1
00:00:12,066 --> 00:00:14,367
[narrator] This winter,
2
00:00:14,367 --> 00:00:17,500
the fleet is caught
in a nightmare
3
00:00:17,500 --> 00:00:20,700
that's turned their world
upside down.
4
00:00:25,867 --> 00:00:29,834
The King of Nome
loses his golden kingdom.
5
00:00:32,166 --> 00:00:35,333
As the wily veteran
sees his power,
6
00:00:36,667 --> 00:00:41,233
the town outlaws
forced to go it alone.
7
00:00:42,100 --> 00:00:46,133
While the young gun
makes a deadly gamble.
8
00:00:48,367 --> 00:00:53,433
And the mad scientist faces
a life changing creation.
9
00:01:02,767 --> 00:01:06,266
There's no place
like Nome, Alaska,
10
00:01:06,266 --> 00:01:10,300
home of the largest offshore
gold deposits in the world.
11
00:01:11,567 --> 00:01:15,000
In the winter months,
the ocean freezes over
12
00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:18,467
and the miners endure
sub-zero temperatures
13
00:01:18,467 --> 00:01:20,233
as they cut holes in the ice.
14
00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:24,400
And dive into frigid waters.
15
00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:26,600
[man] Yeah!
16
00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:29,100
[narrator] This winter,
the stakes are raised
17
00:01:29,100 --> 00:01:32,500
as gold prices have soared
to record highs,
18
00:01:32,500 --> 00:01:36,634
making their hunt more urgent
than ever before.
19
00:01:37,767 --> 00:01:39,100
But now...
20
00:01:39,100 --> 00:01:42,000
[man] The ice
looks really sketchy.
21
00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:45,166
[narrator] The most severe
El Nino in over a decade
22
00:01:45,166 --> 00:01:46,900
is changing the ice field.
23
00:01:46,900 --> 00:01:50,200
Warmer temperatures
are disrupting the freeze,
24
00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:52,567
covering the offshore
gold grounds
25
00:01:52,567 --> 00:01:55,367
with impenetrable
icy barricades,
26
00:01:55,367 --> 00:01:57,867
known as pressure ridges,
27
00:01:57,867 --> 00:02:02,900
throwing every miner's plans
out the window.
28
00:02:03,567 --> 00:02:05,000
[man 1] Where's the gold?
29
00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:06,100
[man 2] Come up, come up.
30
00:02:06,100 --> 00:02:07,533
[woman speaking]
31
00:02:07,533 --> 00:02:10,100
-All right, I'm telling you.
Just listen!
-Why are you [bleep] yelling?
32
00:02:10,100 --> 00:02:11,200
[bleep] Idiot.
33
00:02:11,567 --> 00:02:12,700
[bleep]
34
00:02:13,967 --> 00:02:15,200
[woman] Whoa.
35
00:02:16,266 --> 00:02:20,000
Damn, this ice
is messing with me right now.
36
00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:26,233
[man speaking]
37
00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:29,800
Payday.
That's what we call that.
38
00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:31,300
Are you ready for a ride?
39
00:02:50,867 --> 00:02:52,467
[Shawn]
We're just getting going,
40
00:02:52,467 --> 00:02:56,166
getting all the
ice mining gear
ready to rock and roll.
41
00:02:56,166 --> 00:02:58,367
We're just heading out
to check out
42
00:02:58,367 --> 00:03:00,500
the conditions of the ice.
43
00:03:01,767 --> 00:03:03,533
Little scouting mission.
44
00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:07,634
Looking for big flat bands.
45
00:03:08,667 --> 00:03:12,667
Something easy
to move around on,
easy to get through it,
46
00:03:12,667 --> 00:03:15,500
and easy to get in the water.
47
00:03:16,567 --> 00:03:19,000
Mr. Gold's
gonna get some gold.
48
00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:20,900
[narrator]
He's known as Mr. Gold.
49
00:03:20,900 --> 00:03:24,266
For years,
mining on his offshore claim,
50
00:03:24,266 --> 00:03:26,600
the legendary Tomcod grounds,
51
00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:28,600
he set the standard in Nome.
52
00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:30,567
[Mr. Gold]
That's a big nugget there.
53
00:03:30,567 --> 00:03:33,300
[narrator] Pulling in
millions of dollars in gold.
54
00:03:33,300 --> 00:03:34,700
[Mr. Gold] Three-seventy-six.
55
00:03:35,467 --> 00:03:37,600
Oh, broke the scale.
56
00:03:37,600 --> 00:03:39,367
We're gonna need
a bigger scale.
57
00:03:39,367 --> 00:03:42,000
[narrator] And unleashing
groundbreaking innovations
58
00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:43,367
that change the industry.
59
00:03:43,367 --> 00:03:45,400
[Mr. Gold] I put an excavator
on a barge.
60
00:03:46,166 --> 00:03:48,600
This thing is awesome.
61
00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:52,967
[narrator]
Now, he's looking to conquer
Nome by sea and by land,
62
00:03:52,967 --> 00:03:54,567
as he sets his sights
63
00:03:54,567 --> 00:03:58,367
on a legendary inland mine
known as Arctic Gold.
64
00:03:58,367 --> 00:04:01,867
Over 9,000 acres,
the Shawn hopes
65
00:04:01,867 --> 00:04:04,100
will eventually bring in
more gold
66
00:04:04,100 --> 00:04:07,266
than he or anyone
has ever seen in Nome.
67
00:04:07,266 --> 00:04:10,066
But with a price tag
of over a million dollars,
68
00:04:10,066 --> 00:04:13,467
Shawn's looking for a big haul
from his Tomcod claim
69
00:04:13,467 --> 00:04:15,100
to get the project started.
70
00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:18,600
Want to get on
some really good gold
71
00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:22,567
and help offset
some of the inland expenses.
72
00:04:22,567 --> 00:04:25,667
I'll be burning
a quarter million dollars
a month
73
00:04:25,667 --> 00:04:28,166
before we even start
washing dirt,
74
00:04:28,166 --> 00:04:32,333
I'll have 1.5 million
into the inland mine.
75
00:04:33,967 --> 00:04:35,367
We got the Tomcod.
76
00:04:35,367 --> 00:04:37,567
Hopefully the ice
is good down there.
77
00:04:37,567 --> 00:04:39,600
That's where we're
gonna be able to make
78
00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:41,100
a big pile of gold.
79
00:04:41,100 --> 00:04:43,033
That's gonna be the key.
80
00:04:44,467 --> 00:04:47,066
[narrator] On the Bering Sea,
the gold grounds are divided
81
00:04:47,066 --> 00:04:50,266
into sections
called leases or claims
82
00:04:50,266 --> 00:04:53,367
that miners can buy
exclusive rights to mine.
83
00:04:53,367 --> 00:04:56,367
And for years,
the area known as Tomcod
84
00:04:56,367 --> 00:04:59,400
has been the most
lucrative lease on the water
85
00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:02,033
and the key
to Shawn's Golden Empire.
86
00:05:12,300 --> 00:05:13,400
Wow.
87
00:05:21,567 --> 00:05:23,300
Ice is pretty messed up.
88
00:05:25,066 --> 00:05:27,300
Lots of big pressure ridges.
89
00:05:27,300 --> 00:05:29,433
Lots of big mounds of ice.
90
00:05:31,166 --> 00:05:32,900
Big chunks up on top
91
00:05:32,900 --> 00:05:35,834
means that there's
big chunks underneath.
