The Weather Notebook: Nenana Ice Classic

Nenana Ice Classic
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Tripod on the river ice, April 26, 1997. Breakup occurred April 30th. Julie Coghill Photo
Hi, I'm Dave Thurlow for the Weather Notebook. One way alaskans judge the coming of spring is by the river ice. When it breaks up, they know the winter has passed. Years ago, some railroad workers thought it would be fun to take bets on the exact time the ice in the Tanana River lets go. Today, as Weather Notebook correspondent Amy Mayer explains, that contest is a major event in the city of Nenana.

AM: In 1917, railroad workers got 800 people to fork over a dollar for their guesses. Last year 276 thousand tickets "now two dollars each" were sold in the annual guessing game. And the Nenana Ice Classic is one of the city's biggest claims to fame. Each year a black-and-white striped tripod is erected on the frozen Tanana River. It's the culmination of a two-day tripod festival in early March.

People holding tightly to bright yellow ropes support the main structure as the legs are attached with metal spikes. It's a long process and the crowd dwindles as volunteers continue pounding spikes and attaching support wires. Ice Classic manager Cherrie Forness explains how it works.

Cherrie: "We then hook a wire from the top of the tripod to our watch tower and the wire is then run into the watchman's shack where there are two clocks set up. The tripod has to move a hundred feet. Once it has traveled a hundred feet down river, it triggers a mechanism in the top of the watchtower, which releases a clever and cuts the wire and stops the clock."

AM: Whoever guesses the exact time the clock stops is the winner. Last year the tripod went out at 9:47pm april 29 and the three winning tickets split a pot of over 280-thousand dollars.

DT: Amy will talk to last years winner of the Nenana Ice Classic tomorrow on the Weather Notebook, which is underwritten by Subaru, the beauty of all wheel drive.