46th International Mining Competition

Two Montana Tech's men's mining teams competed in Kalgoorlie, West Australia in 2023.

Click Below Full Details and Rules for the 

46th International Collegiate Mining
Competition

Competition Rules

46th International Mining Competition

March 21-23, 2024

Hosted By

Montana Technological University

Butte, Montana

The Orediggers of Montana Tech invite you to participate in the 46th International Collegiate Mining Competition. The Competition is being held on March 21st-23th, 2024, in Butte, Montana.

The competition is comprised of seven events:

• Track Stand - A timed event requiring a team of five people to add a section of rail onto an existing rail as quickly and accurately as possible.
• Ore Muck - Five members work to fill a 2-ton ore cart and run it down a track for the best overall time.
• Gold Pan - Competitors search for flattened shot in a dirt-filled gold pan.
• Swede Saw - A team of five will alternate cutting through a 6"X6" timber with 36" bow saws.
• Hand Steel - Five members drill into a concrete block with chisel-like steels and a hammer, alternating individuals every two minutes for the deepest cumulative hole.
• Jackleg - Two competitors use a pneumatic drill in order to achieve the most drill hole depth in three minutes.
• Survey - Teams of two must accurately compute the coordinates of an ending point using a historic transit.
  

Registration for the Games is open now. Participation is limited; therefore, applications will be accepted in the order received.

International teams should be able to register online but for information on paying via wire transfer please contact Shannon Sampson at [email protected].

Lodging for U.S. and Canadian Teams - a room block is available at the Butte Plaza Inn 2900 Harrison Avenue, Butte, MT  (406)494-3500 under the room block name: MT Tech Mining Competition

Lodging for International Teams - please inquire about accommodations at [email protected]

Additional information on schedule, and specific events to come soon.

Montana Tech won the Sunshine Trophy in 2019 in Virginia City, Nevada at the competition hosted by the UNR Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering.

The inaugural Intercollegiate Mining and Mucking Contest was held on April 21, 1979 at the University of Idaho. The contest, envisaged by University of Idaho students as a mining competition, was created to be similar to local logging competitions.

Mining competitions have been part of the student experience at Montana Tech for decades, the Orediggers are the only school who have competed in every competition since 1979.

As the competition  evolved, mining schools throughout the world have alternated hosting the event each year.  Teams represent universities throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, England, Germany, and Holland.

The last time Montana Tech hosted the Int Mining Games was 2016, see highlighted from the competition in the video below.