92
00:05:39,667 --> 00:05:43,900
Yeah, El Nino really screwed
the ice up this season.
93
00:05:49,166 --> 00:05:50,600
Look at this.
94
00:05:56,767 --> 00:05:59,500
There's ice
jumbled up everywhere.
95
00:06:00,867 --> 00:06:02,400
Pressure ridges are no joke.
96
00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:04,800
You can't set up
a mining operation
97
00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:06,400
unless you have flat ice.
98
00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:09,266
The way the pressure ridges
jumble up the ice,
99
00:06:09,266 --> 00:06:11,967
it makes cutting a hole
almost impossible
100
00:06:11,967 --> 00:06:14,433
and diving really sketchy.
101
00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:17,200
I haven't seen it
this bad before.
102
00:06:18,300 --> 00:06:21,166
As of right now,
the Tomcod's un-minable.
103
00:06:21,166 --> 00:06:23,100
Now I don't know
how I'm gonna fund
104
00:06:23,100 --> 00:06:24,900
the startup
of the inland mine.
105
00:06:26,967 --> 00:06:28,400
This is not good.
106
00:06:32,700 --> 00:06:35,166
This is exactly
where I wanted to be,
107
00:06:35,166 --> 00:06:39,000
but ice is just
way too messed up.
108
00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:44,333
Fight Mother Nature,
Mother Nature is gonna win.
109
00:06:46,700 --> 00:06:49,600
[narrator] As Mr. Gold's plans
are shot down,
110
00:06:50,567 --> 00:06:52,000
three miles east...
111
00:06:56,767 --> 00:06:59,367
A young gun
hopes his plane is ready
112
00:06:59,367 --> 00:07:01,500
to fire on all cylinders.
113
00:07:05,767 --> 00:07:06,867
[Chris]
Beginning of the season,
114
00:07:06,867 --> 00:07:09,100
I came here
to check out my spot.
115
00:07:09,567 --> 00:07:11,600
Just looking from the horizon
116
00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:14,934
and the ice is not looking
too good this year.
117
00:07:18,367 --> 00:07:19,734
Wow.
118
00:07:24,166 --> 00:07:25,767
[narrator] Always confident.
119
00:07:25,767 --> 00:07:27,467
[Chris] From my perspective,
120
00:07:27,467 --> 00:07:29,000
you can tell
who's professional
121
00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:31,000
and who's not,
you know what I mean?
122
00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:33,700
[narrator] Second generation
miner Chris McCully
123
00:07:34,367 --> 00:07:36,266
made a splash last winter.
124
00:07:36,266 --> 00:07:38,166
[Chris] We killed it.
Whoo-hoo.
125
00:07:38,166 --> 00:07:39,767
[narrator]
When he topped the leaderboard
126
00:07:39,767 --> 00:07:42,266
with nearly 300 grand
worth of gold
127
00:07:42,266 --> 00:07:44,100
on his very first campaign.
128
00:07:44,100 --> 00:07:46,467
I'm a little shaky, but...
129
00:07:46,467 --> 00:07:47,767
[whistles]
130
00:07:47,767 --> 00:07:49,400
Good feeling.
131
00:07:50,300 --> 00:07:51,900
[narrator] But Mother Nature
may have thrown
132
00:07:51,900 --> 00:07:54,900
a wrench in his plan
to repeat.
133
00:07:56,066 --> 00:07:59,066
This year's ice
is not that great,
134
00:07:59,066 --> 00:08:02,000
and there's not a lot
of good ice to poke around.
135
00:08:02,967 --> 00:08:04,600
If you look that way,
136
00:08:04,600 --> 00:08:07,200
where you see
all that pressure ridges,
137
00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:10,000
that's where I want to mine
this year.
138
00:08:10,467 --> 00:08:11,634
Damn it.
139
00:08:13,266 --> 00:08:15,700
I have to crush it
this winter.
140
00:08:15,700 --> 00:08:18,000
Because last year,
I just got married
141
00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:20,000
and we just had a baby boy.
142
00:08:20,900 --> 00:08:22,266
So to support my family,
143
00:08:22,266 --> 00:08:24,634
I'm building
the biggest crawler in Nome.
144
00:08:25,266 --> 00:08:28,066
It could double
or triple my goal.
145
00:08:28,066 --> 00:08:30,800
But I got to mine this winter
so that I can pay the bill.
146
00:08:43,100 --> 00:08:45,567
I'm going to find a way,
one way or the other.
147
00:08:45,567 --> 00:08:47,266
I'm going to cut
that dive hole
148
00:08:47,266 --> 00:08:48,800
and I'm going to get
that gold
149
00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:50,400
and no one's going to stop me.
150
00:08:54,900 --> 00:08:58,133
Most miners wouldn't even try
to work on this kind of ice.
151
00:08:58,667 --> 00:09:00,400
Okay, you're ready to go.
152
00:09:02,066 --> 00:09:03,900
But I ain't most miners.
153
00:09:11,900 --> 00:09:13,000
Whoa!
154
00:09:13,667 --> 00:09:14,700
Damn it.
155
00:09:15,100 --> 00:09:16,233
God.
156
00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:23,634
God, what a mess that was.
157
00:09:27,166 --> 00:09:28,333
Watch out.
158
00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:35,166
[man] There we go.
159
00:09:36,367 --> 00:09:39,667
Wow, you see
what we have to go through?
160
00:09:39,667 --> 00:09:41,300
That was a lot
of pressure ridge.
161
00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:44,200
And it's just the beginning
of the season.
162
00:09:46,100 --> 00:09:49,567
I'm hoping over here is where
I'm going to make my money
163
00:09:49,567 --> 00:09:53,400
and going towards
to the north right there.
164
00:09:55,266 --> 00:09:57,100
I've already got my spot
picked out.
165
00:09:57,100 --> 00:09:58,900
Same coordinates
from last summer.
166
00:09:58,900 --> 00:10:00,667
There's a great
paste rig here,
167
00:10:00,667 --> 00:10:03,700
but I have to get through all
those pressure ridges first.
168
00:10:08,266 --> 00:10:10,100
First one out here
169
00:10:10,100 --> 00:10:13,200
and everybody's still building
their shack.
170
00:10:13,667 --> 00:10:16,000
Getting their crews lined up.
171
00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:17,133
Well, we're already out here
172
00:10:17,133 --> 00:10:20,100
and we're going to do our
first dive of the year, man.
173
00:10:20,100 --> 00:10:21,767
[narrator] Ice mining
in the Bering Sea
174
00:10:21,767 --> 00:10:24,700
is a difficult
and dangerous endeavor
175
00:10:24,700 --> 00:10:28,133
and it takes
a host of equipment
to make it all happen.
176
00:10:28,900 --> 00:10:30,066
So let's now get
177
00:10:30,066 --> 00:10:32,000
a BSG schoolroom lesson
178
00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:34,700
in Gold Mining Below The Ice.
179
00:10:36,100 --> 00:10:39,166
Salt water can fall
as low as 28 degrees.
180
00:10:39,166 --> 00:10:40,567
[man] Lot of water.
181
00:10:40,567 --> 00:10:44,000
[narrator] To keep warm,
hot water is pumped
into the dive suit.
182
00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:46,300
[man] I got good air.
183
00:10:46,300 --> 00:10:48,867
[narrator] While another line
provides air.
184
00:10:48,867 --> 00:10:50,567
[Chris] Coming down,
coming down.
