JACKSON, Wyo. — The results are in! Dave Hansen Whitewater‘s fifth annual High Water Heyday Contest has a winner.
High water mark guesses flooded in while the Snake River flowed with snow melt. While the river might not have peaked, contest entries hit an all-time high with over 1,100 guesses submitted!
Eager boaters hoping to score the grand prize raft submitted a spectrum of guesses as wide as the Snake River is long, from 4 to 763,301 cfs (cubic feet/second).
The Bureau of Reclamation confirmed flows hit their peak on May 25, 2023 at 16,024 cfs. This year’s contest ran from April 1 to May 31 to account for the high snow totals and lingering winter. This year’s high water mark occurred during the contest, which is atypical but as with most springs, unpredictable!
And now, a round of applause for…
Brittany Jones of Alpine, Wyoming! Jones guessed that the river would reach its peak at 16,024 cubic feet per second. Her guess was exactly right.
The out-of-area winner is Bruce Bonich. Hailing from Moneta, Virginia, Bonich was the closest guess for our out-of-area entries (16,024 CFS) casting his vote on May 26, 2023. Bonich wins a rafting trip with Dave Hansen Whitewater for himself and up to seven friends.
Jones snagged her grand prize, an NRS STAR Outlaw 142 Self-Bailing Raft (MSRP $2,795), on July 5 from the Dave Hansen Whitewater office staff. She’s excited to hit the river and bring a few pals along for the ride (or row!)
“I’m so appreciative and excited to get on the river this summer,” Jones said. “It’s awesome to have my own raft to learn on.”
Keep an eye on our River Report, good luck next year and raft on!
