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Photo courtesy Megan Baker
The Nenana Ice Classic tripod teeters on the brink on Saturday. After it moved and partially fell but did not trip the clock to which it’s attached.
The Nenana Ice Classic tripod teeters on the brink Saturday after it moved and partially fell but did not trip the clock to which it’s attached. Courtesy Megan Baker
Nenana Ice Classic watchman Jimmy Duyck checks on the tripod Friday, April 25, 2025, in Nenana, Alaska. The clock tower is now manned 24 hours a day.
Kris Capps/News-Miner
Nenana Ice Classic watchman Jimmy Duyck was on duty recently, keeping an eye on the tripod and the clock Friday in Nenana.
The Nenana Ice Classic tripod toppled onto its side just before 7:30 p.m. Saturday — but it did not stop the clock.
About a week ago, a wire was connected from the tripod to the clock on shore. A watchman stands guard 24/7 in the clock tower to monitor the situation and protect the clock. Three people rotate to fill that duty.
The stopping of the clock may be imminent. Here’s the latest update:
There is no open water at or around the tripod. However, there is a 15-foot-wide channel of flowing water along the south bank of the Tanana River. About a half-mile upriver from the tripod, there is a large open channel with broken ice chunks accumulating, churning and breaking the larger ice sheets apart.
The Tanana River ice has become visibly decayed, but with no pools of open water yet, according to the Nenana Ice Classic office. Half a mile downriver from the tripod, the Nenana River is flowing freely into the Tanana River.
“This is a strong indicator that the Tanana River will be breaking up and flowing freely any day now,” according to the official Nenana Ice Classic updated report.
Back on April 13, the Nenana Ice Classic tried to take an ice measurement near the tripod, but found there were many areas where ice depth measured lower than 8 inches. Measurements were then suspended due to safety risks.
It is, of course, too late to purchase tickets. The deadline was April 5. But that doesn’t stop fans from predicting when the ice will go out. In 2024, the ice went out today at 5:18 a.m. The earliest the ice ever went out was 12:21 a.m. April 14, 2019.
The black-and-white tripod sets securely in the Tanana River ice, 300 feet from shore. When the tripod actually moves as the ice goes out, a wire attached to the tripod stops a clock on shore, recording the winning time.
This longtime traditional contest began in 1917 when railroad engineers bet $800 guessing when the river ice would break up. The winning pot has grown over the years. Last year, one winner chose the winning time of $210,155. Since 1917, more than $15 million has been paid out to winners.
Reach columnist/community editor Kris Capps at kcapps@newsminer.com.