185
00:10:50,567 --> 00:10:51,767
[narrator]
Once on the bottom...
186
00:10:51,767 --> 00:10:53,467
[Chris] Come on,
man, suck it up.
187
00:10:53,467 --> 00:10:56,367
[narrator] ...another pump
provides suction to the hose
188
00:10:56,367 --> 00:10:59,567
that allows the diver
to gobble up material.
189
00:10:59,567 --> 00:11:01,567
[man speaking]
190
00:11:01,567 --> 00:11:03,867
[narrator] It's all sent
topside through a sluice box
191
00:11:03,867 --> 00:11:06,000
that filters out
heavy minerals.
192
00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:08,700
Most importantly, gold.
193
00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:11,367
[Jack] Good visibility.
194
00:11:11,367 --> 00:11:14,266
[narrator] To keep in contact
with the crew on the surface.
195
00:11:14,266 --> 00:11:16,634
-[Jack] Try talking.
-[Chris] Everything good,
Jack?
196
00:11:17,767 --> 00:11:21,400
[narrator]
A communication line is wired
into the diver's mask.
197
00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:22,900
[Chris] Everything looks good.
198
00:11:25,266 --> 00:11:28,100
[narrator] But dangers
lurk everywhere.
199
00:11:28,100 --> 00:11:30,400
If any of the systems fail...
200
00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:31,867
[Chris] I'm freezing up.
201
00:11:31,867 --> 00:11:34,000
[narrator] ...the diver
could suffer hypothermia
202
00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:35,800
within minutes without heat.
203
00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:37,367
[Chris] I'm out of air,
pull me up!
204
00:11:37,367 --> 00:11:39,100
[narrator] Drown without air.
205
00:11:39,100 --> 00:11:41,667
[Jack] Could you tell
where you are from the hole?
206
00:11:41,667 --> 00:11:43,033
[Chris] No.
207
00:11:43,033 --> 00:11:46,467
[narrator]
Get trapped under the ice
if the hole gets blocked.
208
00:11:46,467 --> 00:11:48,600
[Chris] Yeah, we got some
kind of short here, guys.
209
00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:50,667
[narrator] And if the
communication fails...
210
00:11:50,667 --> 00:11:52,967
I don't hear breathing.
I don't hear anything.
211
00:11:52,967 --> 00:11:55,100
[narrator] ...no one
will be there to help.
212
00:11:57,500 --> 00:11:58,934
All right, that's good.
213
00:12:06,500 --> 00:12:08,934
It feels good
to be back in the water.
214
00:12:13,767 --> 00:12:14,867
[Jack speaking]
215
00:12:14,867 --> 00:12:16,800
[Chris speaking]
216
00:12:17,600 --> 00:12:19,033
[Jack speaking]
217
00:12:21,700 --> 00:12:23,500
All right, here we go.
218
00:12:24,300 --> 00:12:25,433
Kick some ass.
219
00:12:31,266 --> 00:12:32,600
[Chris] Whoo-hoo!
220
00:12:34,400 --> 00:12:36,233
This is my time to shine.
221
00:12:49,800 --> 00:12:51,033
[Cam] Everything good?
222
00:12:51,567 --> 00:12:53,800
[Chris speaking]
223
00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:18,567
[narrator]
On their hunt for gold,
miners look for rocky areas
224
00:13:18,567 --> 00:13:21,600
with cobble
and signs of heavy minerals.
225
00:13:23,667 --> 00:13:25,400
[Chris speaking]
226
00:13:30,100 --> 00:13:31,533
[Cam speaking]
227
00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:41,533
Roger that.
228
00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:46,700
There she blows.
229
00:13:55,500 --> 00:13:57,300
[Chris speaking]
230
00:14:12,367 --> 00:14:13,834
[laughs]
231
00:14:18,367 --> 00:14:20,133
We're making money, boy...
232
00:14:20,767 --> 00:14:23,100
[Chris speaking]
233
00:14:23,100 --> 00:14:25,133
[Cam] Heck yeah, dude,
that sounds badass.
234
00:14:28,800 --> 00:14:31,600
[Chris speaking]
235
00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:34,333
[narrator] While one miner
defies Mother Nature...
236
00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:37,266
Another member of the fleet
237
00:14:37,266 --> 00:14:39,400
hopes to flip a script
of his own.
238
00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:52,000
[Kris] Here we are
ready for another season.
239
00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:55,000
I've got a ballsy layered plan
of [bleep]
240
00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:57,700
and are you ready for a ride?
241
00:15:00,066 --> 00:15:00,834
[narrator] A pirate?
242
00:15:00,834 --> 00:15:02,567
We're going to war
it looks like.
243
00:15:02,567 --> 00:15:03,900
[Kris] Battle stations!
244
00:15:03,900 --> 00:15:05,467
[narrator] An outlaw?
245
00:15:05,467 --> 00:15:08,400
[Kris]
We'd like to say thank you
to whoever marked this spot
246
00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:10,900
because without your belief
we wouldn't have found it.
247
00:15:10,900 --> 00:15:13,300
[narrator] Kris Kelly's
been called it all
248
00:15:13,300 --> 00:15:15,767
since hitting the known shores
in search of gold
249
00:15:15,767 --> 00:15:16,567
a decade ago.
250
00:15:16,567 --> 00:15:18,000
It's gonna be
a good day, though.
251
00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:19,166
We're gonna get some gold.
252
00:15:19,166 --> 00:15:20,600
The A-Team's going out.
253
00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:22,500
[narrator] And while
the journey's been filled
254
00:15:22,500 --> 00:15:24,900
with plenty of potholes
along the way.
255
00:15:25,867 --> 00:15:27,033
-[screams]
-[bleep]
256
00:15:30,300 --> 00:15:32,300
[narrator]
In this upside down world,
257
00:15:32,300 --> 00:15:36,400
Kris Kelly's now called
one of Nome's premier
gold miners.
258
00:15:36,400 --> 00:15:39,600
It only took years of my life
to make it to this point
259
00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:40,634
and here I am.
260
00:15:40,634 --> 00:15:43,767
[narrator] As his budding
year round operation
261
00:15:43,767 --> 00:15:48,200
known as Reaper Nation
boasts an excavator dredge.
262
00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:49,600
[Kris speaking]
263
00:15:50,166 --> 00:15:51,600
[man laughing]
264
00:15:51,600 --> 00:15:53,900
[narrator]
An underwater crawler...
265
00:15:53,900 --> 00:15:56,166
[man 1] It runs great, Jay.
266
00:15:56,166 --> 00:15:57,200
We're mining, baby.
267
00:15:57,200 --> 00:15:58,900
[man 2] 900.
268
00:15:58,900 --> 00:16:03,233
[narrator]
...and has finally started
amassing ounces on the scale.
269
00:16:03,767 --> 00:16:05,333
That's a big ass pile of gold.
270
00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:10,667
This year I really need
to make at least 50 ounces
271
00:16:10,667 --> 00:16:12,467
to upgrade my crawler.
272
00:16:12,467 --> 00:16:15,367
You know, like I'm gonna take
my 8 inch crawler and turn it
273
00:16:15,367 --> 00:16:17,567
into a 10
or a 12 inch crawler.
274
00:16:17,567 --> 00:16:18,567
I don't know which yet.
275
00:16:18,567 --> 00:16:20,533
Depends on how much money
I have.
276
00:16:29,700 --> 00:16:32,100
I'm gonna concentrate
on keeping it cheap,
277
00:16:32,100 --> 00:16:34,667
making our dollar hauler,
you know?
