This page is dedicated to Mount Rainier ski tours that I’ve done over the years with over 40 unique skiing and snowboarding adventures.
The backcountry ski tours in Mount Rainier National Park are some of the most stunning trips in all the the Cascade Mountains. From trips to the summit to tours on the surrounding Peaks. It is through these trips that I learned how to efficiently ski tour and explore new terrain every year.
During the winter if you plan on skiing your main entrance is Paradise Visitor Center but if you don’t mind a long approach you also have the Carbon River. If you have a snowmobile than you can make your way up the White River to the White River campground.
If you have even been on the summit of Crystal Mountain on a sunny day there is a good chance the Sourdoughs have caught your eyes. Across the valley from 410 lies a small range of ski worthy peaks that I had wanted and planned on riding for years but for one reason or another plans never seemed to pan out. But finally the stars alligned to pull off the Sourdough Traverse.
Paradise to Crystal Mountain ski resort was a trip I had dreamed of for years. After riding the slopes of the east side of Mount Rainier National Park for numerous seasons I thought it would be great to link them together. It was one of those trips that you put in the back of you mind. Waiting for the perfect weather window it finally came in early February with 3 days of clear weather. Finally it was time for Jason Hummel and I to do a trip of a life time.
While doing the 10 Highest Peaks in Washington State I still had to do Mount Rainier as it is the tallest peak. I had spent June and July down in South America so once I came back I still had to climb both Mount Adams and Mount Rainier. Amar Andalkar and I decided to ride the Emmons Glacier in August to get my final peak of the list.
The Sarvant Glacier is one of those places that always holds good snow. It feeds into Fryingpan Creek which is a major drainage on Rainier’s northeastern side. The whole area is filled with open alpine, steep chutes and old growth tree skiing. The plan was for Boot and I to break trail up to the Sarvant Glacier and return the next day. This was going to be our first time heading up the creek to the area so we wanted to know how the route went.. Two years earlier did a circumnavigation tour in the area and had such a blast that I was excited to head back up..
If you have ever been to the summit of Crystal Mountain on a blue sky day the view of Mount Rainier is dominating. A world of wide open glaciers, tight couloirs and all in-between. The area has enough terrain to keep a mountaineer busy for decades. The northeast side is a popular summertime area but once winter comes they shut down the road. The only way to access it is via a snowmobile riding the 16 miles of road between Crystal Springs Snowpark and the White River campground. Our plan was to ride Interglacier in early spring conditions.
Heading out to the Sarvant Glacier and Tamanos Mountain with Photos and writing by Amar Andalkar.
Boot and Kyle Miller kindly invited me to join them on a winter trip into the northeast side of Mount Rainier National Park. The roads on this side of the park are closed in winter, but “snowmobiles are permitted on the 12-mile section of unplowed road from the north park boundary on Highway 410 to the White River Campground.” However, it’s not easy travel and no effort is made to keep the road accessible to snowmobiles — in fact quite the opposite, as the roads are not groomed, and the 4.5 miles of SR 410 from the park entrance to the White River junction is currently plowed 1.5 lanes wide, leaving only a narrow path for snowmos along one side. The White River Road is difficult going too, with 2-3 ft deep powder filling and masking the old snowmobile rut, and nearly blocked by a 3 ft diameter fallen tree, which has an underpass dug through the snow beneath it.
Mount Ruth is one of those mountains you pass by in pursuit of the bigger line right next to it. Situated in Glacier Basin next to the Interglacier kept saying I’d like to ski it one day. A few springs back I was able to ride it in good conditions but it definitely wasn’t winter conditions. While doing a ski tour out to the Interglacier in the beginning of January it had caught my attention once again. The Northeast couloir is a striking line and finally it was time to head out there with Jason Hummel and Boot.
Snowboarding the Interglacier in winter had always been a goal of mine. My usual experience was heading up once the White River Road had opened. Though I had ridden the area in powder conditions there is something about cold smoke powder. With the White River Road closed it would be a 16 mile skin in but we had Snowmobiles. With the sleds we would be able to make our way up to the White River Campground. Since it was the darkest time of the season it would be a cold and short day. But the rewards were riding the 4,000 foot line off the Interglacier in winter conditions all the way to Glacier Basin.
I had been to the White River Campground hundreds of times before but never mid winter. With the help of snowmobiles Boot and myself rode into the campground early in the morning and broke trail up and around the Emmons Glacier. With blue skies, cold temps and great snow, this is a trip I will … Read more
The Flett Glacier Headwall is one of my favorite summer spot for me for ski touring. It’s a long distance to access the headwall from Mowich Lake in summer let alone in winter. With the weather looking so nice, however, I thought this would be the day to go for it. If the conditions lined up I would go for over Mount Pleasant and into Spray Park before riding the Flett Glacier Headwall.
The Flett Glacier headwall is located on the north side of Observation Rock in Mount Rainier National Park. The hike starts from Mowich Lake off the Carbon River Road and can be accessed via the Spray Park Trail or through Knapsack Pass. Starting at 8,300 feet it drops into Spray Park and turns can be had all year long.