Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro3 Jul 2025

Ep 117: The Hidden Number That Changes Your Mine Plan. Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro

In this episode of our Fresh Thinking podcast, Pedro Ladiera our Senior Consultant chats with Tarrant Elkington our General Manager about the vertical rate of advance (VRA) - a critical but often overlooked parameter in open pit mine planning.

They talk through how VRA affects everything from waste stripping and ore access to project risk and optimisation.

They cover:

What VRA actually means in practice
How it varies by commodity, mining method, and equipment
When pushing the limits might actually work - and when it's just too risky

A few highlights:
⏱️ 1:01 – Why VRA matters when you're still mining waste
⏱️ 4:57 – Real-world examples of high and low VRA rates
⏱️ 9:03 – Should you design to what's possible, or what's actually needed?
⏱️ 13:27 – What happens when grade control slows things down
⏱️ 16:01 – Is simulation worth the effort?

Whether you're doing strategic mine design or reviewing a study, this one's a useful listen.

Julian Poniewierski paper: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/observation-sink-rates-open-pit-mining-vertical-rate-poniewierski/

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If you would like to contact Tarrant and Pedro: contact(at)snowdenoptiro.com

Fresh Thinking by Snowden Optiro is available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Libsyn and all your favourite podcast platforms.

Who We Are:
Snowden Optiro is a resources consulting and advisory group that provides independent advice, consulting and training to mining and exploration companies, their advisors and investors.

We help mine developers to advance their projects, mining companies to improve their operations and their professionals, and investors to de-risk their investments by the provision of quality advice, training and software in the field of Mineral Resources and Mineral/Ore Reserves.

For training or consulting enquiries: training(at)snowdenoptiro.com and contact(at)snowdenoptiro.com

https://snowdenoptiro.com/

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