Annually, the Nampa Police Department hosts the Snake River SWAT Challenge near Nampa, Idaho. This two-day event consists of a symposium day featuring guest speakers with experience in tactical operations, presented in a conference style setting.
The second day is a rugged outdoor physical challenge course, featuring handgun, rifle, shotgun, and sniper shooting stages along with obstacles, rappelling, relays and team events. The course varies from year to year and is typically 8-10 miles in length.
Tactical teams from around the region have come to compete in this annual event to test their endurance against other tactical teams. It is a great opportunity to measure yourself against teams of varying size and condition. Teams are measured based on their time through the course, shooting accuracy, and other tactical skill proficiency.
Nampa Police would like to say thank you to all of the involved agencies and competitors that competed in this year's event. We would also like to extend thanks to the volunteers and everyone that made this year's SWAT challenge possible.
A very special thank you goes out to all of the event sponsors, who made it possible to offer some terrific prizes and amenities for the competitors at this years event!
2011 Snake River S.W.A.T. Challenge
Sponsored by the
Nampa Police Department
And The Idaho Army National Guard
When: May 11-12, 2011
Where: The Orchard Training Area, Gowen Field
The Orchard Training Area comprises 138,051 acres of land that has been used by the Idaho Army National Guard (IDARNG) since 1953. It is situated in an unpopulated area in the central portion of the western Snake River Plain and the Mountain Home Plateau, approximately 13 miles south of Gowen Field, and 14 miles south of the City of Boise. The Orchard Training Area is located within the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area.
The Orchard Training Area is a major training site for the IDARNG and serves as an annual training site (ATS). The mission of the Orchard Training Area is to provide an established facility for use by any reserve component or active unit for specified periods of training. ARNG units in Idaho, as well as units from Nevada, Montana, Oregon, and Washington, regularly use the facility.
Approximately 70 miles of improved cinder and dirt roadway provides circulation within the training area. The terrain is predominantly flat desert land with several scattered buttes. Elevations range from approximately 3,000 feet to 3,300 feet. The highest point in the Orchard Training Area is Big Foot Butte, rising to 3,535 feet. Christmas Mountain Butte is the next highest point, with an elevation of 3,497 feet. Surface soils in the Orchard Training Area are an alkali clay with a high density of lava rock outcroppings. Little rainfall occurs in the area after mid-June and throughout the summer months. The topography of the area consists of rolling terrain with numerous draws, dry streambeds, and rocky knolls. A portion of the land is covered with two- to three-foot high sagebrush and patches of desert grass. There are no other structures in the area, with exception of the observation towers and facilities developed for training purposes.
Contact Lt. Brad Daniels for information on competing in or contributing to next years SWAT Challenge.
