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George Herbert Leigh Mallory

Born 18 June 1886(1886-06-18)
Mobberley, Cheshire, England
Died 8-9 June 1924 (age 37)
The North Face, Mount Everest, Tibet
Occupation Teacher, Mountaineer
Spouse Ruth

George Herbert Leigh Mallory (18 June 1886 – 8 June/9 June 1924) was an English mountaineer who took part in the first three British expeditions to Mount Everest in the early 1920s. Events 618 - Coronation of the Chinese governor Li Yuan as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, the new Emperor of China, initiating three centuries Year 1886 ( MDCCCLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Mobberley is a semi-rural village and civil parish in Cheshire. Cheshire (or archaically the County of Chester) is a county in North West England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Mount Everest, also called Sagarmatha (सगरमाथा meaning Head of the Sky) or Chomolungma, Qomolangma or Zhumulangma (in Definitions of Tibet See also Definitions of Tibet Name In English The English word Tibet, like the word for Tibet in most European In Education, a teacher is one who helps Students or pupils often in a School, as well as in a Family, religious or “Alpinist” redirects here See also Alpinist (magazine Mountaineering is the Sport, Hobby or Profession of Events 618 - Coronation of the Chinese governor Li Yuan as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, the new Emperor of China, initiating three centuries Year 1886 ( MDCCCLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 68 - The Roman Senate accepts emperor Galba. 536 - St Silverius becomes Pope (probable Events 53 - Roman Emperor Nero marries Claudia Octavia 62 - Claudia Octavia commits Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland “Alpinist” redirects here See also Alpinist (magazine Mountaineering is the Sport, Hobby or Profession of Mount Everest, also called Sagarmatha (सगरमाथा meaning Head of the Sky) or Chomolungma, Qomolangma or Zhumulangma (in On the third expedition, in June of 1924, Mallory and his climbing partner Andrew Irvine both disappeared somewhere high on the North-East ridge during (or perhaps after completing) the final stage of their attempt to make the first ascent of the world's highest mountain. Andrew "Sandy" Comyn Irvine (born 8 April 1902; died 8 or 9 June 1924) was an English mountaineer who took In Climbing, a first ascent (FA is the first modern recorded climb to reach the top of a Mountain, or the first to follow a particular Climbing route A mountain is a Landform that extends above the surrounding Terrain in a limited area with a peak The pair's last known sighting was only a few hundred metres from the summit. Mallory's ultimate fate was unknown for 75 years, until his body was finally discovered in 1999. Whether or not they reached the summit before they died remains a subject of speculation and continuing research.

Mallory is famously said to have replied to the question "why do you want to climb Mt. Everest?" with the retort: "because it is there", which has been called "the most famous four words in mountaineering". [1][2] Recently some questions have been raised regarding the authenticity of that quote, and whether Mallory had actually said it, with a possibility the quote was invented by a newspaper reporter. [3][4]

Contents

Early life, education, and teaching career

Mallory was born in Mobberley, Cheshire, the son of Herbert Leigh Mallory (1856–1943), a clergyman who legally changed his surname to Leigh-Mallory in 1914. Mobberley is a semi-rural village and civil parish in Cheshire. Cheshire (or archaically the County of Chester) is a county in North West England. A cleric ( Ancient Greek κληρικός - klērikos clergyman (pl George had two sisters — one older than he, one younger — and a younger brother Trafford Leigh-Mallory, the World War II Royal Air Force commander. Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh Leigh-Mallory KCB, DSO & Bar ( 11 July 1892 – 14 November 1944) was World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