278
00:16:34,667 --> 00:16:36,467
Like I'm not spending
any money
279
00:16:36,467 --> 00:16:38,900
and I don't want to hear
any [bleep] complaints.
280
00:16:38,900 --> 00:16:40,900
I'm not having coffee hour.
281
00:16:40,900 --> 00:16:43,567
Nobody's gonna be laughing
and singing and side smiling.
282
00:16:43,567 --> 00:16:46,300
There's gonna be no smiles
on anyone's faces this year.
283
00:16:46,300 --> 00:16:49,867
So there's gonna be a bunch
of pissed off, cold people,
284
00:16:49,867 --> 00:16:52,867
hungry for gold
and that's how I like them.
285
00:16:52,867 --> 00:16:55,500
I like Napoleon's strategy
where I look at the ocean
286
00:16:55,500 --> 00:16:57,567
and I say,
"There's your meal there."
287
00:16:57,567 --> 00:16:59,900
You know, if you want gold,
go get it.
288
00:17:01,767 --> 00:17:05,000
We've been mining on Tomcod,
but that claim is a disaster.
289
00:17:05,600 --> 00:17:07,734
The ice is bad everywhere.
290
00:17:08,266 --> 00:17:10,066
But I have a plan up my sleeve
291
00:17:10,066 --> 00:17:12,033
that will lead us
to greatness.
292
00:17:15,066 --> 00:17:16,934
Thank you everybody
for coming.
293
00:17:18,300 --> 00:17:20,166
Okay, beginning of
the ice mining season.
294
00:17:20,166 --> 00:17:22,767
We have kind of
like a complicated plan
295
00:17:22,767 --> 00:17:24,734
and let's just get with it.
296
00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:28,100
So this is the team
I've assembled this season
297
00:17:28,100 --> 00:17:29,500
for ice domination.
298
00:17:29,867 --> 00:17:31,033
Yukon John.
299
00:17:31,033 --> 00:17:33,867
Two years ago,
John's boat was sinking
in the ocean
300
00:17:33,867 --> 00:17:36,233
and John wouldn't leave it
and had to be rescued.
301
00:17:37,767 --> 00:17:40,400
John! Abandon ship!
302
00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:44,767
[Kris] Anyone willing
to go down with his ship
303
00:17:44,767 --> 00:17:47,400
is a perfect fit
for Reaper Nation.
304
00:17:47,900 --> 00:17:50,300
PJ. The guy's a bodybuilder
305
00:17:50,300 --> 00:17:53,100
and he really wants to try
diving in the Bering Sea.
306
00:17:53,100 --> 00:17:54,300
So he's in.
307
00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:58,000
Shawn. He's a top mechanic.
308
00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:01,433
And of course,
my brother Andy. He's a diver.
309
00:18:02,467 --> 00:18:04,467
-[grunts]
-That's good.
310
00:18:04,467 --> 00:18:07,000
[Kris] We need to get
a super-sized wetsuit.
311
00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:08,266
He's an enforcer.
312
00:18:08,266 --> 00:18:09,700
Payback's a bitch.
313
00:18:13,266 --> 00:18:14,700
[Andy] What are you gonna do?
314
00:18:15,567 --> 00:18:16,600
[bleep]
315
00:18:17,567 --> 00:18:19,266
[Kris] And my trusted advisor.
316
00:18:19,266 --> 00:18:21,500
[Andy] Man, you yell in my ear
one more time
317
00:18:21,500 --> 00:18:23,100
-[yells indistinctly]
-and I'll [bleep] you up.
318
00:18:23,100 --> 00:18:24,066
[Kris] I wasn't yelling!
319
00:18:24,066 --> 00:18:25,233
This is yelling!
320
00:18:25,233 --> 00:18:28,367
This is a team
that will take us
to the Promised Land.
321
00:18:28,367 --> 00:18:31,500
Here's the plan.
We're gonna stay away
from the west.
322
00:18:31,500 --> 00:18:33,367
And we're gonna hopefully
make some big money.
323
00:18:33,367 --> 00:18:35,166
We're going to 17 to start,
324
00:18:35,166 --> 00:18:37,200
which is right
next to the wreck area.
325
00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:40,000
Hopefully we see
a lot of gold.
326
00:18:41,066 --> 00:18:44,867
So this season
I'm gonna be going to claim 17
and claim 23.
327
00:18:44,867 --> 00:18:46,567
The ice is better there,
328
00:18:46,567 --> 00:18:50,367
but 17 and 23 don't have
as much runoff,
329
00:18:50,367 --> 00:18:53,166
which is how gold
usually accumulates.
330
00:18:53,166 --> 00:18:55,900
So basically no one
pays attention to them.
331
00:18:55,900 --> 00:18:57,467
But I know something I think
332
00:18:57,467 --> 00:19:00,300
a lot of other people
have forgotten.
333
00:19:00,300 --> 00:19:03,667
So this is where the Bima
worked in right in here.
334
00:19:03,667 --> 00:19:06,767
The Bima was an
enormous dredge in the '90s
335
00:19:06,767 --> 00:19:10,367
that just got
thousands of ounces.
It's a [bleep] legend.
336
00:19:10,367 --> 00:19:12,266
A lot of gold
came out of this area.
337
00:19:12,266 --> 00:19:15,700
-[Andy] Oh, yeah.
-We just gotta find our spot.
338
00:19:15,700 --> 00:19:17,867
[Kris] A buddy of mine got me
access to these claims,
339
00:19:17,867 --> 00:19:20,200
and I'm convinced
we're gonna crush it there.
340
00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:22,567
It's my own secret plan.
341
00:19:22,567 --> 00:19:25,100
Screw you, El Nino.
We're still gonna get rich.
342
00:19:25,100 --> 00:19:26,133
We got a big day.
343
00:19:26,133 --> 00:19:28,467
We're gonna be starting off
drilling some holes,
344
00:19:28,467 --> 00:19:33,200
moving the operation over,
and seeing what we find.
345
00:19:33,200 --> 00:19:35,000
[Andy]
Well, we have a good plan.
Everything's gonna work.
346
00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:37,634
Yeah, let's just
make it happen.
Okay, let's go.
347
00:19:39,667 --> 00:19:40,900
[narrator] Across town...
348
00:19:47,066 --> 00:19:49,567
I hear that the ice
is just a mess out there
349
00:19:49,567 --> 00:19:51,467
It's really difficult.
350
00:19:51,467 --> 00:19:54,533
[narrator] A known legend
readies to face the ice.
351
00:19:55,600 --> 00:19:57,000
Right out here is my claim.
352
00:19:57,967 --> 00:20:00,367
56 is like my retirement plan.
353
00:20:00,367 --> 00:20:02,166
It better be
my retirement plan
354
00:20:02,166 --> 00:20:03,567
because I blew... [laughs]
355
00:20:03,567 --> 00:20:06,800
I blew my retirement funds
a long time ago.
356
00:20:06,800 --> 00:20:09,467
Get off the friggin boat.
I'm sick of your [bleep]
357
00:20:09,467 --> 00:20:11,700
[narrator] Vernon Adkison's
time in Nome...
358
00:20:11,700 --> 00:20:12,967
Upset about it?
359
00:20:12,967 --> 00:20:15,166
I'm more than [bleep]
upset about it.
360
00:20:15,166 --> 00:20:17,000
[narrator] ...has been
a series of ups...
