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]