A photo of Alpha and Serratus from Zenith Ridge, in the Tantalus Range. The photo is part of a photo album of the Garibaldi area that was made by Neal Carter.

Nearly there — but there is not much room on the summit for the third climber. This incredible photo shows three BC Mountaineering Club members on the north ridge of Mount Tantalus in 1974.

At around 2600 metres, the view looking east towards Black Tusk would have been incredible.

Mount Tantalus may not be as famous as its neighbour Mount Garibaldi but it is almost as high. Mount Tantalus is only about sixty metres shorter. This makes climbing it just as impressive.

Here, Basil Darling is on the first recorded ascent of the peak, with a second unnamed man behind him. The second climber would have been his climbing partner Alan Morkill or J. Davies, with the photographer being the other partner. All three men recorded that first ascent.

Despite their elevation in the photo, the men look at ease on the climb.

A photo of Mount Pelion from Zenith Ridge in the Tantalus Range. The photo is part of a photo album of the Garibaldi area that was made by Neal Carter.

Perhaps another name for Mount Tantalus could be Mount Tantalizing. This account of the exploration of the Tantalus Range shows that for some climbers they got close but not close enough.

In the meantime, these mountaineers climbed other peaks and gave names to features that are well known today, such as Lake Lovely Water.

Neal Carter and some of his fellow BC Mountaineering Club climbers had a goal to reach the summit of Mount Tantalus. Their “assault” on the mountain was not successful. They got close but not close enough to reach the top. The photos in this album show their multi-day journey camping in the snow, crossing crevices, and traversing near-vertical snow slopes, only to have the mountain — twice — foil their goal.

A century ago, mountaineers saw mountains as a place to “conquer.” The use of the term “assault” here reflected the physical challenges that mountaineering presented and the need to overcome them. Today, with a more holistic view of relationships with the land and a reflection on colonial attitudes, “conquering” mountains is a concept being relegated to the history books.