In 1896, Mallory attended Glengorse, a preparatory boarding school in Eastbourne on the south coast of England, having transferred from another preparatory school in West Kirby. A boarding school is a School where some or all pupils not only study but also live during term time with their fellow students and possibly teachers Eastbourne ( is a large town and borough of East Sussex, on the south coast of England with an estimated population of 94816 as of 2007 West Kirby is a town located on the north west corner of the coast of the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England, at the mouth of the River Dee At the age of 13, he won a mathematics scholarship to Winchester College. Winchester College is a well-known boys' Independent school, and an example of an English Public school, in the city of Winchester in Hampshire In his penultimate year there, he was introduced to rock climbing by a master, R. L. G. Irving, who took a small number of pupils climbing in the Alps each year. In October of 1905, Mallory entered Magdalene College, Cambridge to study history. Magdalene College redirects here see also Magdalen College Oxford Magdalene College (ˈmɔːdlɪn was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel in time There, he became good friends with members of the Bloomsbury Group including James Strachey, Lytton Strachey, John Maynard Keynes, and Duncan Grant, who painted several portraits of Mallory. The Bloomsbury Group was an English collectivity of loving friends and relatives who lived in or near London during the first half of the twentieth century Giles Lytton Strachey (ˈdʒaɪlz ˈlɪtən ˈstreɪtʃɪ 1 March 1880 &ndash 21 January 1932 was a British writer and critic John Maynard Keynes 1st Baron Keynes CB (ˈkeɪnz "cains" (5 June 1883 &ndash 21 April 1946 was a British Economist whose ideas Duncan James Corrowr Grant (21 January 1885 – 8 May 1978 was a Scottish painter and member of the Bloomsbury Group. Mallory was a keen oarsman and rowed in his college "eight", but he did not (as has been written elsewhere) row for Cambridge in the annual Oxford/Cambridge boat race.

After taking his degree, Mallory stayed in Cambridge for a year writing an essay he later published as Boswell the Biographer (1912). He lived briefly in France, where Simon Bussy painted his portrait, now in London's National Portrait Gallery. On his return he decided to become a teacher. In 1910 he began teaching at Charterhouse School, Godalming, Surrey, where he met the poet Robert Graves, then a pupil; in his autobiography, Goodbye to All That, Graves remembered Mallory fondly, both for his encouragement of Graves' interest in literature and poetry, and for his instruction in climbing. Charterhouse, originally Sutton's Hospital in Charterhouse, is a prominent boys independent or public school as they're known in Britain between Robert Graves (24 July 1895 &ndash 7 December 1985 was an English Poet, Translator and Novelist. Mallory was best man at Graves' wedding in 1918.

While at Charterhouse he met his wife, Ruth, who lived in Godalming, and they were married in 1914, just six days before Britain and Germany went to war. George and Ruth had two daughters and a son: Clare, born 1915; Beridge (1917); and John (1920). In December 1915 Mallory joined the Royal Garrison Artillery as 2nd lieutenant and in 1916 participated in the shelling of the Somme. After the war he returned to Charterhouse, resigning in 1921 in order to join the first Everest expedition (see below). In between expeditions, he attempted to make a living from writing and lecturing, with only partial success. In 1923 he took a job as lecturer with the Cambridge University Extramural Studies Department. He was given temporary leave so that he could join the 1924 Everest attempt.

Climbing

In Europe

In 1904, Mallory and a friend attempted to climb Mont Velan in the Alps, but turned back shortly before the summit due to Mallory's altitude sickness. Altitude sickness, also known as acute mountain sickness ( AMS) altitude illness, or soroche, is a pathological condition that is caused by acute In 1911, Mallory climbed Mont Blanc, as well as making the third ascent of the Frontier ridge of Mont Maudit in a party led by R. Mont Blanc Massif The Mont Blanc ( French for white mountain) or Monte Bianco ( Italian 'White Mountain' also Mont Maudit (4465 m is a Mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in France and Italy. L. G. Irving.

By 1913 he was at the peak of his rock-climbing powers and ascended Pillar Rock in the English Lake District, with no aid or assistance, by what is now known as "Mallory's Route" – currently graded Hard Very Severe 5a (American grading 5. |} Pillar is a Mountain in the western part of the English Lake District. The Lake District, also known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a rural area in North West England. In Rock climbing, Mountaineering and other Climbing disciplines climbers give a climbing grade to a route that concisely describes the difficulty 9). It is likely to have been the hardest route in Britain for many years.

