree with this. Instead, let me tell you why I believe Titus competed in the 71st Hunger Games, the same year that Johanna won.

Firstly, Katniss states that Titus won a "few years" prior to the 74th Games. Usually, "a few" means anywhere from 3-5 sometimes even 6. So, this would leave us with the 71st-69th and possibly 68th Hunger Games. From these options, I believe we can rule out the 70th Hunger Games, the year that Annie won. Obviously, the arena of Titus's games had to be cold enough for snow, as Titus was eventually killed by an avalanche. I find it almost impossible for this to be the case for Annie's year, as a cold arena would create the risk of hypothermia in a dam flood, a scenario that I doubt any of the tributes could survive in even if they did know how to swim. Next, I believe we can rule out the 69th Hunger Games. When Katniss is meeting with Gale after being reaped, she recalls a year that took place in a desert where "many contestants...went insane from thirst." Although not directly stated in the books, I know there is some piece of material (I'm not sure if it is the movie, early script, or promotional material, sorry) in which Atala says that the 69th Hunger Games took place in a "burning desert," matching with Katniss's description. So, this leaves us with the 71st Hunger Games and 68th Hunger Games.

This is where I start to get into some speculation as to why I think Titus competed in the 71st. First of all, I want to rule out the idea that the 71st might have actually been the tundra year. So, as we know, the tundra year was deemed both boring and "anti-climactic" by the Capitol because most tributes froze to death at night without any wood to make fires. Johanna's year would not be deemed boring or anti-climactic with her strategy, which was to reveal herself as a "vicious killer" when there was only a handful of tributes remaining. It would have been riveting and exciting to the Capitol to see this unexpected twist from a tribute. Also, a cannibalistic tribute like Titus who was killing and eating his victims would also not be, in my mind, deemed as boring. Additionally, after the tundra year, Katniss says that "since then, there's usually been wood to make fires." This leads me to believe that there were enough years between the tundra year and the 74th Hunger Games to see arenas mostly with wood, and very few without. But, the 71st Hunger Games would only have two years between itself and Katniss's arena. Now, here's where I REALLY speculate, but hear me out.

I believe that Titus had a condition known as "Windigo psychosis." For those that don't know, the Windigo is a mythological creature/spirit in mainly northern Algonquian folklore that is related to cannibalism, and it is said that "a human becomes a windigo after his or her spirit is corrupted by greed or weakened by extreme conditions, such as hunger and cold." (The Canadian Encyclopedia%20is,of%20their%20greed%20or%20weakness)). If we look at a map of Panem from the movies, Titus's district, District 6, is located in a region where this myth was most prevalent in Algonquian cultures. Also in the Canadian Encyclopedia, it is said that "one recipe for creating a windigo — extreme hunger, cold and isolation — were ever-present and threatening facts of life for many First Nations people living in the northern boreal forests." Pay attention to this last part. If you recall, when Katniss meets Bonnie and Twill in Catching Fire, they talk about trying to make tea from pine needles, something that they say they had seen in a previous Hunger Games. Obviously, this year had to have taken place in an arena with pine trees and would have been relatively cold. To me, this sound like a boreal/taiga forest. I believe that this was referencing Johanna's year and that this is what her arena was. Additionally, the gamemakers would have to have some incentive to have an ax at the cornucopia even without knowing that Johanna was skilled with one, and a cold boreal forest would be the perfect environment for it. So, it would make sense that Titus competed in a boreal forest, a place that is usually very cold and therefore able to contain snow for an avalanche. Plus, based on the canon map of Panem, District 6 and District 7 are both located in relatively colder environments, where It seems likely that Johanna and Titus would have built up a endurance to the cold.

So, ultimately, I think it is very likely that Titus competed in either the 68th Hunger Games or 71st Hunger Games, but more so the latter. Although it does make a lot of sense that Titus could have competed in the tundra year, where there was likely not much food and a reason to resort to cannibalism, I just feel that there is enough context from the books to outrule this.

Sorry for this long rant lol, but I hope what I've said makes sense and if you have any other thoughts please share them!!