Upside Gold Corp. has released a preliminary report on its initial diamond drilling program at the Kena Gold-Copper Property in southeastern British Columbia, with results from fall 2025 drill core assays showing significant near-surface gold mineralization. The program, which comprised 1,002 metres across three diamond drill holes designed to test the northeast margin of the Kena lode gold zone, intersected broad zones of mineralization consistent with the Kena Historic Resource gold grades.
The drilling highlighted a notable intersection of 178 metres starting from 15 metres depth, grading 0.36 grams per tonne gold, 1.8 grams per tonne silver, and 534 parts per million copper. This intersection demonstrates the width and continuity of gold mineralization along the northeastern margin, with grades comparable to the historical resource. The program also indicated local lateral expansion of the mineralized zone before being paused in November due to snow conditions, with operations expected to resume in June.
Future drilling will continue testing targets to the northeast, as well as additional priority targets to the southwest down dip and southeast along strike, extending beyond the boundaries of the Kena Historic Resource. The historical resource, disclosed in a technical report entitled NI 43-101 Resource Estimate for the Kena and Daylight Properties prepared by Sue Bird, P.Eng. of Moose Mountain Technical Services, comprises an Indicated Mineral Resource of 32,146,000 tonnes at 0.544 g/t Au for 0.561 million ounces of gold, and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 177,507,000 tonnes at 0.486 g/t Au for 2.77 million ounces of gold.
The quality assurance and quality control procedures involved shipping 1-2 metre drill core samples by bonded carrier to ALS Canada Ltd laboratory in Kamloops and North Vancouver, B.C. ALS Canada Ltd. is an independent accredited testing laboratory conforming to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 requirements. The Qualified Person inserted blind Au, Ag, and Cu accredited analytical standards and quartz blanks with the submitted batch, with rock samples undergoing gold and 34 multi-element inductively coupled plasma - atomic emission spectroscopy analysis by four acid digestion.
For more information on Upside Gold Corp., please visit the Company's website at https://www.upsidegoldcorp.com. The technical information in the press release has been reviewed and approved by Trevor Boyd, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration of the Company and a Qualified Person under NI 43-101 standards.
The implications of these drilling results are significant for the mining industry and investors, as they suggest the potential for expanding the known mineralization at the Kena Property. The intersection of wide, near-surface gold mineralization with consistent grades indicates that the historical resource estimates may be validated and potentially increased through continued drilling. This advancement could position Upside Gold to potentially upgrade the historical estimate to current mineral resources with additional work, though the company notes that a Qualified Person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as current mineral resources.
The resumption of drilling in June will be closely watched by market participants, as successful continuation of these results could significantly enhance the project's economic viability and attractiveness to potential partners or investors. The presence of copper and silver alongside gold adds potential economic value through byproduct credits, while the near-surface nature of the mineralization suggests potentially favorable mining economics if the project advances to development stages.
