'Gold Rush' star Parker Schnabel's pivotal decision could lead to financial ruin
'Gold Rush' star Rick Ness is not the only one whose mining operations have been paused. Parker Schnabel has also faced a series of troubles putting sluicing at a halt. His Dominion Creek claim has been draining him financially with a series of uncertain setbacks. He had high expectations of 10,000 ounces from his claim but he has managed to bag only 387 ounces of gold in five weeks.
The cold weather notably froze the group which made it tough for Parker and his crew to start the sluicing process. Additionally, the frozen ground broke the support braces of the dozer and weakened its blade's sharpness. Meanwhile, Roxanne's wash plant was also not helping as its concrete-like ground shredded the bucket's cutting edge.
The cold weather had put Parker at a severe loss with his both wash plants shutting down. He was left devastated as the situation was totally out of his control and would remain the same for quite some time. He took the hardest step and stopped sluicing entirely for at least three weeks. He now needs to figure out a way to keep stripping the operations when they were not sluicing.
'Gold Rush' star Parker Schnabel's goals dwindle away
'Gold Rush' star Parker Schnabel's goal of 10,000 ounces seemed to dwindle away with each week digging less gold. He was expecting 200 ounces in week 5 but only got 152.3 ounces, equivalent to $380,000. Additionally, his march towards a $25 million season has been stopped cold.
Although shutting down wash plants until warmer weather thaws the long cut's pay dirt would put him away from his goal, but it was a necessary step to avoid falling into debt. He has recently admitted that he didn't like his decision to stop the plant when they just got started but it was not the most efficient time to be sluicing.
'Gold Rush' star Parker Schnabel rents sonic drill
'Gold Rush' Season 15 is one of the toughest ones for every gold miner, including, Parker Schnabel. He has been facing roadblocks at every step which has cost him millions so far. In the previous episode, Parker had to determine the exact depth of the pay layer so he rented a sonic drill for $20,000 per day.
The crew discovered through the drill that the pay layer was approximately 15 feet above bedrock. However, it was great for slicing but they faced another trouble while removing the waste through a super conveyor. The excavator damaged the hopper and the mechanical failures disrupted the whole operation.
'Gold Rush' Season 15 airs on Fridays at 8 pm ET on Discovery Channel. Stream the adventurous episode the next day on Discovery Plus.