In Asia

In 1921 he participated in the British Reconnaissance Expedition, organised and financed by the Mount Everest Committee, that explored routes up to the North Col of Mount Everest. The Mount Everest Committee was a body formed by the Alpine Club and the Royal Geographical Society to co-ordinate and finance the 1921 British Reconnaissance The North Col refers to the pass or col connecting Mount Everest and Changtse in Tibet. Mount Everest, also called Sagarmatha (सगरमाथा meaning Head of the Sky) or Chomolungma, Qomolangma or Zhumulangma (in The expedition produced the first accurate maps of the region around the mountain. Although he was accompanied by several senior members of Britain's Alpine Club and by surveyors based in India, the debilitating effect of altitude meant that Mallory, his climbing partner Guy Bullock and E. The Alpine Club was founded in London in 1857 and was probably the world's first mountaineering club. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country O. Wheeler of the Survey of India performed most of the exploration of the slopes. The Survey of India is India 's central engineering agency in charge of Mapping and Surveying. Under Mallory's leadership, and with the assistance of around a dozen Sherpas, the group climbed several lower peaks near Everest. For other uses of the word Sherpa see Sherpa (disambiguation. including the North Col of Everest (7,066 m or about 23,000 ft) to gain an understanding of the potential North Face route to the summit. His party were almost certainly the first Westerners to view the Western Cwm at the foot of the Lhotse face, as well as charting the course of the Rongbuk Glacier up to the base of the North Face. Often called the "Valley of Silence" the Western Cwm ( cwm pronounced coom is Welsh for "valley" is a broad flat gently undulating Lhotse (in Nepal officially ल्होत्से, in China officially Lhozê; Tibetan in Wylie transliteration: lho rtse; ImageHimalaya_annotatedjpg|thumb|250px|right|Rongbuk Glacier and Mount Everest as seen from the International Space Station After circling the mountain from the south side, his party finally discovered the East Rongbuk Glacier--the highway to the summit now used by nearly all climbers on the Tibetan side of the mountain. By climbing up to the saddle of the North Ridge (the North Col), Mallory not only became the first human to set foot on the actual mountain, but spied a route to the summit via the North-East Ridge over the obstacle of the Second Step.

In 1922 Mallory returned to the Himalaya as part of the party led by General Charles Granville Bruce and climbing leader Edward Lisle Strutt, with a view to making a serious attempt on the summit. Brigadier-General Charles Granville Bruce, CB, MVO ( 7 April 1866 at London – 12 July 1939 at London Lt-Col Edward Lisle Strutt CBE, DSO ( 8 February 1874 - 7 July 1948) was an English Soldier and Eschewing their bottled oxygen, on ethical grounds, Mallory led his climbing team of Howard Somervell and Edward Norton almost to the crest of the North-East ridge. Oxygen (from the Greek roots ὀξύς (oxys (acid literally "sharp" from the taste of acids and -γενής (-genēs (producer literally begetteris the Despite being hampered and slowed by the thin air, they achieved a record altitude of 26,985 ft (8,225 m) before weather conditions and the late hour forced them to retreat. A second party led by George Ingle Finch reached a height of approx. George Ingle Finch FRS ( 4 August 1888 – 22 November 1970) was a chemist and mountaineer 27,300 feet (8,321 m) using bottled oxygen (both for climbing and sleeping) and climbing at record speeds--a fact that Mallory reluctantly returned to in the next expedition. Mallory organised a third attempt on the summit, departing as the monsoon arrived. While he was leading a group of porters on the lower slopes of the North Col of Everest in fresh, waist-high snow, an avalanche swept over the group, killing seven Sherpas. This article refers to the natural event For other uses see Avalanche (disambiguation An avalanche is an abrupt and rapid flow of snow often The attempt was immediately abandoned, and Mallory returned home to face criticism for the outcome of the second expedition.

