Blackcomb Showcase replacement

T

takeahike46er

Member
I guess it’s not a total shocker, but Blackcomb’s Showcase t-bar is being replaced for next season. The t-bar has barely run the last two seasons due to the recession of the Horstman Glacier. The entrance to the Blackcomb Glacier has also gotten much spicier in recent years. Like The Saddle run on Whistler, the run is now considered a black as a result of the receding ice steepening the pitch. I wouldn't be surprised if they do some blasting as part of this project to make the glacier more accessible long term.

What’s is shocking is that this is happening before a replacement of 7th Heaven or the Whistler Village gondola. Both lifts are well beyond their expected lifespan. Both are way under capacity for the amount of people they need to move. Both are going to require large sums of money which Vail doesn’t seem to want to spend.

Hopefully this modest investment disperses some of the crowds away from 7th. Maybe the Secret zone will be skiable with a traverse without having to ride 7th.
 
takeahike46er said:
The t-bar has barely run the last two seasons due to the recession of the Horstman Glacier.
Click to expand...
So you had to hike to get to the top of the Blackcomb Glacier? Wow! I'm sure I skied the Blackcomb Glacier on my last visit to Whistler in 2017 and probably in the low tide 2015 season also. I have skied that sector of Blackcomb more often from Spanky's Ladder than from the T-bar though. I've always regarded the Blackcomb Glacier from the T-bar + traverse skier's right as one of North America's bucket list intermediate routes, very much like many in the Alps. I've heard that Blowhole no longer exists either.
 
Yup, you have to hike or skin. You can also traverse from the Stupid chutes but that requires some hiking too.

Honestly, it’s been for the better that it’s not running. The entrance to the glacier can no longer handle the skier traffic. What used to be a simple traverse now requires dropping down a cliff. I can’t believe they used to send groomers up there!

Blowhole is gone. The Wind Lip too. They disappeared so quickly.
 
The above comments are astonishing. Whistler averages 415 inches snowfall. The two bad years in 2005 and 2015 had 268 and 264. The lowest year post 2015 is 371 inches and the average of the past decade is 427. This is similar to what I say about the receding glaciers in the Alps. Snowfall is not declining but the summers are significantly hotter than before. I would not have expected summer temperatures to have increased so much in a coastal climate like Whistler vs. the more continental climates of the Alps or Montana's Glacier National Park.
 
As you noted, the summers are what are causing rapid retreat of the glaciers regionally. Recent years have been particularly brutal for loss of ice. The retreat of the nearby Wedgmount Glacier is one of many well documented examples.

When I moved to BC in 2021, I was told you don’t need air conditioning. That first summer, it hit 108° F where I live just 14 miles east of downtown Vancouver after multiple days in the high 90s and low 100s. That was the summer when Lytton, BC in the Fraser canyon burned to the ground when temps hit 121° F.
 
takeahike46er said:
Hopefully this modest investment disperses some of the crowds away from 7th. Maybe the Secret zone will be skiable with a traverse without having to ride 7th.
Click to expand...

The trail map implies that one could make it to the Secret Zone

1765488163626.png



And should Whistler be updating this insert:

1765488283451.png
 
ChrisC said:
The trail map implies that one could make it to the Secret Zone
Click to expand...

Apparently, you used to be able to traverse over to get into Secret. It might have been that way my first season here IIRC, but that hasn’t been the case for years now. The Horstman Glacier has lost so much volume it now requires uphill travel. Currently, you have to deal with the regular 30-45+ minute lines at 7th to access. Truly the experience of a lifetime.

ChrisC said:
The trail map
And should Whistler be updating this insert:

View attachment 48263
Click to expand...

It’s mostly accurate. I mean, there is no Blow Hole anymore, but skier’s left is arguably more challenging than the rest considering it’s now a mandatory air, so I guess the label can stay.
 
I dug up a photo I took from April 2024 showing a portion of the Blackcomb Glacier. If you look closely, the top of Showcase is visible. Where the people are standing is the entrance to the glacier. You can see how challenging the entrance has become in recent years.

What’s left of the wind lip is right below me at the bottom of the frame. The remnants of the blowhole—what was once a massive, natural half pipe—are along the rocks below the sub peak.

IMG_0050.jpeg
 
Any idea about the Horstman T-bar replacement?

Without being able to get to the summit from the Glacier Express, logistics on Blackcomb will always be weak.

www.skimag.com

Wake Up Call

As the ski community mourns the loss of an iconic piece of skiing history, a sobering reality check settles in.
www.skimag.com www.skimag.com
 
ChrisC said:
Any idea about the Horstman T-bar replacement?
Click to expand...

A Whistler employee who comments frequently on Liftblog and local Facebook groups said a Horstman fixed-grip lift is possible. However, the entire 7th unload and Horstman Hut area need to be completely reworked first.

ChrisC said:
Without being able to get to the summit from the Glacier Express, logistics on Blackcomb will always be weak.
Click to expand...

Totally agree. I love the runs off Chainsaw Ridge and the Secret Zone. However, I rarely get more than a lap in because the line at 7th is unbearable outside of when the lift first opens and when it’s about to close.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top