361
00:20:18,166 --> 00:20:19,667
That's our best cleanout yet.
362
00:20:19,667 --> 00:20:21,300
[bleep]
363
00:20:21,300 --> 00:20:23,033
[narrator] ...and more than
a few downs.
364
00:20:23,567 --> 00:20:24,600
Going in.
365
00:20:25,967 --> 00:20:27,100
No!
366
00:20:27,100 --> 00:20:28,867
[narrator]
But three years ago...
367
00:20:28,867 --> 00:20:32,100
Right out there
is my claim, 56.
368
00:20:32,100 --> 00:20:35,100
[narrator]
...Vernon bought the claim
that turned it all around.
369
00:20:35,100 --> 00:20:37,200
Thirty-point-two.
370
00:20:38,100 --> 00:20:39,467
Holy moly.
371
00:20:39,467 --> 00:20:43,567
[narrator] And his fortunes
have been on the upswing
ever since.
372
00:20:43,567 --> 00:20:46,400
But this winter,
El Nino could shut down
373
00:20:46,400 --> 00:20:48,800
his ATM on the ice.
374
00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:52,900
[Vernon]
It's all gonna boil down
to what kind of ice we've got.
375
00:20:52,900 --> 00:20:58,967
If we've got good ice,
then we'll be able
to do very well.
376
00:20:58,967 --> 00:21:00,400
Uh, but if we get out there
377
00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:03,300
and we can't get on
where we know the gold is,
378
00:21:03,300 --> 00:21:07,300
then that's gonna have a
serious impact on what we do.
379
00:21:09,667 --> 00:21:14,667
We're gonna need
some flat spots
to set up our operation.
380
00:21:14,667 --> 00:21:16,166
Bigger is better,
381
00:21:16,166 --> 00:21:19,900
but it's gotta be pretty flat
for us to set up.
382
00:21:19,900 --> 00:21:22,000
-[engine revs]
-Fingers crossed.
383
00:21:24,166 --> 00:21:26,166
I got a big plan this winter.
384
00:21:26,166 --> 00:21:26,967
Trying to get enough gold
385
00:21:26,967 --> 00:21:29,467
to pay off
a Nitrox dive system.
386
00:21:29,467 --> 00:21:33,200
Deep ground on 56
is where the best gold is.
387
00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:34,233
But the deeper you go,
388
00:21:34,233 --> 00:21:36,967
the less time the divers
can spend on the bottom.
389
00:21:36,967 --> 00:21:39,467
A Nitrox system
will change all that.
390
00:21:39,467 --> 00:21:43,767
It will allow them
to go down deeper
and stay longer.
391
00:21:43,767 --> 00:21:47,700
But it's expensive,
so I need ice
that we can work.
392
00:21:48,266 --> 00:21:50,400
I'm gunning for a huge haul.
393
00:22:01,867 --> 00:22:03,367
This is 56.
394
00:22:03,367 --> 00:22:08,000
Goes about half mile that way,
half mile that way,
395
00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:09,600
and a mile this way.
396
00:22:10,567 --> 00:22:12,300
375 acres.
397
00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:17,400
This is a nice,
big expanse of flat ice.
398
00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:19,900
Hallelujah.
399
00:22:19,900 --> 00:22:22,767
The Bering Sea gold gods
have spared me.
400
00:22:22,767 --> 00:22:25,634
That ice looks
absolutely beautiful.
401
00:22:26,066 --> 00:22:27,600
I've got myself a season.
402
00:22:27,600 --> 00:22:29,467
56 might be in better shape
403
00:22:29,467 --> 00:22:32,000
than any other claim
out here this winter.
404
00:22:32,867 --> 00:22:35,300
I guarantee you,
underneath this ice right now,
405
00:22:35,300 --> 00:22:37,800
at least a billion dollars
worth of gold.
406
00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:43,400
I think 56
is gonna be good to me.
407
00:22:50,700 --> 00:22:52,500
[Shawn] Gotta go
check out the mine.
408
00:22:53,767 --> 00:22:56,800
[narrator] Shawn Pomrenke
is feeling the pressure mount,
409
00:22:56,800 --> 00:23:00,367
as unworkable ice
shut down his ocean plans,
410
00:23:00,367 --> 00:23:03,333
putting the brakes
on his inland project.
411
00:23:04,667 --> 00:23:06,834
There's a lot of dirt
to move here.
412
00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:10,166
We gotta get snow moved.
413
00:23:10,166 --> 00:23:12,266
We gotta get water pump
set up.
414
00:23:12,266 --> 00:23:14,700
I need two dozers
up and running, nonstop.
415
00:23:14,700 --> 00:23:16,266
and start working.
416
00:23:16,266 --> 00:23:19,367
And start working our way
down to the pater,
417
00:23:19,367 --> 00:23:24,400
and then hopefully
there's two to four
million dollars down there.
418
00:23:24,400 --> 00:23:27,934
But right now,
nothing's going on.
419
00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:31,700
[narrator] Shawn's vision
for his new inland mine
420
00:23:31,700 --> 00:23:33,867
could be a game changer.
421
00:23:33,867 --> 00:23:36,367
A treasure hunt
near Anvil Creek,
422
00:23:36,367 --> 00:23:40,166
site of the original gold find
that set off Nome's great
423
00:23:40,166 --> 00:23:43,066
gold rush over a century ago.
424
00:23:43,066 --> 00:23:47,100
With modern mining methods
and his own golden intuition,
425
00:23:47,100 --> 00:23:50,166
Shawn's looking to dig
80 feet below the surface
426
00:23:50,166 --> 00:23:54,400
to locate that legendary lost
pay streak and recover gold
427
00:23:54,400 --> 00:23:56,900
the old timers
could never reach.
428
00:23:56,900 --> 00:23:59,600
But just starting
the massive project
429
00:23:59,600 --> 00:24:03,367
comes with equally
massive expenses.
430
00:24:03,367 --> 00:24:07,400
[Shawn]
I gotta get $1.3 million
into this inland mine.
431
00:24:08,367 --> 00:24:12,266
I gotta get pumps coming.
I gotta get motors rebuilt.
432
00:24:12,266 --> 00:24:14,767
And fuel is a big expense.
433
00:24:14,767 --> 00:24:17,967
I'll eat an ounce of gold
every shift.
434
00:24:17,967 --> 00:24:20,166
So a day shift, a night shift,
435
00:24:20,166 --> 00:24:23,000
that's two ounces,
just in fuel.
436
00:24:23,467 --> 00:24:24,834
It's never ending.
437
00:24:25,667 --> 00:24:28,700
So basically, I gotta have
a huge pile of gold
438
00:24:28,700 --> 00:24:31,834
by the end of this ice season.
439
00:24:33,867 --> 00:24:36,667
The inland mine project's
my entire future in Nome,
440
00:24:36,667 --> 00:24:38,100
and it's not cheap.
441
00:24:38,100 --> 00:24:41,100
I was planning on using
the gold from the Tomcod
442
00:24:41,100 --> 00:24:43,667
to jump start my inland mine.
443
00:24:43,667 --> 00:24:46,100
But with this bad ice,
I'm dead in the water.
444
00:24:46,100 --> 00:24:48,367
Without the Tomcod,
I don't have any place
445
00:24:48,367 --> 00:24:50,066
to get on the ice to get gold.
446
00:24:50,066 --> 00:24:53,667
And with no gold,
I can't start
the inland mine project.
