By james art George Mallory and Andrew Irvine’s ill-fated Everest expedition takes a new twist as recent discoveries shed light on Irvine’s remains, offering new clues.
Clues to Everest’s 100-year mystery emerge after climber’s foot found
The long-standing mystery of Everest climbers Sandy Irvine and George Mallory may finally be solved after 100 years. A team working with National Geographic is believed to have discovered the remains of one of the climbers. In September, the team discovered a boot and a sock that emerged from a melting glacier on Mount Everest. This discovery intrigued the experts and the team began looking for more evidence that could help unravel the fate of the lost explorers and their expedition. Now let’s dig into the details of the discovery and see what the researchers have to say.
Details of the shocking discovery
A National Geographic documentary crew discovered a human boot and foot along with a sock with the name “AC Irvine” stitched on it. The researchers found this on the melted ice of the Central Rongbuk Glacier. A few days before finding the boot, the team also found an oxygen cylinder that revealed clues to another explorer from the 1933 expedition. “Free Solo” co-director Jimmy Chin explained to CNN, “This was the first real evidence of where Sandy ended up . Many theories were put forth.” The team was constantly searching for items such as Irvine’s Kodak Vest pocket camera that could provide photos of their ascent and help solve the mystery.
In memory of the 1924 expedition
Knewz.com has learned that Andrew Irvine and his climbing partner George Mallory wanted to be the first to climb Mount Everest, but disappeared on June 8, 1924. In 1999, Mallory’s remains were discovered, leading researchers to think Irvine’s fate. However, with the discovery of the boot, historians were eager to learn more about what happened during the expedition and to conclude about the untimely death. Chin told The Independent: “When someone goes missing and there is no evidence of what happened to them, it can be a challenge for families. Just having some definitive information on where Sandy might have ended up was certainly helpful and also a big clue to the climbing community as to what happened.”
Irvine’s niece was overwhelmed
Chin, along with his team, very carefully removed the boot after seeing birds disturbing the find. They transferred it and gave it to the China-Tibetan Mountaineering Association (CTMA). After the discovery, the team immediately contacted Irvine’s family, who were seeking closure, especially his niece, who had even written a book about him: Fearless on Everest: The Search for Sandy Irvine. Irvine’s great-niece, Julie Summers, told CNN: “I’ve lived with this story since I was seven when my dad told us about the mystery of Uncle Sandy on Everest.” She added: “The story became more real when climbers found George’s body Mallory in 1999 and I wondered if Sandy’s body would be found next time. A quarter of a century after that discovery, it seemed extremely unlikely that anything new would be discovered.”
Theories speculating about the fate of Mallory Irvine
According to Chin, experts have shared their opinions on various theories related to the tragic expedition. One theory suggests that the Mallory-Irvine duo may be facing difficulties in achieving their goal. They were last seen by colleague Noel Odell near the Second Step, looking healthy and thriving. Another theory suggests that both may have fallen while descending from the summit. Deep rope marks found on Mallory’s remains hint at the challenges of climbing to high altitude. Other theories include bad weather and health conditions. In his biography, Summers wrote, according to Newsweek, “It’s an object that belonged to him and has a piece of him in it. It tells the whole story of what probably happened.”