Yukon Gold

It’s the start of the Yukon gold mining season. A late spring and plummeting gold prices push miners to battle frozen ground and sluice harder than ever. Karl races to get 100 ounces in the first week, defying dad Marty, in a bid to prove he’s ready to take over the family mine and stake his own claim. Ken’s redline operation is jeopardized when junior miner Matt destroys key gear, forcing the boss to decide if the eager but careless hand is worth the cost. Big Al’s gamble to strip muddy ground to keep sluicing is a bust when he has to replace big iron without a big payday.

Two weeks into the mining season, miners are taking big risks for a shot at big gold. Ken discovers ultra fine gold stashed deep in the ground at Moose Creek and sinks tens of thousands of dollars into digging it out. New miner Cam bets on an old-timer streak at his mine on 10 Mile Creek. Just as it starts to pay big, a forest fire threatens to destroy the moneymaker mine and his family’s livelihood. Karl’s gamble on the dredge edge is iced when veteran operator Darwin no shows, forcing Karl to take on dangerous ground alone and decide if Darwin’s lifelong partying is more trouble than his experience is worth.

It’s still early in mining season, but miners are ripping through hard ground to bring in the gold. Ken’s push to move enough dirt to pay his crew by end of month is sidelined when miners he owes money to come knocking, seizing one of his sluice plants. Big Al smells gold in the ground, but has to move his massive sluice to test his theory. But when prized excavator Big Girl goes down for the count, Big Al is shut out of the new cut until parts arrive. Cam’s brother-in-law and business partner, Dennis, destroys a key piece of gear trying to crack bedrock and get at a rich seam of gold underneath. Dennis has to find a way to scrape $10,000 out of hostile ground to replace the part or face permanent shutdown.

Crews are facing life or death in the hunt for gold. Ken fights a double mutiny on Moose Creek when his moneymaker plant and experienced hand Riley both go rogue. The cost of gold hits a deadly high for Cam when veteran welder Gary is struck down on the mine and airlifted to hospital. A bear attacks Karl’s camp, forcing his crew to shut down sluicing and gun for their lives.

Halfway through the season, stakes are running high. Karl discovers permafrost on the cut late in the game, putting his reputation and his relationship with father Marty on the line. Ken’s dogged commitment to Moose Creek puts his marriage in jeopardy when wife Kina visits the mine and discovers Ken’s on the verge of going broke. Big Al’s push to sluice 24/7 takes a dangerous turn when his excavator Little Scratch takes a nosedive with mine hand Eric in the hot seat.

Fall will soon descend on the Yukon, and the miners are pushing for gold before the weather turns. Ken puts his moneymaker plant, the Beast, on the line to mine rocky ground he’s convinced is rich in gold. But big rocks are hard on equipment, and breakdowns are not an option. Bad ground forces Dennis to choose between the drive to mine and his loyalty to brother-in-law and business partner Cam. Karl’s push to mine with a prime new piece of gear is benched when his cut floods, putting his season in jeopardy.

Fall has arrived, and the miners battle Mother Nature and put big iron on the line in the hunt for gold. Ken’s race to move to virgin ground hits hard when he rolls his only dozer and pushes the Beast to its breaking point. Karl and right hand man Kyle face off against Sulphur Creek’s only loader in a bid to keep sluicing, only to have it go down for the count. Big Al’s prize excavator takes on a battle against nature when beavers threaten to shut his mining operation down.

Crews are racing to rip through ground as winter descends. Ken and right hand man Guillaume fight to keep the Beast sluicing through subzero temperatures only to discover the dirt they’ve banked on has run dry. Cam’s plans to mine an ancient waterfall go sideways when the treacherous ground threatens to bench his iron for good. Karl and right hand man Kyle’s mechanical skills are put to the test when the season takes its toll on Sulphur Creek’s operation.

The short Yukon gold mining season is almost over, and crews are battling the elements in a mad push for gold. Ken is forced to call in reinforcements when winter hits Moose Creek hard. Cam hits an impenetrable ice wall that freezes him out of his cut and moves to risky new ground only to have crucial iron go down. Big Al’s plans to rip through promising dirt are sidelined when his only stripping dozer suffers a catastrophic breakdown that puts right hand man Hiro’s mechanical skills to the ultimate test.

The miners battle nature’s wrath in an epic final push for gold. Ken’s bid to pull 100 ounces out of hot ground goes sideways when the mine runs out of fuel, forcing him to shut down sluicing and fight his way up Moose Creek’s treacherous road in a desperate bid to get to a fuel station at the top. Karl’s race to mine Sulphur Creek out so he can stake his own claim is benched when one of his crew deals his prize sluice plant a near­ fatal blow. Big Al follows his gut to high stakes ground only to be shut out when his only stripping dozer goes down for the count.