Speedy Traverse of B.C.’s Tantalus Range
Eric Carter completed the west coast traverse alone in less than nine hours
Eric Carter recently traversed the Tantalus Range on B.C.’s west coast in an impressive eight hours, 59 minutes and six seconds. The sub-nine-hour traverse is the fastest known time (FKT) of the route.
In 2016, Carter and Nick Elson set the FKT for the traverse at 11 hours and 20 minutes. Carter has had several FKTs to his name, including the Rogers Pass Horseshoe Traverse with Leif Godberson. To see some of his fast times, visit Carter’s FKT page here.
The Traverse includes summiting classic peaks like Tantalus, Dionne and Alpha and Serratus. In Carter’s 2016 trip report, he said they travelled 36.5 km with 3,800 m of elevation gain. He concluded that FKT summary with the following:
“While I think this was probably the fastest absolute crossing of the Tantalus, I suspect others have done it quite quickly. I also think that it has probably been done quickly in a better style – tagging more summits. I think the ultimate traverse in terms of an aesthetic line and good style would be a traverse of the whole range, including the peaks at the back of the lake. Things to build up to…”