Ken suffers from mechanical difficulties. Bernie struggles with a rookie crew and Big Al has a great start.
On Sulphur Creek, young crew boss Karl has no sluice machine, and no sluice means no gold. Karl's father Marty, a highly respected self-made miner, builds a new one from scratch. While Karl waits, he struggles to keep his crew on task – and live up to his father's high expectations. Big Al tests new strategies – and new equipment – on a fresh claim. If only he could keep his machines running.
Karl must deal with mistakes his crew make and design flaws on the massive sluice his dad Marty built. Bernie packs it in at McDame and moves his operation, hoping his fortune is about to change.
With the weeks passing quickly, Ken and Guillaume's dreams of striking it big are starting to fade as they face continual equipment breakdowns and a crew member who goes AWOL. Bernie's decision to move to Snow Creek seems to be paying off, if only he can get his sons to step up and meet his expectations. Al McGregor's pay streak is threatened when he breaks a hitch trying to move his sluice.
While Guillaume Brodeur deals with moving their giant sluice, The Beast, Ken Foy must contend with a bigger challenge – a visit from his wife. Karl Knutson is shocked to learn just how quickly the season is passing, and with one water issue after another, his opportunity for a big payday is dwindling just as fast. A faulty clutch on Al McGregor’s sluice results in a shutdown; it’s a race to get it fixed and get back to work, even if it means working around the clock.
Ken and Guillaume try to reverse their bad luck by moving across Moose Creek. Bernie has to deal with mistakes made by his junior crew. And Karl’s night crew is starting to slow him down.
Cold weather threatens the miners' operations; Ken contemplates laying off half his crew; Karl's workers hunt moose after their sluice box ices over; Big Al battles beavers.
Ken uncovers a mother lode of gold after he changes the Beast's location; breakdowns threaten to bring an early end to Bernie's season; Big Al selects a final site for his sluice plant.
Ken uncovers a mother lode of gold after he changes the Beast's location; breakdowns threaten to bring an early end to Bernie's season; Big Al selects a final site for his sluice plant.
Snow threatens to bury Ken's pay dirt; Karl ignores his father's advice; Big Al deals with failing equipment and unhappy workers as his first season comes to an end.
It’s the start of the Yukon gold mining season. A late spring and plummeting gold prices push miners to battle frozen ground and sluice harder than ever. Karl races to get 100 ounces in the first week, defying dad Marty, in a bid to prove he’s ready to take over the family mine and stake his own claim. Ken’s redline operation is jeopardized when junior miner Matt destroys key gear, forcing the boss to decide if the eager but careless hand is worth the cost. Big Al’s gamble to strip muddy ground to keep sluicing is a bust when he has to replace big iron without a big payday.
Two weeks into the mining season, miners are taking big risks for a shot at big gold. Ken discovers ultra fine gold stashed deep in the ground at Moose Creek and sinks tens of thousands of dollars into digging it out. New miner Cam bets on an old-timer streak at his mine on 10 Mile Creek. Just as it starts to pay big, a forest fire threatens to destroy the moneymaker mine and his family’s livelihood. Karl’s gamble on the dredge edge is iced when veteran operator Darwin no shows, forcing Karl to take on dangerous ground alone and decide if Darwin’s lifelong partying is more trouble than his experience is worth.
It’s still early in mining season, but miners are ripping through hard ground to bring in the gold. Ken’s push to move enough dirt to pay his crew by end of month is sidelined when miners he owes money to come knocking, seizing one of his sluice plants. Big Al smells gold in the ground, but has to move his massive sluice to test his theory. But when prized excavator Big Girl goes down for the count, Big Al is shut out of the new cut until parts arrive. Cam’s brother-in-law and business partner, Dennis, destroys a key piece of gear trying to crack bedrock and get at a rich seam of gold underneath. Dennis has to find a way to scrape $10,000 out of hostile ground to replace the part or face permanent shutdown.
