The Kuskokwim Ice Classic will soon have TWO open contests for 2019 breakup fun.

Regular Ice Classic sales (with that $12,500 jackpot!) will continue, but the warm winter has caused the Ice Classic to move up its timeframe for the popular Minute Madness. Minute Madness was planned to open after the regular Ice Classic sales end, but the warmest winter anyone can remember has caused a change in plans. Minute Madness has a separate jackpot and will now open on Friday, April 5 at noon. Click here for more details on Minute Madness.

As for the regular Ice Classic, please learn the Early Breakup Rule and plan accordingly. That rule states: If an early breakup should occur on or before April 22, 2019 at 7 pm, guesses must be submitted no later than the day before breakup occurs in order to be eligible to win.

The Ice Classic will not refund guesses to customers who wait too long to purchase or return tickets. Although we know it’s part of the fun, if you choose to wait to purchase or return guesses, you are running the risk of missing the chance to purchase or having a nonrefundable, invalid guess!

Continue to look for our sales groups at AC and Swanson’s and read below for all of the regular Ice Classic information about guess drop boxes, sales locations, etc.!

We are pleased to announce that 2019 Ice Classic tickets are now on sale! We look forward to another exciting Kusko Ice Classic season and thank all of our customers for participating. Through your Ice Classic purchases, you are supporting nine different groups around the YK Delta that are fundraising to support their activities.

Permanent Sales Locations: You can purchase tickets at:

• Swanson’s Customer Service
• YK Fitness Center
• VFW
• Fili’s Pizza
• Kuskokwim Consortium Library
• BCSF

Bethel Ticket Sales Groups: Bethel groups will soon be selling tickets at AC every week day during the hours of 11am-3pm, and 5pm-7pm, with in-person sales at Swanson’s soon to follow. The Bethel groups selling Ice Classic tickets to raise money for their activities are: YK Delta Lifesavers, Bethel Friends of Canines, Delta Illusion Dance Company, KuC Student Government and Teens Acting Against Violence.

Phone Sales: Phone sales are open! Call 907-545-8483 to purchase your Ice Classic Tickets over the phone.

In-Person Sales in Other Communities: In-person sales can also be made in Aniak (contact Jenny Nicoli with Aniak Yuraq Group), Emmonak (contact Amber Hootch or Robin Kozevnikoff with Emmonak Search and Rescue), Napaskiak (contact Mariah Rens or Eric James with the Napaskiak Senior Class), and Kwigillingok (contact Crystal Johnson with the Kwig Senior Class).

Deadline: Guesses are due by Monday, April 22nd at 7 pm. Due to the unusually warm winter, the Kusko Ice Classic committee would like our fans to pay special attention to the rule that explains the process we will use if breakup happens on or before Monday, April 22 at 7 pm. If an early breakup should occur on or before April 22, 2019 at 7 pm, guesses must be submitted no later than the day before breakup occurs in order to be eligible to win. We will collect and separate guesses submitted at the end of the day each day if it appears that breakup may happen before the submission deadline date. Customers who choose to purchase tickets and wait to turn them in should be aware of weather conditions and the dropbox locations where tickets may be returned, as well as the business hours that allow accessibility to those dropbox locations, to ensure eligible guesses are entered in compliance with this rule.

Ticket Prices: Tickets are $5 for one, or $20 for a book of five, which will give you a chance at winning a $12,500 jackpot again this year!

Tripod: The 2019 tripod, constructed by Eric Whitney based on a design by LKSD STEM students, was recovered last year! The tripod was placed on the river in front of FNBA in February.  Go check it out sometime, and remember to keep an eye on the river conditions!

Dropbox Locations in Bethel: Some customers purchase guesses and choose to submit them later. Dropbox locations can be found at:

• RAVN
• AC Customer Service Desk
• Swanson’s Customer Service
• YK Fitness Center
• VFW
• Fili’s Pizza
• BCSF

Please read the rule written above about early breakup and be mindful of the weather and the hours of the businesses that have dropboxes. We don’t want customers who purchased guesses to miss their chance to turn them in!

Interested in raising money for your group?

The Kusko Ice Classic is accepting applications from groups wishing to benefit from Ice Classic ticket sales. This year both youth-serving and other groups may apply. The deadline is Wednesday, January 30 at 5 pm.

Click here to download the application!
(Adobe Acrobat Required)

Make sure to get them done and turned in the following ways:

1. Completed applications may be scanned and emailed to michelle@bcsfoundation.org
2. Faxed to the Ice Classic at 907-543-1826
3. Mailed to Kusko Ice Classic c/o BCSF at PO Box 2189; Bethel, AK  99559

This is a great way for Groups to earn money and participate in our annual event.

Join the fun! 

We’ve been watching the river with excitement for days! On May 2nd, 2018 the tripod movement stopped the clock at 7:51 pm. There are two winners who will split the 2018 jackpot: Ben Kuntz of Bethel and Lilly Carter of Kwigillingok. Ben and Lilly both guessed the exact time of 7:51 pm.

The Ice Classic also held the Minute Madness contest this year. Participants guessed only the minute of breakup for this second jackpot. Out of the 60 tickets sold, Team Savo of Dillingham, led by William Savo, won with the minute 0:51. Team Savo earns the $10,000 jackpot. Interesting fact: Minute 51 was ALSO the winning minute last year when the clock stopped at 2:51 am!

There were two days of intense suspense for many Ice Classic fans. On Monday evening, the tripod traveled about half the distance it needed to go before stalling out. The tripod remained in the same location until Wednesday afternoon, when it traveled all but the remaining 10-15 feet. Finally at 7:51 pm, it finished its journey.

The winner of the Ice Classic is determined by the person or persons who guess the exact minute of breakup. If no one has guessed the exact minute of breakup, the next closest minute on either side of the exact minute will be the winning time. The time of breakup is determined by the minute the tripod movement causes the clock to stop. You can watch breakup occurring on the webcam time lapse here at our website.

Youth groups in the Y-K Delta benefit from the Kuskokwim Ice Classic. This year’s beneficiary groups are Delta Illusions Dance Co., Teens Acting Against Violence, Kuskokwim Learning Academy Student Government and the YK Delta Lifesavers in Bethel; Aniak Mix Six Volleyball, the Napaskiak Senior Class, the Kwigillingok Senior Class and the Native Village of Hooper Bay Youth Program. All of these groups were ticket sellers for the event.

For those of you in Bethel, join us for the annual Breakup Bash celebration at the riverfront across from First National Bank of Alaska Friday, May 4th starting at 5 p.m. We will have live music, entertainment and free hot dogs sponsored by Alaska Commercial Co. to celebrate breakup. Donlin Gold will also pass out life jackets. For those of you not in Bethel, you will miss the hot dogs but can watch Bethelites celebrating this change in season via our webcam!

The clock has stopped! The official breakup time is Wednesday, May 2 at 7:51 pm.  We know who our Kusko Ice Classic and Minute Madness winners are BUT we are waiting to announce until we meet with KYUK around 9 pm. We’ll have an announcement posted immediately after we have had that meeting and contacted the winners.

By the way, if you think you have the winning guess- answer your phones!
Here’s a couple housekeeping items:
1) Yep, the Tripod didn’t move far. A sheet of ice started moving and the tripod advanced far enough to run out of line and stop the clock. So it’s still in view but the contests are finished.
2) Breakup Bash, with free hot dogs provided by Alaska Commercial Company, will be Friday at 5 pm at the river wall in front of FNBA! We’re waiting til Friday due to KuC graduation tomorrow, the chance to kick off the weekend with a free hot dog and to give our entertainers a chance to prepare.