Gold Rush's Rick Ness Explains The Seasonal Nature Of Mining

Just because mining season ends for the cast of "Gold Rush" doesn't mean that their work is done for the year. There's still work to be done in the off-season, and that was the premise for the "Gold Rush" spin-off, "Gold Rush: Winter's Fortune," as it followed some of the same mine bosses from "Gold Rush" as they prepare during the winter off-season. While the spin-off never seemed to have gotten an official cancelation announcement, it also hasn't officially been renewed for a second season, either, opening up the possibility to return to the spin-off in the future. Fans seemed unimpressed by the premiere, which was ranked as the worst episode of "Winter's Fortune" on IMDB. Perhaps watching miners prepare in the off-season isn't as entertaining as the original series.

In an interview with Idaho Press, mine boss Rick Ness talked a little bit about "Winter's Fortune," and he explained that it was also the only time of the year he really had the free time to have fun with his crew. "I think that a lot of people would be interested to see that 'cause we, as I said, do let our hair down and blow off steam in pretty good ways." One such example was the UTV races which were featured in the first episode of the series.

So what exactly does the winter season entail for the miners? Well, Ness explained that a little, and apparently the crew has to do a lot of traveling to get ready for the new season.

In an interview with Hollywood Soapbox, Rick Ness was asked about what the difference is between mining summer and winter working in his industry, and Ness explained that a lot of logistics is involved in the winter months. One thing that Ness needs to prepare for in the winter is the actual shipping of the gold he mines. But he also mentioned that the winter months involve more traveling, as the crew travels from Wisconsin to Colorado to Nevada and beyond. In the previously mentioned interview with Idaho Press, Ness joked, "It's just a big long road trip where I trick them into thinking that it's just all fun and games, but we get a lot of work done, too." Ness didn't mention in either interview what exactly they do on this big road trip.

In the Idaho Press interview, Ness also talked about how the spin-off followed him in the first year when he was able to return to mine the same ground he had been on in the previous season, something that Ness said made it easier for him to plan for the new season because he doesn't need to focus on moving base camp during the winter. If it weren't for that, Ness and his crew might have had a lot less fun in their off-season.