Ore is transported from the bin on the conveyor belt to the loading pocket. A measuring bin ensures that the right amount of ore is loaded into the ore skip , a box in the production shaft that holds about 22-23 tonnes. The box or skip is lifted to the surface by the hoist for unloading speeds of 550-1100 meters per minute. The hoist consists of four headropes of lock coil wires running over a friction wheel at the top of the shaft. Attached to the headropes on both sides are two skips, one unloads ore on the surface while the other is being loaded with ore at the bottom.
Uranium ore is extracted by drilling and blasting the rock face.
When the pieces of ore are small enough, they are transported to the surface and then to the mill area. This method enables companies to extract potash at depths too deep to be mined any other way. One mine near Saskatoon uses solution mining, a technique pioneered in Saskatchewan, to recover potash more than 1500 m below the surface. The potash-bearing solution is pumped back to the surface. The potassium chloride is refined by placing the solution into evaporators.