Ark Snowpack 94% ??

TimWalker · 04-13-2005

Does anyone know where the snotel site, Glen Cove, is located? Currently it is not reporting nor showing up on the maps. Not accounting for Glen Cove, looks like the Ark river basin is below average again for the classic runs. To top it off, the typical peak of snopack is mid April. Lets hope for the extraordinaryly wet spring!

h2obro · 04-13-2005

Tim.
Where are you getting those #'s. The flow option on Mtnbuzz says we are @ 149% of last year's pack and 128% of average. Not trying to be argumentitive, just want to know which #'s are correct. As far as I can tell, we are in for a big summer on the ark. Then again, I am writing this from some lame job back east and am potentially delusional about how sic i think this summer is gonna be.

cstork · 04-13-2005

A lot of that big snow pack on the Ark is way south. I think it will come in on Grape Creek, just below Royal Gorge. See the blue spot on the map below.

But, hey, a 90% snow pack for the main runs isn't bad. I'll take it after the last few years.

Mike Harvey · 04-13-2005

The fact is that the higher drainages look to be slightly below average for the Ark. I guess the El Nino this year with all of those southern storms is creating a tale of two run-offs. That being said we still should have a good run off and the Colorado drainages are high enough that we should have all of the normal ammount of imported water for late season flows. Remember that last year this time we were sitting on the brink of disaster on the Ark until we had 246% of average in the Ark valley in April. It should be pretty much like normal down here which means pretty damm good when compared to what we have had over the last few years.

TimWalker · 04-14-2005

Any answer on the Glen Cove site, anyone? Yes, I agree that compared to the past few years, we are happy with 90+%. I'm still hoping for good things to happen while I'm away in Cali. I just hope the creeks in Cali aren't too big! Anyone else heading to Cali? We're going April 22-May2.

RDNEK · 04-14-2005

From what I have seen this is the most snow that we have had in this area since 1997. In the basins behind Buena Vista the snow pack is close to double what it has been in the past few years. Cornices are 2x as big bla bla.

We have been gettin the sleds into territory that probably has never been ridden due to the lack of snow over the past 6-7 years and the increase in snow machine technology. We have not even been able to get close to crossing these ridges over the past 5 years due to the lack of snow.

Word around the campfire is also of a very possible 50,000 acre ft coming down Lake Creek!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The past 2 years it was closer to 30,000 to 35,000 acre ft. IMO we are looking at what a normal late 90s runoff looked like - a 4000 to 5000 cfs peak with a very good possibility of 700 cfs or more through and beyond Aug 15th (wellsville). With a warm windy April/may these numbers will go down.

Not as good as the Durango or Gunnison area but we will have very good flows on the Ark and I for one am ready to see them return!!

Also yo Harvey what about Friday for some BC action get MOINC and give me a call. It should gettin good.

river runner · 04-14-2005

The Glen Cove site is on Pikes Peak.

marko · 04-14-2005

Redneck, I wonder if your snowpack analysis is tainted by the beer you have been guzzlin'! Also, that day you started your sled in a closed, unventilated garage might have stripped of few of those precious brain cells from you...sooo I am taking your opinion with a grain of salt.

Okay seriously, you are very correct about the 50,000 acre feet coming down Lake Creek! Sweet...looks like we will have a very long season on Lake and the Ark!

This long Lake Creek season will work perfectly with an event I have been working on....I can't give all details yet...but...let's just say the best creek boater out there will win money!!!

h2obro · 04-15-2005

Alright.
Thanks for the info. And here i was sitting east drooling about the possibility of another 95' season. Still, It's gonna be a great summer. Grape should be fun.

TimWalker · 04-15-2005

The nerve of the government to not make their snotel sites more focused on what kayakers want. I just hope that the higher than average downstream snowpack doesn't mean that they will hold back more upstream water. Who knows! However, some serious posibilities exist for creekin' in the lower Ark drainages.