Crews are facing life or death in the hunt for gold. Ken fights a double mutiny on Moose Creek when his moneymaker plant and experienced hand Riley both go rogue. The cost of gold hits a deadly high for Cam when veteran welder Gary is struck down on the mine and airlifted to hospital. A bear attacks Karl’s camp, forcing his crew to shut down sluicing and gun for their lives.
Halfway through the season, stakes are running high. Karl discovers permafrost on the cut late in the game, putting his reputation and his relationship with father Marty on the line. Ken’s dogged commitment to Moose Creek puts his marriage in jeopardy when wife Kina visits the mine and discovers Ken’s on the verge of going broke. Big Al’s push to sluice 24/7 takes a dangerous turn when his excavator Little Scratch takes a nosedive with mine hand Eric in the hot seat.
Fall will soon descend on the Yukon, and the miners are pushing for gold before the weather turns. Ken puts his moneymaker plant, the Beast, on the line to mine rocky ground he’s convinced is rich in gold. But big rocks are hard on equipment, and breakdowns are not an option. Bad ground forces Dennis to choose between the drive to mine and his loyalty to brother-in-law and business partner Cam. Karl’s push to mine with a prime new piece of gear is benched when his cut floods, putting his season in jeopardy.
Fall has arrived, and the miners battle Mother Nature and put big iron on the line in the hunt for gold. Ken’s race to move to virgin ground hits hard when he rolls his only dozer and pushes the Beast to its breaking point. Karl and right hand man Kyle face off against Sulphur Creek’s only loader in a bid to keep sluicing, only to have it go down for the count. Big Al’s prize excavator takes on a battle against nature when beavers threaten to shut his mining operation down.
Crews are racing to rip through ground as winter descends. Ken and right hand man Guillaume fight to keep the Beast sluicing through subzero temperatures only to discover the dirt they’ve banked on has run dry. Cam’s plans to mine an ancient waterfall go sideways when the treacherous ground threatens to bench his iron for good. Karl and right hand man Kyle’s mechanical skills are put to the test when the season takes its toll on Sulphur Creek’s operation.
The short Yukon gold mining season is almost over, and crews are battling the elements in a mad push for gold. Ken is forced to call in reinforcements when winter hits Moose Creek hard. Cam hits an impenetrable ice wall that freezes him out of his cut and moves to risky new ground only to have crucial iron go down. Big Al’s plans to rip through promising dirt are sidelined when his only stripping dozer suffers a catastrophic breakdown that puts right hand man Hiro’s mechanical skills to the ultimate test.
The miners battle nature’s wrath in an epic final push for gold. Ken’s bid to pull 100 ounces out of hot ground goes sideways when the mine runs out of fuel, forcing him to shut down sluicing and fight his way up Moose Creek’s treacherous road in a desperate bid to get to a fuel station at the top. Karl’s race to mine Sulphur Creek out so he can stake his own claim is benched when one of his crew deals his prize sluice plant a near fatal blow. Big Al follows his gut to high stakes ground only to be shut out when his only stripping dozer goes down for the count.
Ken and Guillaume travel over a dangerous mountain pass; Cam worries about getting Gary into the country; Nina and Chris have a difficult start to their season.
Cam takes a risk on a pricey water cannon; a piece breaks on Karl's sluice plant; Ken and Guillaume test for gold.
Cam and his crew hurry to begin sluicing Donovan cut; Karl motivates his crew; Chris and Nika face a sluice plant breakdown.
Stressed, Chris and Nika butt heads; Cam faces machine failures and contaminated fuel; Ken and Guillaume find traces of gold.
Frozen ground might put Cam's season on ice; Ken and Guillaume shut down their operation; Karl has his mid-season gold weighed.
Chris and Nika face financial hardship; Cam's son-in-law is determined to find gold; Ken and Guillaume make a deal with a mining veteran.
Karl digs deep into a new cut and comes up empty. Cam’s goal may be out of reach. Nika and Chris discover shocking news about their cut.