447
00:24:53,667 --> 00:24:55,900
So right now,
I'm kind of screwed.
448
00:24:56,967 --> 00:25:00,834
Everything's upside down.
I'm gonna need some help.
449
00:25:07,367 --> 00:25:08,734
[narrator]
Back out on the ice...
450
00:25:18,166 --> 00:25:19,900
[Kris] Okay, we made it.
451
00:25:20,567 --> 00:25:22,467
[Andy speaking]
452
00:25:22,467 --> 00:25:26,266
[Kris] Let's get the auger
and our little camera.
453
00:25:26,266 --> 00:25:28,467
Get out there,
drill three or four holes.
454
00:25:28,467 --> 00:25:30,367
Look for some
really good cobble,
455
00:25:30,367 --> 00:25:32,400
and just get to work.
456
00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:34,000
Let's do this.
457
00:25:36,467 --> 00:25:39,100
I'm sure everyone on my team
thinks I'm crazy
458
00:25:39,100 --> 00:25:41,700
going to these claims
nobody else wants to go to.
459
00:25:42,867 --> 00:25:45,467
But I think the gold
that dredge was on decades ago
460
00:25:45,467 --> 00:25:48,600
is still down there,
waiting to be uncovered.
461
00:25:48,600 --> 00:25:51,867
But if it isn't,
then I've led us
to our downfall.
462
00:25:51,867 --> 00:25:53,266
Where do you want it, Andy?
463
00:25:53,266 --> 00:25:55,367
[Andy speaking]
464
00:25:55,367 --> 00:25:57,600
It's great to be
a great gold miner, you know?
465
00:25:57,600 --> 00:25:59,266
But I find with gold mining,
466
00:25:59,266 --> 00:26:02,500
luck plays
a huge part sometimes.
467
00:26:02,500 --> 00:26:04,767
So you know what?
Andy's a lucky [bleep]
468
00:26:04,767 --> 00:26:05,967
You know, he really is.
469
00:26:05,967 --> 00:26:07,400
[PJ] We'll just let Andy
do everything, then.
470
00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:09,266
[Kris] I don't know
about that,
471
00:26:09,266 --> 00:26:11,300
because he's definitely
not a hard worker.
472
00:26:12,567 --> 00:26:15,500
Come on, Andy.
Find us a good spot with gold.
473
00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:18,533
[motor whirring]
474
00:26:34,166 --> 00:26:36,400
[Kris] There we go.
Oh [bleep] me.
475
00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:38,867
-Cobbles.
-[Andy] Oh, you like that.
476
00:26:38,867 --> 00:26:40,600
[Kris] Yeah, cobble for days.
477
00:26:44,100 --> 00:26:46,767
See that yellow stuff?
That's the sponge on a rock.
478
00:26:46,767 --> 00:26:49,567
That's a good sign.
That means nobody's been here.
479
00:26:49,567 --> 00:26:51,900
Let's start bringing
our stuff over.
480
00:26:52,467 --> 00:26:53,500
[engine revving]
481
00:27:01,867 --> 00:27:03,767
[Kris] Ready to rock and roll.
482
00:27:03,767 --> 00:27:06,367
I'll go down
and punch a couple holes
483
00:27:06,367 --> 00:27:07,800
and see
what the bottom looks like.
484
00:27:07,800 --> 00:27:10,500
Yep, okay.
I expect a lot of gold.
485
00:27:12,867 --> 00:27:14,300
All right.
486
00:27:15,300 --> 00:27:18,100
-You ready? Good luck.
-Yeah.
487
00:27:35,667 --> 00:27:37,233
[Kris speaking]
488
00:27:38,567 --> 00:27:40,567
It has begun.
489
00:27:40,567 --> 00:27:41,800
[laughs]
490
00:27:48,467 --> 00:27:49,934
Idle up!
491
00:27:57,567 --> 00:27:58,834
[Kris speaking]
492
00:28:05,100 --> 00:28:06,467
So we're going to see starting
493
00:28:06,467 --> 00:28:09,400
right below our hole,
very first hole.
494
00:28:16,700 --> 00:28:18,000
[Yukon] Uh...
495
00:28:30,767 --> 00:28:34,033
No gold. It's going
to take him a little while.
496
00:28:44,900 --> 00:28:45,900
[Yukon speaking]
497
00:28:46,567 --> 00:28:47,800
Oh...
498
00:29:07,066 --> 00:29:09,467
So right now, he's not seeing
any gold at all
499
00:29:09,467 --> 00:29:12,367
because we should be seeing
residual gold
500
00:29:12,367 --> 00:29:14,433
if there's gold in the area.
501
00:29:16,300 --> 00:29:19,600
This is not the way
I hoped we'd start off.
502
00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:22,867
I made this call as a captain,
and now I'm starting to wonder
503
00:29:22,867 --> 00:29:24,967
if this was the right move.
504
00:29:24,967 --> 00:29:26,400
Did I steer us wrong?
505
00:29:27,166 --> 00:29:30,333
If you see zero gold,
that's not a good sign.
506
00:29:33,066 --> 00:29:35,400
It'll get better, hopefully.
507
00:29:50,934 --> 00:29:52,400
How is everything?
508
00:29:54,166 --> 00:29:55,867
Is everything good, Chris?
509
00:29:55,867 --> 00:29:57,300
[Chris speaking]
510
00:30:01,066 --> 00:30:02,200
[narrator] After four hours,
511
00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:05,867
last winter's Gold Count Champ
is starting off hot.
512
00:30:07,867 --> 00:30:09,433
[Chris speaking]
513
00:30:20,367 --> 00:30:21,600
[Chris grunts]
514
00:30:24,867 --> 00:30:26,066
[grunts]
515
00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:31,300
[Cam] Yeah, I'm here, Chris.
516
00:30:32,767 --> 00:30:33,900
[Chris grunts]
517
00:30:34,400 --> 00:30:35,500
[Cam] You okay?
518
00:30:36,667 --> 00:30:37,634
[Chris speaking]
519
00:30:40,367 --> 00:30:42,400
I'm done with my dive, so...
520
00:30:43,300 --> 00:30:44,500
I'm gonna come up.
521
00:30:45,600 --> 00:30:46,600
[Cam] Roger that.
522
00:30:47,567 --> 00:30:49,000
[Chris groans]
523
00:30:56,166 --> 00:30:57,667
All that I got toward the gold
524
00:30:57,667 --> 00:31:01,066
all I gotta do now
is chase it down, dude.
525
00:31:04,133 --> 00:31:05,333
I'm exhausted.
526
00:31:05,333 --> 00:31:07,500
It was a long day
for my first dive
of the winter,
527
00:31:07,500 --> 00:31:09,400
but it was all worth it.
528
00:31:09,400 --> 00:31:12,000
Thank God I made the call
to mine on this ice.
529
00:31:12,834 --> 00:31:14,400
It's holding up really good,
530
00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:16,967
and the gold underneath us
is awesome.
531
00:31:22,166 --> 00:31:25,600
This hole is the start
of our season right here.
532
00:31:26,266 --> 00:31:27,867
This is gonna pay off.
533
00:31:28,934 --> 00:31:31,433
[narrator]
While one miner's gamble
comes up big...
534
00:31:33,867 --> 00:31:35,133
...across the ice...
535
00:31:40,767 --> 00:31:42,000
[Kris] How are things?
536
00:31:43,133 --> 00:31:44,900
Are you seeing any gold
at all?
