Silverado can mine year around with proper equipment to mitigate the issues of thawing. However, the Bundtzen report feasibility study only accounts initially for 125 days per year to be economical, therefore if the mining year is extended via mitigation, all the better.

The mining will occur (and begin) through the underground tunnels already constructed in 2008.

Please read the NI-43-101 compliant June 2009 report, starting on page 108. Here is an excerpt:

Mining 18.2

The vein structures will be accessed through a 12-15 degree spiral decline that will provide subsurface access to the ‘A’, ‘B’, and West vein structures, but beginning with the main ‘A’ Zone, where nearly 70 percent of the indicated resources reside. Figure 18.3 provides a plan for the spiral decline and a diagram showing how the mineralized ‘A’ Zone vein material would be extracted.

The first level would parallel ‘A’ Zone through waste rock at a minimal width in the range of 6.5 feet to 7 feet in width and 10 feet high. Stopes will be driven at a 17% decline paralleling the vein to a depth of 150 vertical feet, then level off and driven to a lateral length of approximately 400 feet or less, with the first level 10 feet below the level on which the first ore extraction would take place.

Once the stope is driven, the vein structure will be shot off the rib at an expected width of 2 feet and mucked out for processing. Figure 18.3 illustrates the back-in concept for extraction at the mineralized face. Waste would be breasted down and placed in the level below the working face. Ore would then be shot and transported to the surface and stored for processing. Extraction would take place from the hanging wall side of the vein structure, or from the eastern edge of the vein. The spiral decline depicted figure 18.3 is focused on extraction of ‘A’ Zone; however, it would also contain draw-off points to access ‘B’ and West Zones as well, which also contain indicated resources.of the ‘A’ Zone vein to be shot off and retrieved (Figure 18.4).

When extraction from the entire level has been completed, than mine crews will back up to the decline and breast down the back using the waste rock as fill, gaining 10 feet in elevation and preparing the next section

This process will continue until mine crews get to the same elevation of both C and D access levels. The upward vertical limit of the extraction process will likely depend on ground conditions, especially the presence or absence of live water (figure 18.5). In either case, if water is encountered or ground conditions falter, then the upward limit of mining will have been reached. The mine method as designed will allow Silverado Mine crews to leave waste rock in the mine and only dealing with the initial waste rock and swell factor removed and stored on the surface.