High Country Snow Pack

High Country Snow Pack

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
March is a good time of the year to snowmobile the high country of Idaho to see how much snow pack farmers will have for irrigation this year. On Cuddy Mountain in central Idaho, Rocky Bailey has been surfing the snow for over 40 years. He’s seen every kind of weather mother nature can create from too much snow to a year like this one. Not enough snow. “It has been poor for snowmobiling. There hasn’t been any snow. Just ride the roads so you don’t hit a stump or a rock. But there is enough snow up here right now so we are having fun. We are here.” Here is Buck Park cabin, elevation 7280 feet. An average snowfall usually buries the entire structure. But not this year. “There is probably 5 feet of snow here, maybe. What about the cabin? Have you ever seen it completely buried in the snow? Yes, just a hump.” The 2018 snowpack came late and as spring approaches, the basin sits at about 70% of normal. Good spring riding for adventure seekers like Mike Bailey. “This is the first time in about 17 years or so that I have ridden a snowmobile. It’s coming back to me a little bit. I used to do it quite a bit. It’s fun. It’s a good time.” Fun that will soon and as snow turns to water. The liquid gold that makes the beautiful farmland of Idaho possible.
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