Nenana Ice Classic continues as thick ice lingers

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The ice on the Tanana River is showing no signs of breaking halfway through April, leaving the jackpot for the Nenana Ice Classic waiting to be collected.

Considered by some as the “greatest guessing game in Alaska,” the Classic first started in 1917 as a bet between railroad workers as to when the ice on the Tanana River would melt.

Over 100 years later, the bet has grown to include hundreds of thousands of Alaskans each year.

“It’s really integrated into our community, into our state, and it’s a part of our history,” said Megan Baker, manager of the Nenana Ice Classic.

“There have been others that have tried to simulate what we do but haven’t lasted over 110 years as we have.”

Between February 1 and April 5, fortune seekers had the chance to purchase a $3 ticket and write down a day and time when the ice would melt.

The participant who picks the closest time wins a portion of the jackpot, which increases the more people participate. Last year’s jackpot rose to over $200,000.

“It’s been a unique year, but I would assume that it would be somewhere around that same amount or more or slightly less,” Baker said.

According to Baker, the Nenana Ice Classic is a non-profit organization, and part of the money collected from the tickets is donated back to local organizations.

“There’s a lot of things that we support, and we couldn’t do that without anybody else making their guesses,” she said.

Halfway through April, however, the ice shows very few signs of melting.

“This winter has just hung on for dear life, and we have had random snow the last few days.”

Baker said that while the ice has shown signs of softening, the latest measurements have shown that it is 50 inches thick in some areas.

If the ice continues to hold strong past May 20, this year would be the longest in Nenana Ice Classic history.

“I don’t know if it’ll hang on that long. It really could with how thick it is,” Baker said.

“We’re halfway through April, so there is the potential it could go out later than May 20.”

For the first time ever, participants are now able to watch the ice through a livestream on the Classic’s website.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect the Ice Classic is on the Tanana River.

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