The ice cave is without a doubt the most incredible natural wonder in Whistler Blackcomb. There is no other ski resort in the world with ski in ski out ice cave access. The turquoise blues, frozen rocks, and charcoal layers of ice are a sight to behold.
A trip to Whistler Blackcomb is not complete without a Blackcomb glacier ice cave adventure. The ice cave is quite literally frozen in time and is a beautiful window into Whistler’s prehistoric past and how the glacier formed and changed over time. The Blackcomb ice cave is natural and holds perennial (year round) ice. The cave itself is absolutely massive and could easily be a venue for a 50+ person ice party. It’s sheer size and resort ski access are what make this natural attraction so unique.
The Ice Cave isn’t marked on the Whistler Blackcomb trail map nor is it advertised by the mountain. If you are comfortable skiing Whistler single black diamonds you can easily and safely ski the Blackcomb Glacier to the Ice Cave.
In this post I’m going to show you how you can get to the Whistler Blackcomb ice cave so you can experience its beauty with your own two eyes!
2022/2023 Update**** The ice cave is currently completely covered by avalanche debris and cannot be accessed.
Safety Disclaimer: The ice cave is not maintained by Whistler and is out of the bounds of the resort. The cave could collapse or an avalanche could cover its entrance at any time. Enter at your own risk.
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How To Find The Blackcomb Glacier Ice Cave
The ice cave is located in the Blackcomb Glacier on Blackcomb Mountain. The first step is to make your way up Blackcomb mountain via the Excalibur Gondola from Whistler Village or the Blackcomb Gondola from the Upper Village. Once you are on the Blackcomb side of the hill make your way to the Glacier Express Chairlift located at the base of the Glacier Creek Lodge.
Once you reach the base of the chair you need to check the light up billboard above the chair to see if the Blackcomb Glacier and the Horstman T-bar are open. If the Green light is illuminated you are good to go. There is also a set of lights indicating the visibility. If the visibility is Good or Fair I would recommend going for it. If the visibility is poor, the ski down the glacier itself won’t be too enjoyable. If you can save it for another day, I would, but if you only have one chance, then go for it and be careful to follow the orange disks down the glacier.
Ride up the Glacier Express Chairlift and upon reaching the top exit to the right. The Showcase T-bar is located just down the cat track and you can’t miss it. Enjoy the short ride up the T-bar and get ready for a quick uphill hike.
Take your skis off and follow the 50m bootpack up and to the right. Once you reach the top of the bootpack, pop your skis on and prepare for an awesome descent.
You can choose to ski anywhere within the glacier bowl. The steepest lines are to the far left and right. The easiest terrain is in the middle between the orange disks and the blue square markers. Riding down through the bowl is phenomenal and is the closest thing you’ll get to backcountry skiing in the high Alpine on a ski resort. As you near the bottom of the open bowl follow the markers staying to the right.
The space between the markers will get smaller and this is how you will know you are nearing the ice cave. Keep your eyes peeled down and to the right for the ice cave. There are some cliff signs on top of the cave which mark the entrance. It is typically quite busy with visitors taking photographs making it pretty hard to miss. You can choose to ski straight down to the cave or loop around the boundary signs (which I would recommend). The boundary signs are there because ice and crevasses are unpredictable from year to year so it’s always best to take the safest possible route.
Skate or hike towards the ice cave and ski, slide or walk your way down into the beautifully blue cavern. I’d recommend looking closely at the walls, feeling them and looking up. Plan to spend a little bit of time in here because it is so surreal. Make sure your phone is charged so you can stock up on once in a lifetime pictures and videos!
The last time I visited the ice cave I cooked breakfast inside on my MSR Pocket Rocket Stove.
When you are ready to exit the cave hike back towards the Glacier Road, the groomed cat track heading back towards the resort. It will lead you past the Gemstone Bowls and all the way down to the Crystal Ridge Express.
That’s all there is to it!
Now you know how to find and access the ice cave so you can have an amazing adventure the next time you are at Whistler. Please note that Vail resorts recommends that visitors don’t actually enter the cave. You assume all risk and responsibility if an issue arises, but, the cave hasn’t collapsed in millions of years so I wouldn’t be too concerned!
Lastly, I would recommend eating your lunch at the Ice cave or finishing off a great ski day with an Ice cave adventure. Since you have to hike a little bit in and out of the cave it will eat away at some of your valuable skiing time so It’s always best to strategically plan it into your day.
Have fun exploring the Whistler Blackcomb Ice Cave!
Let me know if you have any questions in the comments.
17 Responses
Hi there, do you have to be able to do black Diamond runs to do this?? I’m an intermediate skier, not crazy good but can do greens easily and some blues.
Hey Matthew,
The run itself has the slope angle of a blue run, but changing snow conditions and bumps can make it ride more like a black. If you can confidently ski blues with bumps you should be okay to give it a whirl. It’s very similar to the lower portion of the Lakeside Bowl in 7th heaven. I’d recommend trying a run like Upper Gear Jammer (when it isn’t groomed) and if you can ski that comfortably then go for it!
There are not many hazards along the way but if the terrain is a little too much for your skill level then it will take a long time to ski down!
You can always ride the T-bar up, hike to the top and take a look at the Glacier for yourself. If you think it looks to challenging its easy to turn around and there is an awesome groomed track down beside the t-bar back towards the Glacier Chair.
Hopefully that helps a little bit. Have fun!
is the ice caves melts down in the summer time ? love to go in the summer rather than winter time
how far of hike in the summer if we decide to go in the summer ? thanks
Hey Peony,
Ice cave is there year round. It just looks a little different in the summer time and there is some glacial melt around it. The hike is totally doable as a day trip and you could even mountain bike up part of it.
Will it be accessible this December 2022 way from 9-16
It depends if they open the glacier chair and T-Bar. If not you can ski to it from 7th Heaven but need to treat it as backcountry and bring avalanche safety gear.
Is it possible to visit the cave in say December
100%. If the mountain has the T-bar open it’s safe to ski without avalanche gear. If the T-bar is closed you need to treat the glacier as backcountry, but the Ice Cave will always be there winter or summer!
wait so i can boot pack up (writing as im travelling accross the pacific to get to whistler)
Totally! So long as the T-bar is open. If the T-bar is closed it usually means the glacier has not been avi controlled and it needs to be treated as Backcountry using the proper gear.
Anyone looking at this page during the 2022/23 season the entrance to the cave got buried by an avalanche about a month according to Ski Patrol
Today is March 19, 2023. Has the cave entrance cleared up? Can one get to it now?
Any tips or comments are helpful. Thanks in advance.
The Cave has not cleared up and I do not think it will clear up for this entire season unfortunately.
Does one have to take the same lifts & then hike the same ski trails in order to get to the Ice Cave in the summer?
How long will it take?
This is definitely on my “Bucket List”
Thank you
Hi Maria,
I’ve never tried in the Summer but usually only the Blackcomb Gondola is open. The most direct route would be to hike up from the base. From what I’ve heard the cave is fairly melted and uglier in the summer months. Maybe there is some better info/pictures on google. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.