Decimal Degrees (DD)
50.082048, -122.870876
Degrees Decimal Minutes (DDM)
50° 4.9229' N 122° 52.2526' W
Degrees Minutes Seconds (DMS)
50° 4' 55.3728" N 50° 4' 55.3728" N
This peak of 2,436 metres in the Fitzsimmons Range of the Coast Mountains is formed of ~150 mya magmatic rock uplifted by movements of the Pacific Plate. The mountaintop remained a nunatak above the last advance of the Cordilleran ice sheet.
The Fitzsimmons Fault forms the valley between Blackcomb and Whistler Mountain, and several prominent gossans (outcrops of oxidized and heavily metamorphosed rocks that can indicate the presence of ore deposits) are visible on Blackcomb Mountain’s lower flanks above Fitzsimmons Creek—best viewed from the spectacular 4.3-kilometre gondola connected to Whistler Mountain as part of the popular Whistler Blackcomb resort.
Hiking trails lead through alpine meadows to various overlooks of the Whistler Valley and Garibaldi Provincial Park, as well as to ice caves on the Horstman and Blackcomb Glaciers, with a loop out to Decker Glacier and its climate-induced meltwater lake.
Access to all trails, attractions, activities and facilities on Blackcomb Mountain is through Whistler Blackcomb resort. Info: https://www.whistlerblackcomb.com
Protection and guardianship are at the heart of the Geopark philosophy. We ask that you treat the land with the same reverence as its original inhabitants, and not remove anything from a site but what you’ve brought to help preserve it for future generations.
50.082048, -122.870876
50° 4.9229' N 122° 52.2526' W
50° 4' 55.3728" N 50° 4' 55.3728" N
Geosites of the Aspiring Geopark lie wholly within the unceded traditional territories of the Líl̓wat Nation and the Sk̲wx̲wú7mesh Nation. The nations have lived in—and shared parts of—these territories since time immemorial, with many landscape features and geological events woven into their cultural and oral histories. We are grateful for, and committed to, the opportunity to learn and share these perspectives of the land alongside its original stewards.
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The Fire & Ice Aspiring Geopark comprises four main geological pillars referenced in all interpretive material: (M)ountain Building, (G)laciation, (V)olcanism and (C)ollapse.
Mountain building can involve several processes that contribute to the formation of mountains, such as the collision of tectonic plates that result in folding, faulting, metamorphism and the creation of subduction zones associated with volcanic activity and igneous intrusion.
Glaciation refers to landform phenomena associated with the formation, movement and recession of glaciers and ice sheets. In temperate latitudes such as British Columbia, montane glaciation at higher altitudes is the norm while continental glaciation occurred during Ice Ages like the recent Pleistocene.
Volcanism is the eruption of subterranean molten rock (magma) and gasses onto the surface of the planet and includes the production of volcanic landforms and the effects of eruptions and flowing lava on pre-existing surface formations.
Collapse is a term that refers broadly to both slow processes of destabilization and erosion by wind, water and ice, as well as rapid processes like rockfall and landslides.
Whether acting as primary or secondary forces, one or more of these processes figure in the creation of each geosite.