Rick Ness Battles Floods to Save Rally Valley Gold, Rick Ness’ Crew Is In DANGER Due To A Collapsing Wall! | Gold Rush
Rick Ness Battles Floods and Rockslides to Save Rally Valley Gold
A Season on the Brink
For Rick Ness, gold mining has never been simple. Every year brings new challenges—whether it’s equipment failures, brutal weather, or the sheer unpredictability of Yukon ground. But at his Duncan Creek claim this season, Rick faced one of the most dangerous situations of his career: a massive flood threatening to destroy Rally Valley, his richest pay cut yet.
The target was ambitious: 1,500 ounces of gold, worth millions of dollars. To achieve it, every bucket of pay dirt mattered. But as Rick’s crew pushed deeper into Rally Valley, the ground itself began fighting back.
The Wall Gives Way
One afternoon, while the crew was hauling pay dirt out of a corner of the cut, the unexpected happened. Water began seeping rapidly into the pit wall. What started as a trickle turned into a surge.
“Rick, you got a copy, man?” a crew member radioed in urgently.
“Yeah, go for Rick.”
“The wall’s starting to slough in. Water’s pouring in everywhere.”
Rick rushed to the scene. The sight was alarming. Water wasn’t just trickling; it was flooding fast. If it continued unchecked, the entire Rally Valley cut would be lost—along with the millions of dollars in gold-rich pay dirt buried beneath it.
The only option was to act immediately. Rick ordered Monster Red, his massive wash plant, to shut down. With the sluice water backing up and feeding directly into the cut, the team needed to move quickly before the damage became irreversible.
The Pump Lifeline
Rick devised a risky but necessary plan. The crew would move their only working pump—an eight-inch beast capable of draining 3,000 gallons per minute—down into Rally Valley. It was no easy task. The pump weighed tons, and the only access was through steep, unstable ground.
“Watch your heads,” one of the crew warned as the massive suction line swung into place. The stress was immense. If the line snapped or the pump failed, the cut would be finished.
But they succeeded. Once running, the pump began draining thousands of gallons an hour. Within 24 hours, Rally Valley was no longer underwater. The crisis wasn’t over, but Rick had bought his crew valuable time.
Racing Against the Flood
With water temporarily under control, Rick’s crew turned their focus to extracting the rest of the pay dirt as quickly as possible. Every bucket had to be hauled out and stockpiled before the pit collapsed again.
“It’s probably one of the hardest cuts I’ve ever done,” Rick admitted. “It just keeps throwing curveballs at us. Every day it gets a little more unsafe.”
Despite being a small crew, Rick’s miners gave everything they had. Long shifts, heavy equipment, and constant stress took their toll. But slowly, steadily, they hauled the remaining dirt down to bedrock. Finally, the radio crackled with the news Rick had been waiting for.
“That’s the final load, man. We’re right down to bedrock. Rally Valley is done.”
After four years of work, countless setbacks, and more than one close call, Rally Valley was officially finished.
The Monster Red Clean-Up
With Rally Valley pay dirt stockpiled, Monster Red roared back to life. The plant, one of the largest wash plants in the Klondike, began sluicing the pay that Rick and his crew had fought so hard to save.
The clean-up was nerve-wracking. Everyone gathered around the table, anxious to see if the risk had been worth it. The scales tipped steadily upward:
- First jar: 100 ounces.
- Second jar: 81.87 ounces.
In total, 181.87 ounces of gold—worth an incredible $454,000—glittered in front of them.
For a crew that had nearly watched Rally Valley wash away, the result was staggering. And for Rick, it was proof that his gamble had paid off.
Rally Valley’s Legacy
The Rally Valley chapter was closed, but its legacy was unforgettable. Not only had it been Rick’s richest pay dirt, it had also been his most dangerous cut. Rockslides, water inflows, and constant instability pushed the crew to their limits.
“It’s a hell of an accomplishment,” Rick reflected. “We started that whole thing four years ago. It’s nice to finish it, but I hate to see that dirt go. Luckily, we’ve still got gold on the pad and more ground to run.”
Record Gold in Sight
Despite the setbacks, Rick’s season is off to a record start. With nearly 500 ounces recovered in just two clean-ups, his crew has already mined one-third of their 1,500-ounce target. If Monster Red continues to run smoothly, the season could become Rick’s most successful yet.
For now, the crew is optimistic. “We got out of Rally Valley unscathed,” one miner said. “We’re sad it’s over, but excited to find the next spot. There’s more ground like this out there—we just have to go get it.”
The Bigger Picture
What Rally Valley proved once again is that Yukon gold mining is never just about machines or dirt. It’s about survival. Every setback—a flood, a breakdown, or a landslide—can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Every day is a race against time, weather, and the unpredictable ground beneath their feet.
For Rick Ness, Rally Valley was both a triumph and a reminder. Triumph, because he and his crew turned disaster into profit. Reminder, because in the Yukon, fortunes can change in a single day.
The story of Rally Valley is one of grit, danger, and determination. It’s the kind of story that keeps viewers coming back to Gold Rush—and keeps miners like Rick Ness digging, no matter how high the odds are stacked against them.
