Nenana Ice Classic
The Nenana Ice Classic is "old Alaska" as it gets these days. The tradition goes back 91 years when some fellows building the railroad bet $800 (among them) to see who could come the closest to guessing when the river ice would break up.
The stakes are high now with a giant fat purse for the winner. Last year's winnings were $303,272.00. There were 22 people who picked the same date and time so they split the winnings, making $13,785.09 each. Not bad for a ticket that cost them $2.50 per guess.
They measure the breakup by placing a tripod on the ice. A pole goes down two feet into the ice and the tripod is connected to a clock that stops once the tripod moves a certain amount, indicating breakup. It's tough to guess just from looking at the ice because you never know how much the river is melting it from underneath the ice. But they do post the ice thickness on the website if you want to hazard an "educated" guess. They also have a posting of the most common times of day for the clock to stop.
The deadline to pick your date and time is fast approaching (the cut off is April 5th). And too bad if you don't live here of know someone up here because it is against the law for them to mail tickets.
For more information, check them out at http://www.nenanaakiceclassic.com/