Mallory's last climb

June 1924 expedition to Everest

George Mallory joined the 1924 Everest expedition — his third — led as in 1922 by General Bruce, believing it would be his last opportunity to climb the mountain. Following a failed first attempt by Mallory and Geoffrey Bruce, and then another by Norton and Somervell, on 8 June 1924 Mallory and Andrew Irvine attempted to reach the top via the North Col route. Events 68 - The Roman Senate accepts emperor Galba. 536 - St Silverius becomes Pope (probable Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Andrew "Sandy" Comyn Irvine (born 8 April 1902; died 8 or 9 June 1924) was an English mountaineer who took The pair used oxygen, Mallory having been converted from his original scepticism by the experience of Finch in 1922.

Keen-sighted expedition colleague Noel Odell reported the following:

At 12. Noel Ewart Odell ( 25 December 1890 – 21 February 1987) was an English Geologist and Mountaineer. 50, just after I had emerged from a state of jubilation at finding the first definite fossils on Everest, there was a sudden clearing of the atmosphere, and the entire summit ridge and final peak of Everest were unveiled. My eyes became fixed on one tiny black spot silhouetted on a small snow-crest beneath a rock-step in the ridge; the black spot moved. Another black spot became apparent and moved up the snow to join the other on the crest. The first then approached the great rock-step and shortly emerged at the top; the second did likewise. Then the whole fascinating vision vanished, enveloped in cloud once more.

– Noel Odell, geologist

At the time, Odell identified his sighting to have been on the Second Step of the ridge. Noel Ewart Odell ( 25 December 1890 – 21 February 1987) was an English Geologist and Mountaineer. A geologist is a contributor to the Science of Geology, studying the physical structure and processes of the Earth and planets of the solar system No evidence, apart from his testimony, has thus far been found that they climbed higher than about the First Step (one of their spent oxygen cylinders was found shortly below the First Step; and Irvine's ice axe was also found nearby in 1933) but it has never been disproved either. They never returned to their camp and died somewhere high on the mountain.

It is assumed that Mallory and Irvine died either on 8 June or, at the latest, the next day. The news of Mallory and Irvine's disappearance was widely mourned in Britain to the extent that the two were hailed as national heroes. George Leigh Mallory's funeral service was held at St. Paul's Cathedral, London and was attended by a wealth of family and friends as well as prime minister of the time J. Ramsay Macdonald, the entire British cabinet and the British Royal family, headed at the time by King George V. St Paul's Cathedral, is the Anglican Cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. James Ramsay MacDonald ( 12 October 1866 &ndash 9 November 1937) was a British politician and twice Prime Minister of the United

Lost on Everest for 75 years

After their disappearance, several expeditions tried to find their remains (and perhaps determine if they had, in fact, reached the summit). One of these, Tom Holzel's Mt. Everest North Face Research Expedition (MENFREE) search expedition of 1986, learned from a Chinese climber that — in spite of official denials — his tent-mate, Wang Hung-bao, had stumbled across "an English dead" at 26,570 feet (8,100 m) in 1975. Holzel's report of Wang's sighting rekindled interest in in the fate of Mallory, but few climbers were willing to trade search time in place of a summit attempt.

In 1999, the Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition, sponsored in part by the TV show Nova and the BBC and organized and led by Eric Simonson, arrived at Everest to search for the lost pair. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) The goal of the Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition of 1999 was to discover evidence of whether George Mallory and Andrew Irvine had been the first to summit Nova is a Popular science Television series from the US produced by WGBH Boston Guided by researcher Jochen Hemmleb, within hours of beginning the search, the frozen body of Mallory was found by Conrad Anker at 26,760 feet (8,160 m) on the north face of the mountain. Conrad Anker (born 1962 is an American rock climber, mountaineer, and Author famous for his challenging ascents in the high Himalaya The body was remarkably well preserved due to the mountain's climate. The team could not locate the camera that Mallory had reportedly carried with him. Experts from Kodak have said that if a camera is ever found, there is some chance that its film could be developed to produce printable images, if extraordinary measures are taken. Eastman Kodak Company ( is an American multinational Public company which produces imaging and photographic materials and equipment [For the Eastman Kodak film developing protocol, see: http://www.velocitypress.com/mallory_irvine.shtml#A127_Film]

The expedition conducted an Anglican service for Mallory and buried his remains. Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs

Did Mallory and Irvine reach Everest's summit?