537
00:31:49,834 --> 00:31:51,033
[Yukon speaking]
538
00:31:51,033 --> 00:31:52,367
No gold.
539
00:31:52,667 --> 00:31:54,100
[bleep]
540
00:31:54,767 --> 00:31:58,300
[narrator]
...Kris's roll of the dice
might be a bust.
541
00:32:00,600 --> 00:32:02,066
[Yukon speaking]
542
00:32:10,166 --> 00:32:11,133
Come on.
543
00:32:12,367 --> 00:32:13,333
[Yukon speaking]
544
00:32:15,867 --> 00:32:17,900
[Kris] Okay, tell me
when you're on gold.
545
00:32:22,166 --> 00:32:23,900
Come on, baby, find gold.
546
00:32:29,734 --> 00:32:30,900
[Yukon speaking]
547
00:32:35,066 --> 00:32:36,233
That sucks.
548
00:32:36,233 --> 00:32:37,367
-[Andy] Yeah.
-[Yukon speaking]
549
00:32:39,667 --> 00:32:42,233
[bleep] zero gold,
not even flakes.
550
00:32:45,734 --> 00:32:47,066
[indistinct]
551
00:32:47,066 --> 00:32:49,367
[Kris] No, he's not seeing
any gold at all.
552
00:32:49,367 --> 00:32:51,934
He goes around
in a big circle,
553
00:32:51,934 --> 00:32:54,467
and then if he doesn't find
anything in that circle,
554
00:32:54,467 --> 00:32:56,834
that's like a 100-foot radius.
555
00:32:56,834 --> 00:32:59,133
So, you know, like, yeah,
like the whole host.
556
00:32:59,133 --> 00:33:03,967
So if we don't see any gold
in a 100-foot radius,
557
00:33:03,967 --> 00:33:06,000
uh, we're in trouble.
558
00:33:13,734 --> 00:33:14,700
[Yukon speaking]
559
00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:19,166
[Kris] Hey, what's up?
560
00:33:19,166 --> 00:33:20,500
[Yukon] I think this hole...
561
00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:35,567
[Kris] Okay, come on up.
562
00:33:35,567 --> 00:33:37,433
Let's, uh,
we'll start packing up.
563
00:33:38,667 --> 00:33:39,900
[Yukon] All right,
I'm coming up.
564
00:33:42,967 --> 00:33:44,600
[Kris] Yukon John
put in enough hours
565
00:33:44,600 --> 00:33:46,667
and punched
enough holes in the claim
566
00:33:46,667 --> 00:33:49,100
to know that
this claim is useless.
567
00:33:49,100 --> 00:33:51,467
There's not gonna be
anything here.
568
00:33:51,467 --> 00:33:53,367
I thought I was a genius
coming out here,
569
00:33:53,367 --> 00:33:55,533
but it's pretty clear
it's not the case.
570
00:33:56,300 --> 00:33:58,400
Uh, John was down there
prospecting,
571
00:33:58,400 --> 00:34:01,867
found zero flakes
of gold, zero.
572
00:34:01,867 --> 00:34:04,367
Problem with that, you need
a couple thousand flakes
573
00:34:04,367 --> 00:34:05,500
to make an ounce.
574
00:34:06,934 --> 00:34:08,600
Now we go to claim 23.
575
00:34:08,600 --> 00:34:11,700
It's not just our next shot,
it's our final shot.
576
00:34:12,767 --> 00:34:15,467
If we strike out there,
our season is a bust.
577
00:34:15,467 --> 00:34:16,867
We're outta here.
578
00:34:18,667 --> 00:34:21,300
And if we do fail,
it's on my shoulders.
579
00:34:21,967 --> 00:34:24,266
I'm the one leading us
down this path.
580
00:34:33,266 --> 00:34:36,400
This is definitely not the way
I want to start the season.
581
00:34:41,166 --> 00:34:44,367
[narrator] In a world
of cold and ice,
582
00:34:44,367 --> 00:34:46,734
he came from a yurt...
583
00:34:46,734 --> 00:34:49,333
[man laughing] Yeah!
584
00:34:49,333 --> 00:34:51,300
[narrator]
...on a quest for gold.
585
00:34:55,333 --> 00:34:58,700
Now, as El Nino wreaks havoc
on the mining grounds...
586
00:34:59,667 --> 00:35:02,266
The ice looks really sketchy.
587
00:35:02,266 --> 00:35:03,867
[narrator] ...hold on tight...
588
00:35:03,867 --> 00:35:06,233
Now is not the time
to take my foot off the gas.
589
00:35:06,233 --> 00:35:09,133
[narrator]
...because he is on his way.
590
00:35:10,667 --> 00:35:14,400
Zeke, coming soon
to a Bering Sea near you.
591
00:35:16,500 --> 00:35:18,200
[man laughing]
592
00:35:27,934 --> 00:35:30,000
[Chris] Let's see how much
we did in our dive?
593
00:35:30,567 --> 00:35:33,467
See if I can get
a hefty clean out.
594
00:35:33,467 --> 00:35:37,233
[narrator]
It's time for the first
gold clean outs of winter.
595
00:35:39,233 --> 00:35:41,033
There's a lot of risk,
you know,
596
00:35:41,033 --> 00:35:42,000
that I took over there,
you know.
597
00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:44,600
The ice was all
pressure ridges around it,
598
00:35:44,600 --> 00:35:46,667
and I had to get
through all that,
599
00:35:46,667 --> 00:35:52,100
risking my operation
onto that unstable ice.
600
00:35:52,100 --> 00:35:54,367
But I'm really glad
that I got on
601
00:35:54,367 --> 00:35:56,133
the really good ground
right now
602
00:35:56,133 --> 00:35:59,066
because I really need
that gold to build my crawler.
603
00:35:59,066 --> 00:36:03,166
And it looks like the risk
has been rewarded so far.
604
00:36:07,233 --> 00:36:08,800
Okay, here we go.
605
00:36:12,266 --> 00:36:13,600
See what I did in one dive.
606
00:36:15,433 --> 00:36:17,000
Four, four, four.
607
00:36:22,166 --> 00:36:24,133
What do we have?
What do we have?
608
00:36:25,266 --> 00:36:28,500
327 grams?
609
00:36:28,500 --> 00:36:30,500
What does that translate into?
610
00:36:31,767 --> 00:36:33,500
Ten and a half ounces.
611
00:36:34,767 --> 00:36:35,634
Wow.
612
00:36:37,266 --> 00:36:38,967
[narrator]
At current record prices,
613
00:36:38,967 --> 00:36:44,166
10.5 ounces of gold
is worth over $24,000,
614
00:36:44,166 --> 00:36:47,967
and Chris McCully
has started off winter
with a bang.
615
00:36:57,333 --> 00:36:59,567
All day long, I can take
10 ounce clean outs.
616
00:36:59,567 --> 00:37:01,333
Just like that, all day long,
you know?
617
00:37:01,333 --> 00:37:03,166
Just like that,
it paid my bills.
618
00:37:03,166 --> 00:37:06,367
That means, all the risk
in this challenge
that I had taken
619
00:37:06,367 --> 00:37:09,166
is now paying off,
so I'm happy.
620
00:37:09,166 --> 00:37:11,734
And all I gotta do
is go out and get it.
621
00:37:13,433 --> 00:37:15,467
Job well done, Chris.
Job well done. [claps]
622
00:37:15,467 --> 00:37:17,266
Job well done.
