Whistler Blackcomb to Test Snowmaking on Horstman Glacier

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16 June 2015

Push to The Latest: No

SAM Magazine—Whistler, B.C., June 16, 2015—This coming winter, Whistler Blackcomb will conduct a snowmaking pilot project aimed at preserving the Horstman Glacier on Blackcomb Mountain. The area will operate four low-energy guns in the Horstman Hut area to determine if a full-scale snowmaking system is an option to prevent further recession of the glacier.

“The goal of this project is to preserve the high quality product we currently offer in both the winter and summer months,” said Dave Brownlie, president and CEO at Whistler Blackcomb. He added that the system could preserve the summer glacier experience and improve the early season access during the winter.

The Horstman Glacier is one of two glaciers in North America to offer summer skiing and snowboarding. It serves as a training area for ski and snowboard national teams from all over the world.

“Snowmaking on the Horstman Glacier has been a discussion at Whistler Blackcomb for several decades,” Noted Arthur De Jong, mountain planning and environmental resource manager. “If the pilot project is conclusive, this unique project will become a significant addition to Whistler Blackcomb's list of adaptations to ensure long term resilience against climate change.”

De Jong added that the glacier has been shrinking by more than half a million cubic yards annually for the past decade due to warmer summer temperatures.

Installation of the snowmaking system will begin in late July, following the conclusion of the summer skiing and snowboarding season, with snowmaking anticipated to begin in early October.