The Final Spire: ‘Mystery Mountain’ Mania in the 1930s

by Trevor Marc Hughes

$26.95

• • April 2025
  • print ISBN: 978-1553807223
  • 6″ x 9″ Trade paper, 270 pages
  • History

In 1934, four mountaineers from Manitoba piled into their Plymouth and pointed its headlights west to Tatlayoko Lake in British Columbia. Their goal? To conquer B.C.’s tallest mountain.

These young adventurers were following in the footsteps of the courageous, sometimes tragic, attempts made by other climbers to summit “Mystery Mountain.” But one tantalizing challenge remained: the main tower. This central spire was a nightmarish image for any climber; a sheer column of barren rock encased in ice. But the irresistible allure of “Mystery Mountain” electrified the public and the race was on.

Praise for Trevor’s previous book, Capturing the Summit:

Hughes “writes with a strong sense of the epic that at times leaves one holding one’s breath with anticipation or fear, at times wanting to clap and cheer for the participants out loud, and at times smiling or even chuckling at an event that feels well-deserved, or shows the resourceful strategies used to circumvent a potential downfall or to amuse the person or persons involved.” – Miramichi Reader

“With the help of both Laing’s and Lambart’s diaries, Hughes delivers two adventure stories for the price of one.” – Vancouver Sun

“From his extensive research, Hughes weaves the tale of two concurrent, never repeated events into one story for the reader.” – Paul Geddes, Canadian Alpine Journal

“Trevor Marc Hughes tracks the connection of Laing’s story with natural history and photography amid changes in ornithology and conservation in early-twentieth-century Canada.” – BC Studies