Parker Schnabel’s season has been anything but smooth, and this week was no exception. His Dominion Creek operation has been struggling, forcing him to lower his season goal from 10,000 ounces to 8,000 ounces. But with two out of three wash plants running, even that revised target is proving to be a challenge.
The Sulphur Creek wash plant ran out of stockpiled pay dirt, leaving Parker completely reliant on Dominion Creek and the Long Cut. His crew worked hard to keep production going. Then, disaster hit. A rock truck, driven by newcomer James Kurtz, shut down. Flashing error codes appeared.
The damage? A broken drive shaft, destroyed brake lines, and wrecked hydraulic hoses.
Mechanic Taylor Matejka jumped into action, and miraculously, the truck was repaired in just six hours. However, the damage had already been done.
At the weekly weigh-in, Big Red brought in just 100.08 ounces, while Roxanne at the Long Cut delivered 206.08 ounces-nearly 100 ounces less than last week.
This marked Parker’s worst weigh-in in seven weeks-right when production should be peaking. With time running out, can Parker turn things around before it’s too late?
Gold Rush: Tony Beets’ Operation in Crisis: Trucks Tipping, Dirty Water, and Racing Against the Clock
Tony Beets began the season well. However, momentum has dropped since he went from three wash plants to just one. With frozen ground delaying work at Indian River, all eyes were on Tony’s son Mike to keep things running at Paradise Hill.
But problems piled up fast.
The Trommel was discharging dirty water, filling the setting pond. If the muddy water spilled into a nearby creek, environmental authorities could shut them down. The crew had no choice but to stop sluicing while they scrambled to raise the dike.
Disaster struck when crew member Curtis Koch tipped a truck over a 15-foot drop, making an already dire situation even worse.
Mike called in Tony for backup, and together, they managed to separate the trailer and get the truck upright. After two days of delays, work finally resumed.
The Beets crew pulled in 143.58 ounces of gold-worth about $350,000-bringing their season total to 3,800 ounces. But with a 5,000-ounce goal, time is running out.
One wrong move, and this rescue could go from bad to worse… 😨🚛 #GoldRush pic.twitter.com/dlnEE9LIg6
— Gold Rush (@Gold_Rush) March 1, 2025
Gold Rush: Kevin Beets’ Gamble Pays Off, But His Finances Are in Trouble
Kevin Beets has been facing major first-year mine boss struggles. With $2 million of his own money invested, he needs a big season to stay afloat.
His crew worked hard to strip the overburden and get down to pay dirt at Scribner Creek’s Links Cut Extension. But a massive water problem threatened to shut everything down when a truck got stuck in the muddy cut.
The real issue? Kevin didn’t have a spare water pump. He had already borrowed one from his dad Tony-and he was out of cash to buy another.
The frustration boiled over when foreman Brennan Ruault disappeared without a word. But he came back with an $11,000 pump he bought himself, allowing the crew to continue working.
At the weigh-in, Kevin doubled his season total with a 156.60-ounce haul worth $390,000. With 312 ounces in the bank, Kevin is finally on the right track-but can he keep up the momentum?
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