The winning jackpot for the 2025 Nenana Ice Classic is $211,267 but the name or names of the winners are not yet known.
It takes awhile for Ice Classic workers to comb through literally thousands of tickets to find the winning guesses.
In 2024, there was one winner. A resident of Ouzinkie, Alaska, won $210,155 for the correct guess of April 24, 2024, at 5:18 a.m.
The tripod, hooked up to the clock just about a week ago, finally moved enough to stop the clock at the 2025 winning time of 3:56 p.m. on Sunday. The night before, it fell over about 7:30 p.m., but the clock kept running.
The earliest the tripod ever went out was April 14, 2019, at 12:21 a.m.
By the way, the dates with the most wins over the years (10 each) are April 29 and April 30.
The black-and-white tripod, an iconic sight on the frozen Tanana River every winter, is set into the river ice, 300 feet from shore.
This longtime guessing 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 rose 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.
