Horstman Glacier Explained

The Horstman Glacier is a glacier located on Blackcomb Peak in Garibaldi Provincial Park. During the ski season at Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort, it is used for skiing and snow riding. It is one of two glaciers in North America used for summer skiing and riding.^[1]

Glacier preservation efforts

The Horstman Glacier is the site of a pilot project developing methods to preserve glaciers.

• A blue wooden snow fence has been installed on the ridge above the glacier to trap snow.^[2]
• In 2015, four snowmaking machines ("snowguns") began adding more snow to the glacier during the winter.^[3]
• A 7.5-megawatt hydroelectric dam, installed in 2010, powers the ski resort and the snowmaking operations.

Glacier retreat

The Horstman glacier has receded substantially, with conditions deteriorating. In 2020 the Horstman T-bar, a ski lift at Whistler Blackcomb operating since 1987, was closed down as the glacier receded.^[4]

The retreat of glaciers like the Horstman is mostly attributed to global warming^[5] and local changes as a result of rising temperature also furthering the process.^[6] Glacier recession is accelerating worldwide.^{[7] [8]}

References

50.0947°N -122.8829°W

Notes and References

1. Web site: Can Snowmaking Save Whistler's Horstman Glacier?. Sheridan. Jenn. 2015-06-30. POWDER Magazine. en-US. 2019-10-26.
2. Glacier Melt. (n.d.). WordPress.Com. Retrieved August 28, 2021, from https://saveoursnow.com/glacier-melt/ Retrieved 28 August 2021.
3. News: The race to protect year-round skiing. Efron. Sarah. 2018-04-22. 2019-10-26.
4. Hodgson, T. (2021, January 12). Wake Up Call. Ski Mag. https://www.skimag.com/ski-resort-life/horstman-t-bar-removed/ Retrieved on 28 August 2021.
5. Orlove, B. (2009). Glacier retreat: reviewing the limits of human adaptation to climate change. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 51(3), 22-34.
6. Gupta, T., Gupta, A., & Kulshreshtha, V. (2019). Study of Glacier Retreat and Climatic Condition in Greenland. Climate Change in Water Resources, 17.
7. Kirby, A. (2015, August 7). World’s glaciers melting at “unprecedented” rate. The Ecologist. https://theecologist.org/2015/aug/07/worlds-glaciers-melting-unprecedented-rate Retrieved 28 August 2021.
8. Zemp, M., Frey, H., Gärtner-Roer, I., Nussbaumer, S. U., Hoelzle, M., Paul, F., ... & Vincent, C. (2015). Historically unprecedented global glacier decline in the early 21st century. Journal of glaciology, 61(228), 745-762.