Book Review

‘The Mt. Shasta Book’

— Andy Selters & Michael Zanger

Climbing Mount Shasta can be an intimidating proposition. The mountain is massive, glaciated, and legendary for its foul weather. Andy Selters and Michael Zanger's Mt. Shasta Book is an excellent source for non-technical climbers and hikers looking to summit this magnificent volcano.

The Mt. Shasta Book features 17 classic climbs to Mount Shasta's 14,169-foot summit, including Avalanche Gulch and the Hotlum-Wintun Ridge, as well as numerous day hikes for the less adventurous, plus mountain biking and ski touring information, and even boating and kayaking spots.

Additionally, you'll find an unexpected wealth of flora, fauna, historical, and geological information here. You'll read about the first Europeans to see Shasta, and the first climbers to summit it.

Selters and Zanger also write about Shasta's mystique, which seems to cast a spell upon nearly all who visit:

However we mountain lovers try to define our interest, most of us find there's more to Mount Shasta than we can explain. Something pervasive but not quite tangible draws people to this giant of a mountain...

While we can't hope to guide readers into ineffable states of mind, we can hint that for many people Mt. Shasta embodies an inspiring and magical presence, yet a presence experienced differently by each person.

I will not only heartily endorse these sentiments, I'll note that the authors' clear passion for Mount Shasta has inspired them to produce a guidebook that goes beyond the ordinary in trying to capture and share the Shasta experience.

For the more pragmatically inclined, The Mt. Shasta Book also includes a full-size pull-out topo map with every climbing route marked, as well as Shasta's major features and landmarks and many of the north-side access forest service roads. The map alone is probably worth the cover price.

Technical climbers may prefer Porcella & Burns' guidebook, Climbing California's Fourteeners, which offers a bit more in-depth information on Shasta's climbing routes, particularly the north-side ridge variations.

Fourteeners, however, can't match this book's breadth of coverage (where else are you going to find information about Shasta's lava caves?)

Whether you're looking for route information to get you to the summit, a regional guide to the Shasta area, or a well-researched study of the mountain's history and lore, Selters and Zanger's guidebook will get you started on your own Shasta adventure.

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