Three BC glaciers risk complete disappearance within 10 to 70 years
- Three glaciers in British Columbia—Whistler, Horstman, and Blackcomb—face a high risk of complete disappearance within the next 10 to 70 years, according to research published by Simon Fraser...
- The Simon Fraser University research team tracked the rapid retreat of the three glaciers by examining satellite data spanning from 1973 to 2024.
- Historically famous across North America for summer ski training, these British Columbia glaciers can no longer maintain reliable conditions.
Three glaciers in British Columbia—Whistler, Horstman, and Blackcomb—face a high risk of complete disappearance within the next 10 to 70 years, according to research published by Simon Fraser University scientists. Analyzing satellite images captured between 1973 and 2024, the study reveals that Whistler has shrunk by 95 percent, Horstman by 75 percent, and Blackcomb by 60 percent over the past five decades.
Satellite Analysis Reveals Dramatic Glacier Shrinkage
The Simon Fraser University research team tracked the rapid retreat of the three glaciers by examining satellite data spanning from 1973 to 2024. Lead researcher Chloé Monty noted that the findings document a severe loss of ice mass driven by a combination of rising temperatures and insufficient snowfall. Specifically, the Whistler glacier shrank from 0.224 square kilometers to just 0.012 square kilometers, reducing its total footprint to an area smaller than two football fields. The Horstman glacier dropped from 0.467 square kilometers to 0.121 square kilometers, while the Blackcomb glacier decreased from 0.725 square kilometers to 0.307 square kilometers. Scientists map glacier surface areas using two standard thresholds: 0.05 square kilometers and 0.01 square kilometers. The Whistler glacier crossed the first threshold in 2015, fracturing into multiple smaller masses of ice, and is projected to cross the second threshold in the near future.
Impact on Summer Skiing and Local Communities
Historically famous across North America for summer ski training, these British Columbia glaciers can no longer maintain reliable conditions. Chloé Monty explained that the rapid melting will lead to significantly shorter winter ski seasons, while summer skiing will become virtually nonexistent. The loss of these glaciers coincides with the cancellation of summer ski programs that traditionally supported the development of elite winter sports athletes. Consequently, the summer ski season has been canceled indefinitely. With the fate of Whistler, Horstman, and Blackcomb effectively sealed, Robert McLeman emphasizes that the primary focus must shift from climate mitigation to community adaptation.
Robert McLeman McLeman advocates for placing climate adaptation strategies at the center of public policy, calling for increased federal funding directed specifically toward coastal First Nations communities. While these specific glaciers cannot be saved due to their slow response to past decades of climate shifts, Monty suggests that larger glaciers and ice caps may still be preserved through proactive measures.