623
00:37:17,266 --> 00:37:19,734
[narrator] While the young gun
banks his first big haul
624
00:37:19,734 --> 00:37:22,700
of winter, down the road...
625
00:37:25,066 --> 00:37:27,767
By the time
I get to springtime,
626
00:37:27,767 --> 00:37:32,567
I'm going to have 1.2,
1.3 million into this
inland mine,
627
00:37:32,567 --> 00:37:37,000
but the ice is all screwed up
down towards Tomcod.
628
00:37:37,000 --> 00:37:41,233
[narrator] The king of Nome
is still desperate for a place
to mine.
629
00:37:41,233 --> 00:37:42,667
[Shawn] The rumor has it
that there's
630
00:37:42,667 --> 00:37:45,467
pretty good ice conditions
on Vern's claim.
631
00:37:46,667 --> 00:37:50,300
I'll go mine Vern's gold off
of his claim if he lets me.
632
00:37:51,100 --> 00:37:53,166
I've never been
in this position before.
633
00:37:53,166 --> 00:37:56,667
Usually I'm the guy
everybody comes to for help.
634
00:37:56,667 --> 00:37:59,100
If I'm going to make this
inland mine work this winter,
635
00:37:59,100 --> 00:38:01,500
I'm going to have to make
a deal with another miner.
636
00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:03,967
And that miner is Vern.
637
00:38:03,967 --> 00:38:08,367
Vern has 56, which supposedly
has pretty good gold on it.
638
00:38:10,100 --> 00:38:11,767
Hopefully I can make
something work.
639
00:38:11,767 --> 00:38:14,600
Otherwise, my inland mine
might stall out.
640
00:38:16,133 --> 00:38:17,066
[Vernon] Hey.
641
00:38:17,066 --> 00:38:18,567
-[Shawn] How's it going, Vern?
-Hey, Shawn.
642
00:38:18,567 --> 00:38:20,133
-The golden one.
-Ah.
643
00:38:20,133 --> 00:38:22,166
How you doing?
644
00:38:22,166 --> 00:38:24,467
[Shawn] Looking for
a little ground offshore.
645
00:38:26,266 --> 00:38:29,300
The ice is kind of messed up
down at the Tomcod.
646
00:38:30,767 --> 00:38:34,166
[Vernon] Wow. To see Mr. Gold
looking for a place to mine,
647
00:38:34,166 --> 00:38:37,567
that just shows how bad the
ice is out here this winter.
648
00:38:37,567 --> 00:38:42,000
And how lucky I am to be
sitting where I'm sitting.
649
00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:45,000
It's weird this year.
Blame it on El Nino.
650
00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:47,367
It's almost impossible to get
through that jumbled ice
651
00:38:47,367 --> 00:38:48,500
with a snow machine.
652
00:38:48,500 --> 00:38:50,967
And to get your gear
through it, um,
653
00:38:50,967 --> 00:38:52,967
pulling your shack, whatnot.
654
00:38:52,967 --> 00:38:56,967
Uh, It's jagged.
It's like [bleep]
655
00:38:56,967 --> 00:38:58,967
ice teeth sticking up there.
656
00:38:58,967 --> 00:39:04,000
But towards
the eastern end of 56,
657
00:39:04,000 --> 00:39:07,567
there's a lot of flat areas
that go all the way from,
658
00:39:07,567 --> 00:39:09,066
you know, from the wreck area
659
00:39:09,066 --> 00:39:11,066
all the way
to the southern border.
660
00:39:11,066 --> 00:39:12,834
-So that's 56?
-Yeah.
661
00:39:12,834 --> 00:39:15,066
What kind of percentage
are you looking for?
662
00:39:17,767 --> 00:39:20,100
[Vernon] This is something
I wasn't planning on.
663
00:39:20,100 --> 00:39:22,967
I've got a huge goal
for myself this year.
664
00:39:22,967 --> 00:39:24,734
And if I can get
Shawn out here working
665
00:39:24,734 --> 00:39:26,734
and paying me royalties,
666
00:39:26,734 --> 00:39:28,300
so much the better.
667
00:39:29,133 --> 00:39:30,200
But I don't want to be greedy.
668
00:39:30,200 --> 00:39:33,200
I've got to make a deal
that's fair to both of us.
669
00:39:36,934 --> 00:39:38,800
So how about this.
670
00:39:41,166 --> 00:39:43,667
You go out there
and get set up,
671
00:39:43,667 --> 00:39:46,166
and then from
the day you start,
672
00:39:47,567 --> 00:39:50,133
I'll give you two weeks,
no royalties,
673
00:39:50,133 --> 00:39:52,266
and then after that
15 percent.
674
00:39:54,467 --> 00:39:57,066
First man in the water,
that's when the clock starts.
675
00:39:58,567 --> 00:40:00,166
[Shawn] Sounds like a deal,
that's fair.
676
00:40:00,166 --> 00:40:01,900
Always a pleasure, man.
677
00:40:03,333 --> 00:40:06,266
It was starting to look
like I wasn't going to have
a place to mine.
678
00:40:06,266 --> 00:40:08,367
But now I'm back in business.
679
00:40:08,367 --> 00:40:11,467
The number one goal
is to crush it over
the next two weeks
680
00:40:11,467 --> 00:40:14,467
while there's no royalties
to be paid.
681
00:40:14,467 --> 00:40:16,600
Hopefully, Vernon's not just
blowing smoke
682
00:40:16,600 --> 00:40:18,567
about all the gold on 56.
683
00:40:18,567 --> 00:40:20,734
I need every ounce I can get.
684
00:40:20,734 --> 00:40:22,834
Well, good luck up there
on that inland thing,
685
00:40:22,834 --> 00:40:25,767
-and good luck out there
on the ice.
-Yeah.
686
00:40:25,767 --> 00:40:28,467
It's always good to have
the big dog in your corner.
687
00:40:28,467 --> 00:40:30,266
[Shawn laughs]
688
00:40:33,367 --> 00:40:35,667
[narrator] Chris McCulley
strikes first in his bid
689
00:40:35,667 --> 00:40:38,634
to repeat as winter's
top gold miner.
690
00:40:39,734 --> 00:40:42,767
Next time on
Bering Sea Gold...
691
00:40:42,767 --> 00:40:45,000
[Zeke] The price of gold's
at an all-time high.
692
00:40:45,000 --> 00:40:47,467
This is my shot
to have prosperity.
693
00:40:47,467 --> 00:40:50,367
Now is not the time to take
my foot off the gas.
694
00:40:51,467 --> 00:40:53,200
If there's gold, I'll find it.
695
00:40:54,600 --> 00:40:56,867
[Kris] Let's get this going.
696
00:40:56,867 --> 00:40:59,000
Right now it's time
to get in water.
697
00:41:03,233 --> 00:41:04,967
Yeah, there's some gold
down there.
698
00:41:04,967 --> 00:41:06,967
[man] The gold's good
down here.
699
00:41:06,967 --> 00:41:08,467
Who put the flux
straight in there?
700
00:41:08,467 --> 00:41:09,867
I didn't use the flux.
701
00:41:09,867 --> 00:41:11,467
Then who's the idiot...
702
00:41:11,467 --> 00:41:12,567
There's gold.
703
00:41:12,567 --> 00:41:14,100
We're on the trail.
704
00:41:14,100 --> 00:41:16,100
[Kris]
Nothing's gonna stop us.
705
00:41:16,767 --> 00:41:17,834
[bleep]