Resource person: Pam Petrie

Description:

In the 1920s and 1930s, once famed BC mountaineering couple Don and Phyllis Munday had begun getting the word out about 'Mystery Mountain' (later Mount Waddington, the tallest mountain within BC) in the 1920s, the race was on to be the first to climb it. The Mundays had climbed to the complex mountain's northwest peak, but one challenged remained: the final tower, a shaft of ice and rock. The rush to be the first to reach the true summit fell in to the historical context of many current quests for mountaineering glory at the time, whether it was in the attempt in conquering Mount Logan, the highest peak in Canada, or the tallest peak of them all, Everest. In this course, via readings from his book, and discussions with students, we'll get to know why there was such a rush to be the first to climb the tallest mountain in BC, and how this related to nationalism, the interwar period, and the traditions of mountaineering that ascended during the Victorian era in the Alps, brought over to Western Canada through immigration from the UK and Europe.

Instructor: Trevor Marc Hughes is the author of The Final Spire: 'Mystery Mountain' Mania in the 1930s & Capturing the Summit: Hamilton Mack Laing and the Mount Logan Expedition of 1925. He is the nonfiction editor for The British Columbia Review as well as the video segment producer for its BC author interview series.

Mandatory membership(s):

• Volunteer Membership 2026-27
• Life Membership
• Individual Membership 2026-27

Available spots: 30 out of 30

Price: $20.00 Taxes not included

Notes: Extra readings ahead of time could include the instructor's earlier book Capturing the Summit: Hamilton Mack Laing and the Mount Logan Expedition of 1925, as well as Wade Davis' book Into the Silence (about the men that attempted to climb Everest in the 1920s).

Prerequisites: Required Reading: The Final Spire: 'Mystery Mountain' Mania in the 1930s. Please read before the class.

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