Parker Schnabel is a gold prospector and tv personality who appears on Discovery Channel’s Gold Rush. He was born on July 22nd, 1994, in Haines, Alaska, which would make him 28 years old presently.
Despite being so young, Parker has already established himself in the mining industry. This would explain why Schnabel is one of the longest-recurring cast members of the series.
Since the show aired in 2011, Parker has featured in 241 episodes. Today, we will dive into his gold mining career in extensive detail.
When did he start mining?
Remarkably, Parker Schnabel was only five years old when he was brought on to the family business. He and his siblings were raised in Porcupine Creek, which is where his grandfather, John Schnabel, would launch Big Nugget Mine.
Parker’s grandfather was able to set up the family business after acquiring a mining claim along Porcupine Creek in 1984. The Big Nugget Mine would often serve as a vacation spot for Parker and his siblings.
With time, Parker would develop a keen interest in mining, joining his grandfather on even more trips.
He took over the business as a teenager.
Shockingly, John Schnabel decided to hand of the family business to Parker when the latter was just 16 years old. By then, Parker had over a decade of experience in the business.
This explains why John was convinced that his grandson was ready to lead workers twice his age. Even as a teenager, Parker had already shown the grit and determination required to take over the family business.
This was back in 2010, a short while before he joined the cast of Gold Rush. Parker was introduced in the 2nd season of the show, in the episode titled ‘Virgin Gold.’
Fans got a unique look into his management style, which was quite impressive, to say the least. It is fair to say that Parker experienced his share of ups and downs while running the company.
For instance, the third season of the show heavily highlighted the fact that Parker couldn’t find any gold. In all fairness though, that season was particularly hard on everyone.
Parker started his own company at 18
Parker Schnabel left the Big Nugget Mine two years after he was left in charge of it. Most people thought that 18-year-old Parker would go to college next.
In lieu of this, however, Schnabel decided that he would use his college savings to set up a mining claim in the Klondike. He acquired this from another famed prospector by the name of Tony Beets.
Parker’s risky decision would ultimately pay-off within the very first year of moving to the Klondike. It is reported that he and his crew dug up a staggering 1029 ounces of gold within their rookie year.
To put that into perspective, Parker made a staggering $1.4 million that year alone.
His career path since then
By the time he turned 25, Parker and his team had mined an impressive $13 million worth of gold. His exploits took him all over the world, from Papua New Guinea to Guyana, to even the Chilkoot Pass.
Today, Parker is driven by one key purpose, which is his desire to expand his operation. This is why he and his team would make the grueling 8,000-mile trip to the grueling wildlands of Australia.
They chose the new location because experts estimate that it has several of the largest gold reserves in the world.
