Collegiate Mining Competition remembers fallen miners

About 200 people recently took part in the International Collegiate Mining Competition, held in Virginia City, Nevada.

Bryn Llewellyn, from Camborne School of Mines at the University of Exeter, hand steeling. Photo by Max Willcock.

For the 41st year in a row, the three-day event gathered students from mining schools from around the world who formed 18 teams in the men's category and eight teams in the women's category. They competed in seven disciplines related to traditional mining methods such as airleg drilling, gold panning, hand steeling, mucking, surveying, swede sawing, and trackstand building.

This year, Montana Tech took home the coveted Sunshine Trophy in the men's category, displacing the reigning champions from the University of Exeter's Camborne School of Mines. The Lady Muckers, from the University of Nevada-Reno, were the winners in the women's category.

According to the organizers, the Mining Competition is held to remember the fallen miners from the Sunshine Mine fire in Idaho in 1972 and all of those who have lost their lives in the industry. It is also expected to be a reminder to preserve traditional mining techniques for years to come.