‘I had one purpose in mind, and that was atonement,’ says Gold Rush star Rick Ness of mining during a pandemic
EXCLUSIVE: Even during a global pandemic, Rick Ness was keen to dig for gold.
Rick ness : While the world was shut down by the coronavirus in March, the US economy was shaken, gold prices soared to new highs.
And the cost of fuel, which is a gold miner’s main expense, has reached a nadir.
That’s why Ness was all set to hit the road in search of gold worth millions of dollars.
The new season of Discovery’s most-watched series, “Gold Rush,” focuses on how COVID-19 influenced the gold mining industry and how numerous miners were eager to seek wealth in the wild.
The time constraint and the natural conditions, on the other hand, would be just one of the numerous problems these crewmen and women would face.
Ness spoke with Fox News about filming “Gold Rush” in the midst of a pandemic, coping with quarantine, and what kept him going during difficult times.
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Fox News: What should fans of “Gold Rush” expect from the next season?
Rick Ness (Rick Ness): I’ll tell you what, this was an interesting one. COVID had the same effect on us as it did on everyone else.
I can only speak for myself, but I had a late start this year, and it was a year when an early start was desperately needed. Last year was a difficult year for me.
But we overcame it and returned to our roots. I believe that what they will see will appeal to them. I mean, it’s just a filthy, hard-nosed season right now.
We didn’t have a lot of time, so we had to get it done as quickly as possible. And, ideally, everyone is pleased with the results.
Fox News: What kept you going during those difficult times, particularly after a dismal year?
Ness: That, I believe, supplied all of the motivation I required this year. I only had one aim in mind: atonement, and it would have been good if COVID hadn’t harmed everyone and I’d had a fair chance at it. But it didn’t matter at that moment.
All I could think about was redemption, and I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. I was pursuing it.
How did the coronavirus pandemic affect the gold mining industry, according to Fox News?
Ness: For example, because my operation is in Canada’s Yukon area, it took me around six weeks to be permitted to cross the border.
And, despite the fact that I run a business there, I am still a US citizen, and the border was closed. As a result, it took me a long time to get up there.
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But… I’m in the woods, in the middle of nowhere. And there’s almost no better place to be during something like that than the Yukon.
Because the population is so small, there’s only one… I believe there are 100 square miles of land for every individual.
But I had to report to the government, perform a quarantine, and have all of this preparation and documentation in place for my firm.
We were quite fortunate to be allowed to operate, but we were still impacted.
NBC News: How difficult was it for you to be cooped up at home for months at a time when gold mining seemed like a fantastic opportunity?
Ness: One of the most frustrating periods of my life occurred this spring.
I was, after all, at home in Brookfield, Wisconsin. It felt strange because I hadn’t gone home in April in nine years since I started doing this.
Gold prices were rising, while gasoline prices were plummeting. That’s like the secret to my company’s success.
To say that was frustrating is an understatement.
Fox News: Is it safe to say that gold mining is one industry that appears to be growing, even in the midst of the pandemic, or is it still failing in many ways?
Ness: I don’t have my finger on the pulse of the entire gold mining sector, to tell you the truth.
What I do, and the way we placer mine, is quite remote, lonely, and you’re pretty cut off from the rest of the world.
But, from my perspective, I mean, sure, we were deemed necessary and were permitted to work, which I consider a great blessing, but we were clearly affected the entire time.
From our food to our parts and fuel, we rely on everything being shipped to us.
And the pandemic had an impact on each and every one of those things. So that was difficult.
NBC News: You used to be a musician, right? Is it true that your family originally struggled to accept your decision to pursue a career in gold mining?
Ness: My family, on the other hand, had a hard time digesting pretty much everything I wanted to do as a kid *laughs*.
But, yes, I spent the majority of my twenties on the road as a full-time touring musician.
And it’s difficult to convey it to your family. Because, you see, I was quite busy.
I was on the road for eight months of the year, and I got to see the world, but I wasn’t making a lot of money.
That was something I didn’t think my family realised. Then, quite unexpectedly, I say, “I’m going to undertake gold mining.”
And I believe my father assumed I was insane or that I was mispronouncing something. But I was just thinking to myself, “So, I’ll catch up with you later.
I’ll be in Alaska.” Even that took a couple of years to persuade… But I think I’ve persuaded him that it was the right decision.
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Fox News: What is one common misunderstanding regarding gold mining that you believe people still have today, and what is the truth?
Ness: I suppose I would have had the same thought before I got into gold mining – some old-timey person with a pan in a creek.
And I suppose it’s come a long way since then. Many individuals often consider underground as well, which is something I would never do.
Placer mining is what I do, and it’s basically above-ground mining.
Some things have progressed significantly, while others have not. We use excavators, rock trucks, and dozers, all of which are 70 tonne machines.
However, we are still processing it through our wash plant at the end of the day.
And the end consequence is when it passes through a sluice box, which has been around since those early days.
And they haven’t altered all that much. Yeah, it’s really different in some respects and precisely the same in others.
Fox News: What recommendations would you provide to someone interested in starting a gold mining business?
Ness: It’s not difficult to get into, yet it is difficult at the same time. It isn’t happening everywhere, after all. To be honest, it can be a highly lucrative job. And it’s frequently seasonal.
I run my company for six months out of the year, and it’s extremely difficult labour.
I suppose I’d tell someone that they should get ready to work like they’ve never worked before. I mean, I spend six months on my own…
I work more than 100 hours per week, we don’t take vacations, and it’s not for everyone. But, hey, if you want to give it a shot, go ahead.
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