Video of the 2020 Tanana River breakup at Nenana. The ice started moving the day before but jammed right as it got to the Nenana Ice Classic Tripod. The Tripod tilted as the ice hit it but remained intact and the cable to the clock tower stayed connected. In this video, the ice jam breaks and snags the cable, stopping the clock. A few minuets later the whole jam breaks up and the Tripod goes down river.
For those wondering what this is all about, and why all the excitement, there is an approximately $300,000 prize for guessing the exact time the ice goes out. This has been going on since 1917, and it is a big deal here in Alaska.
It was even depicted in the 1938 motion picture “Call of the Yukon” .
• Call of the Yukon (193... The scene(s) involving the Ice Breakup start at 38:46.