Remote sensing is now widely used in glacier classification and monitoring. The synthetic aperture radar is hardly influenced by weather conditions and sensitive to ground wetness and roughness. Meanwhile, it has the penetration ability to ground objects. So it is promising in glacier mapping and monitoring. Until now SAR application in glacier is limited in theory and experiments, which is a hot topic in remote sensing of glacier research. This paper reviews the application of SAR in glacier zones recognition using the scattering property difference, flow velocity generation using InSAR and feature tracking, and glacier thickness monitoring using DInSAR generated DEM. The merits and limitations of SAR for glacier monitoring are investigated, and the promising theory and techniques for SAR to detect glaciers are introduced.