BHP Billiton Rock and Ice Ultra
Diamond Day
Rob Howard / 28.03.2009
The day after the race the majority of competitors enjoyed a relaxed day in Yellowknife, sleeping at the Chateau Nova Hotel who sponsored the international athletes stay, eating, viewing the local art galleries, eating at the famous Bullocks restaurant, watching events in the annual Carribou carnival, then sleeping and eating some more. For the winners, however, there was one final stage to complete: a specially arranged visit to the EKATI mine to see where their prize diamonds came from. This meant an early start to board a charter flight to the mine, flying 300km over the ‘barren lands’ to land on the mine’s airfield and transfer to the central complex. As with any arrival by plane these days there was a security check to go through – but in this case it was part of the standard procedure of the mine which all visitors go through.
In the following few hours they had the chance to see the huge pits which the Kimberlite ore comes from (that’s why the 3 day event is called the K-Rock race), and the plants which crush and gradually sift hundreds of tons of the rock to reveal the tiny gems that are the product of the mine. That product keeps thousands of people in work and is now crucial to economy of Yellowknife and it was sobering to see the effort and expense required to extract the diamonds from such a hostile environment.
The winners would have to wait until the evening to receive their diamonds, however, as they would be given out at the ‘Bacardi on Ice’ prize-giving party. This was held at Coyotes Bar and Grill in the commercial district of town and was a chance for everyone to get together, including the Matrix crew who had spent the day breaking down Matrix Camp, which had been the hub of the race all week.
When it was time for the prize giving Scott Smith thanked all those who had contributed to the race, stressing how much of a community race the Rock and Ice had now become. Apart from the many local sponsors and the incredible work of the Arctic Response safety crew, there were 50 local volunteers helping out, and ensuring everything ran smoothly.
Handsome trophies were presented and the 8 diamond winners received their gems from EKATI mine staff. Deana Twissell of BHP Billiton said how important the race was now to Yellowknife and once again confirmed the company would be title sponsors for next year, adding; “I’ll be putting the prizes for next year into our vault soon!� She also couldn’t resist adding that; “Canadians won all the diamonds and Yellowknifers kicked butt!� Which they did!
Once the prizes were given out it was time to enjoy the Barcardi and the race slide show, talk about this year’s race and next, and to view the diamonds. Some were already talking about coming back next year and it looks like the race may double in size again, as word spreads about the northern lights, the remote camps and the beauty and challenge of the winter conditions at ‘the other desert race’.See All Event Posts
