09/23/2026
Have you visited Whistler, Horstman or Blackcomb glaciers?
According to an SFU study, these much-loved glaciers in British Columbia are set to disappear completely within a few decades.
Once famous across North America for summer skiing, Whistler and Horstman glaciers have decreased in size by 95 per cent and 75 per cent respectively in the last five decades, while Blackcomb Glacier has lost around 60 per cent of its area.
The decline of Whistler Glacier has been so pronounced that it is considered to be a relict glacier. Researchers expect it to disappear entirely within 10 years, although technically, it could already be extinct.
Horstman Glacier, located on Blackcomb Peak, will likely disappear within 10 to 30 years and Blackcomb Glacier within 20 to 70 years.
“Given how much temperatures have been increasing the findings are not surprising, but that does not make it any less sad,” says Chloé Monty, an SFU master's student in glaciology, who led the research.
“It was shocking to see how much the glaciers have shrunk when compared to images from the 1970s.
“They are shrinking almost in real time when glacier change should be nearly imperceptible on human timescales."
These glaciers carry a symbolic meaning for people, according to Gwenn Flowers, professor of Earth sciences, who oversaw the research.
“What we are seeing with these three glaciers is the inevitability of what was set in motion a couple of decades ago. Deciding when the glaciers no longer exist becomes a technicality," says Flowers.
“I think the significance of these disappearing glaciers is that they give us a preview of what's to unfold. These are the first to go, but there are others nearby that are on the same path to extinction.
“Glaciers are quietly powerful entities that animate the B.C. landscape, and the landscape is part of our identity. Losing these glaciers means losing a part of our history and identity.”
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