Snowy month boosts whitewater season
<p>ROW Adventures operates guided whitewater trips on many North Idaho rivers, including St. Joe River shown here. Representatives from the company said they were expecting excellent conditions for the upcoming whitewater season.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE - It's going to be a good summer for whitewater adrenaline junkies.
A snowpack report released by the Idaho Snow Survey shows that snow levels on Idaho mountains are ranging from 90 to 120 percent of normal.
This, according to Candy Bening at ROW Adventures in Coeur d'Alene, makes for an "exciting" whitewater season that starts at the end of April.
"We're over our snowpack averages for this time of year on all the rivers we operate on," Bening said. "It looks really good when you have that kind of average."
Bening added that bookings at ROW are filling up fast, with their multi-day trips on the middle fork of the Salmon River already completely reserved.
"That's a bucket list item for a lot of people," Bening said.
A good season for whitewater outfitters, according to Bening, often translates into a boost in the local economy.
"Many of our guests travel here from the East Coast and when they do, they often extend their time in the area," Bening said. "We always make sure to tout the things that Coeur d'Alene has to offer."
Steve Stuebner, a spokesperson for the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association, told the Press Thursday that when guide companies examine snowpack levels, the best way to gauge the impact on the rivers is to not look at the depth of the snow, but its water content.
"It gives us a great view of what to expect," Stuebner said. "But a lot of it all depends on how the snow comes off the mountains when it starts warming up."
The Idaho Snow Survey attributed the positive snowpack levels to a wet February that saw many regions in Idaho receive precipitation far higher than normal levels.