King Miner from Con crowned during N.W.T.’s Mining Week

A stope miner at the Con mine of Nerco Minerals in the Northwest Territories, Trevor Martin, won four of 16 events to take the overall title at the recent King Miner contest.

The event was part of the N.W.T. Chamber of Mines’ Mining Week activities.

The King Miner competition marked the first time miners from across the Territories were invited to try their hand. In past years, it was restricted to Con employees only.

“We try to model it after the national event in Thompson,” event organizer Russ Davis, a Con safety officer, said.

“It’s a fair representation of what these guys do on their jobs. The hand mucking and timbering contests are a bit of a throwback to traditional methods, but the ladder event and the drilling events are very accurate.”

This year’s competition was held in the Yellowknife Community Arena parking lot. Hundreds of spectators turned out to watch 17 miners from the Lupin mine of Echo Bay (TSE), the Giant mine of Giant Yellowknife (TSE) and the Ptarmigan mine of Treminco Resources (TSE) drill, build cribs, haul steel and muck by hand.

The Jackleg drilling event turned out to be the toughest.

“The face was slanting backwards and the rock was very smooth. It was difficult to get the drill bit to bite. They would chip the rock instead,” said Martin. “It was a good test of your drilling ability.”

Martin’s best event was steel packing, where sections of 4-, 6-, 8- and 10-ft. drill steel have to be hauled over an 8-ft. high obstacle and restacked on the other side. But he says the pipe fitting and cribbing competitions were the toughest.

“We don’t have to do much pipe fitting or timbering in our jobs. Most of it is drilling and hauling steel. We don’t get much chance to practise those things,” Martin said.

Martin, who placed second in the national finals last year, says he plans to take the top spot this time around. “I almost won it last year except for a screw up in one event. The winner knows I’m coming after him this time,” he said.

Martin won the Yellowknife event by a single point over Maurice Fourgere. Lavern Reimer placed third. All of the miners are from the Con mine.