PROSPECTORS

With bigger paydays and new colourful characters, the prospectors return to the mountains of Colorado to seek their fortunes.

At 14,000 feet above sea level, there's 50 percent less oxygen, and extreme weather is often these prospectors' worst enemy as they brave close-call lightning strikes, hurricane-force winds and dramatic temperature changes. But for those willing to battle the elements and confront the danger, some of the planet's most rare and precious gems are just waiting to be unearthed - with huge paydays to accompany them.