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..

A Little Bit of Info About the Sarvant Glacier

The Sarvant Glacier is situated between the Cowlitz Chimneys and Banshee Peak in Mount Rainier National Park. It is located on the Eastern side of the Park and is the source of Wright Creek which flows into Fryingpan Creek. Starting at around 7,000 ft and extending down to 5,700 ft it is a north facing glacier in the rain shadow of Mount Rainier. It is named after Henery M Sarvant who mapped out the Mount Rainier area in 1894.

Heading up Wright Creek to the Alpine Basin

It had been months since either of us had been on White River road and there was no signs of anyone else. We road in over two feet of fresh snow heading up the road. It was obvious that the moment we lost momentum we would have to dig the snowmobiles out. With that in mind we started a mile and a half down the road from Fryingpan Creek. The old growth heading up Wright Creek was amazing and complex, skinning around trees bigger then 10 feet in width. Three hours later we got our first glimpse of alpine conditions and more specifically one of the Cowlitz Chimneys.

The scenery was out of this world as reached the bottom of the basin. With glacier carved features and 3 separate cirques to choose from it would have been a perfect spot to base camp out of.

The weather was quiet with a little bit of wind and a trace of blue skies. We were in the rain shadow of Mount Rainier which was a welcome situation as most areas were socked in. We traded off breaking trail up the glacier in over a foot of unconsolidated new snow. Finally making it to a low col in the early afternoon.

Checking out the Terrain around the Area

Once on the col the clouds started moving in and we had to make a decision. Should we push on or turn around and call it a day? We decided to head up to the Cowlitz Chimneys col in hopes that it would clear up enough that we could check the terrain out.

After a hour of waiting for the clouds to clear to no avail we decided to turn around and head back. Instead of dropping in off the mellow col we skinned up, we went for a more aggressive face that gave us more options on the descent. Arriving on top of our line we could see the the Sunrise area and Fryingpan Creek in the distance. They both seemed so close but from previous experience we knew that wasn’t the case.

Snowboarding down the Sarvant Glacier

The conditions were everything we expected and more as we dropped into our line. There was a fear of potential slabs but other then the minor sluff it was stable. We enjoyed effortless pow turns down the huge open face. While we weren’t able to ride the Cowlitz Chimneys I was stoked to be riding the Sarvant Glacier.

After riding down the glacier we still had a bit more time so we decided to go for a second lap. I had noticed a steep chute on the way and wanted to ride it. After skinning back up the glacier I spotted the entrance and prepared to drop in. While looking up I had guessed it was 20 feet wide but upon entering, it became apparent it was half the size. The snow was soft and manageable riding down the steep chute. Once the line opened up it was smooth sailing down the two mile apron. Heading down Wright Creek was a different story being low angled with lots of ups and downs. Before long we were back at the sleds and riding back to the car at the Crystal Springs Snowpark. It was a great day and we were looking forward to another day of the same.

In Conclusion

It was a great day with numerous different options for ski descents. The area is so sheltered that it is the last place to hold snow. While Wright Creek was a nasty approach it is worth all the effort. There are numerous ways to approach it and if it was spring I would consider heading there via Fryingpan Gap. Long story short is that it is a great place that I highly recommend.

Thank you for reading our trip to the Sarvant Glacier. If want to see more ski tours within Mount Rainier Backcountry check out this link