NEWS RELEASE TRANSMITTED BY CCNMatthews

FOR:  HIGH RIVER GOLD MINES LTD.

TSX SYMBOL:  HRG

FEBRUARY 5, 2004 - 08:32 ET

High River Gold Appoints Daniel G. Vanin as Executive VP
and Chief Operating Officer

TORONTO, ONTARIO--High River Gold Mines Ltd. ("High River") is 
pleased to announce that Daniel Vanin has been appointed as 
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of High 
River effective February 1, 2004. Mr. Vanin's appointment 
considerably strengthens the Company's management team and 
provides valuable expertise and leadership abilities to meet High 
River's aggressive growth plans. 

"Daniel brings a unique set of knowledge, practical development 
and operating experience, together with strong people skills, 
that will be critical to High River's future success," said David 
Mosher, President and Chief Executive Officer. 

Mr. Vanin is well qualified to assume his new responsibilities 
and to take a leadership role for High River, having worked in 
senior management and technical positions at major international 
mining companies during a 28-year career. He is a highly regarded 
mining engineer with extensive experience in mine management, 
mine operations, development and construction. In the early 
1990's Mr. Vanin was General Manager of the Doyon and El Indio 
Mines for Lac Minerals Ltd. Following that, he was responsible 
for technical and financial evaluation, acquisition and business 
development of mining projects in South America for Cambior Inc. 
Later, he was Managing Director of three Peruvian mining 
operations for Glencore International AG. In this capacity he 
managed the project development and construction of two 
processing facilities, as well as corporate development 
activities for Glencore's projects and operations in South 
America and Kazakhstan. Most recently, he was Chief Operating 
Officer for RBG Resources Plc, in Bolivia, where he managed all 
operations, project development and construction at the Vinto 
smelter and tin mine. 

Mr. Vanin received a Bachelor of Engineering (Mining) degree from 
McGill University, Montreal, in 1975. He is fluent in English, 
Spanish, French and Italian. 

Mr. Vanin's primary responsibility will be the successful 
development of the Taparko Gold Mine in Burkina Faso, West 
Africa. He will also be assisting the mine development team at 
High River's Russian subsidiary, OJSC Buryatzoloto, with the 
development of the Berezitovoye Gold Mine in the Amur Oblast in 
southern Siberia, Russia. Both projects, Taparko and 
Berezitovoye,  will be open pit mines with conventional mills and 
are scheduled to be in production during the fourth quarter of 
2005, with construction beginning in 2004. 

Gold production at Taparko is planned to average more than 90,000 
ounces per year over an eight year period, exceeding 100,000 
ounces in each of the first three years. High River controls, 
directly and indirectly, in excess of 3500 square kilometres of 
prospective property within trucking distance of the planned 
Taparko mill. The Company is confident that a number of satellite 
deposits will be found within trucking distance which could 
support expanded production or an extended mine life. 

Based on the current resource base, gold production at 
Berezitovoye is expected to exceed 100,000 ounces per year for a 
ten year period. The Berezitovoye property also contains a number 
of exploration targets that could enhance production or extend 
the mine life. 

-30-

You can return to the Top of this page