Mystery From The Roof Of The World: Mallory & Irvine On Everest

By David Stilwill on Dec 12, 2007 in Adventure Icons, Featured, Mountaineering/Climbing, Non-Fiction

“..Then the whole fascinating vision vanished,
enveloped in cloud once more..”
Noel Odell
Geologist/Oxygen Officer
1924 Everest Expedition

“We will stomp to the top with the wind in our teeth.” Is a quote attributed to George Mallory and a little less cliche than his enduring catch phrase - “Because it is there.” Whether he did ‘stomp to the top‘ though has become the key question in a mountaineering riddle now eight decades in consideration.

In 1924 George Mallory and Andrew Irvine were the summit team attempting to make the first ascent on the worlds highest mountain. They were last reported seen by fellow team member, geologist Noel Odell, making their way up approximately 800 feet from the summit. They were never seen again.

There has never been any proof found that they succeeded in their attempt. Like mountain storms, the debate, opinion and publicity on the subject blow through seasonally, and have since 1924.
Three decades later Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay secured a place in the history books by becoming the first documented ascent of Everest and returning home safely.

In 1999, A search team brought renewed public interest to the issue when mountaineer Conrad Anker located the body of George Mallory on the north face of the mountain. Though answering some questions, the discovery has fueled more controversy and a camera supposedly carried by the team was not found. There has been no sign of Andrew Irving.

The camera. Some potential images frozen in time are perhaps the only thing to answer the question, the Rosetta Stone necessary to decipher one of mountaineerings all time enigmas. It may never be found. Photographs are unnecessary though, to place Mallory and Irvine upon the mountain shoulder to shoulder with the great adventurers. As icons and legends, their story has inspired generations and will continue to do so.

There are a lot of books and documentary material on the subject with future print and film projects reportedly in the works. Be careful, if you are the sort who can’t live without answers you just might find yourself en route to the Himalayas to search for a very frosty camera.