Chris and Nika's mine hand Charles gets injured, leaving them short-handed; Cam gives Donovan Cut one final try to save his season; Ken and Guillaume up their recovery system in hopes of catching finer gold.
Ken and Guillaume face a dangerous situation; Karl begins sluicing the drained swamp at Last Chance; Cam weighs in for his final sale.
Nika and Chris push through the final week of the season; low temperatures freeze Karl's sluicing plant; Ken and Guillaume try to make up for their disappointing season.
Now in a wheelchair, Big Al returns to gold mining; Bernie clashes with his son; Karl finds gold right away; Chris reunites with his partner and their kids.
Karl uses old maps to find new gold at Last Chance and Nika & Chris get their first gold of the season, but Bernie struggles to get started, and red tape stops work on Ken & Guillaume’s new site in Atlin, BC.
Big Al has a bad gold haul so he opens a new pit while a rookie miner gets Chris’ dozer stuck in the mud. Karl struggles to find gold after heavy rain messes up his operation, and Bernie pushes his plant to the limit.
Nika & Chris fight breakdowns & water problems; Ken’s pregnant wife Kina pressures him to be home for their child’s birth; Karl hunts for a new gold hot spot while Bernie’s perfectionism backfires as son Jarret goes AWOL.
Big Al’s gamble on a new pit pays off; Bernie almost loses another crew member after he argues with son Justin; Ken & Guillaume race to sluice before Ken leaves for the birth of his 1st child. And Karl’s team tries to sluice 200 oz. of gold in a week.
Nika & Chris struggle with a repair they can’t afford; Guillaume hits rocky ground while Ken is home for his son’s birth; Karl turns to family for help when his team is overloaded, and Bernie’s surprised by a returning mine hand.
Chris' stress level soars after breakdowns shut his mine; Big Al stops to mark the anniversary of his wife's death; Ken & Guillaume try to save their season; Bernie & wife Shari lead their boys to a big pay day.
Chris sluices 24/7 but Nika’s kid brother gets in the way; Big Al is shut down again; Ken & Guillaume’s plan to run two sluice plants turns into a double disaster. And Karl & crew hit hot gold, then go to a Yukon golf tournament.
Big Al makes a last ditch effort to keep sluicing; Bernie learns old timers may have taken more gold than he thought; Karl brings in help to try and hit his 1000 oz. goal; Chris & Nika check their gold haul with one of their investors, Chris’ Dad.
Big Al puts his health on the line to break even; Nika’s brother surprises Chris with a sudden decision; Ken & Guillaume dig deep for one final pay day; and Karl fights water & time as he tries to top his 1,000 oz. goal.
Nika’s brother quits, leaving her and Chris in the lurch at the end of the season. Ken and Guillaume dig deep in the Atlin ground and get one final big pay day. Karl fights water and time to surpass his 1,000 oz. goal. Big Al puts his health on the line to break even.
A new season starts with a bang for Chris & Nika, but Big Al has devastating setback and two new camps fight weather & bad mountain roads.
Big Al’s health takes a hit, Chris struggles with a rookie mine hand while PJ & Andy battle floods and breakdowns.
Hiro’s Curse returns for Big Al; unstable ground shuts down Chris and Nika.
Chris risks his season on a new cut; Andy tries to manage the mine alone while Ed and Riley go hunting.
Desperate, Big Al pushes Hiro to his limit; Chris looks to salvage his season; PJ and Andy's camp experiences a mini-revolt.
Big Al’s plans are thwarted by no-show staff; P.J.’s wife has concerns regarding mining and their family; Ed and Riley run out of fuel.
P.J. and Andy’s investor gives them an ultimatum; Chris discovers something that could lead to a big payout; Ed and Riley’s season may end early.
Al faces breakdowns that threaten his profit; desperate, PJ and Andy start a night shift; Ed and Riley make a final effort to prove themselves.