A considerable number of clues, but as yet no solution, to the mystery have been found in the eight decades since Mallory and Irvine's last climb.

Clues from Mallory's body

From the rope-jerk injury around his waist, encircled by the remnants of a climbing rope, it appears that the two were roped together when Mallory fell. The body lay roughly below the location of an ice axe found in 1933 and generally believed to belong to Irvine, although not close enough to assume with any certainty that it was the site of Mallory's fall. The fact that the body was relatively unbroken (in comparison to other bodies found on Everest) also suggests that Mallory may not have fallen such a long distance.

Two details noted when Mallory's body was discovered are tantalising:

Oxygen supply

From the location of their final camp (discovered in 2001), the summit climb may be estimated to have taken them around eleven hours. Assuming they took two cylinders each, they only had about eight hours of oxygen available, so – although this depends on the flow rate, which could be controlled and was not necessarily used on full flow – the oxygen would almost certainly have run out before they reached the summit. The two flow rates available on those oxygen sets were 1. 5 and 2. 2 litres/min. Both are low rates for active climbing, and it is unlikely the two would have used the lower flow rate. One of their oxygen bottles was found some 200 yards short of the First Step, which enables their speed of climbing to be calculated. It can be estimated that at best they might have reached the base of the Second Step with one-and-a-half hours of oxygen remaining each. Given the distance remaining, and that the climb to the summit after the Second Step is estimated to be at least three hours, this is probably too long for both of them to have reached the summit while still on oxygen.

Although some recent climbers have climbed Everest without the aid of oxygen, these are either extraordinary athletes, fully hyrated and wearing the latest wind-proof clothing, or Sherpas who are genetically endowed with high-altitude capability. Like the four-minute mile, this not within the capabilities of the pre WW-II climbers. Thus, the best chance for Mallory to have reached the summit was if he had relieved Irvine of his oxygen at the First Step and sent him down to safety. However, string rope-jerk injuries around Mallory's waist strongly suggest the two were roped together when they Mallory fell. Other historians suggest that, after having seen the extreme technical difficulty of the Second Step, the two may have switched to the Norton Route, i. e. , via the Great Couloir. While theoretically possible, there is no physical evidence for this possibility.

Another possibility, prompted by Mallory's remark in his last note to John Noel that they would "probably go on two cylinders", is that the pair carried three, not two cylinders each (Mallory's "probably" implying that the choice was between two or three, as a single cylinder would clearly be inadequate). Mallory's oxygen rig was not with his body and has never been found.

The difficult "Second Step"

Experienced modern climbers disagree on whether Mallory was capable of climbing the infamous "Second Step" on the North Ridge, now surmounted via a 15-ft aluminium ladder permanently fixed in place by Chinese climbers to avoid the problem. The Second Step was first climbed by the Chinese in 1960. It was climbed "free" (without artificial aid) by Spanish climber Oscar Cadiach in 1985. He rated the 15-foot crack that forms the crux 5. 7-5. 8 (5+ UIAA grading), certainly accepted as within Mallory's ability. In Rock climbing, Mountaineering and other Climbing disciplines climbers give a climbing grade to a route that concisely describes the difficulty However, on Cadiach's climb, the Second Step was filled with a hard snow ramp that made its ascent considerably easier than in the conditions faced by Mallory. Austrian Theo Fritsche repeated the free climb solo — that is, without rope protection — in 2001 under dry pre-monsoon conditions (as in 1924), and supported Cadiach's assessment of 5. 7–5. 8. Fritsche completed the climb without supplementary oxygen (as did Cadiach), wearing only a light down jacket, and believes that Mallory could have summitted in his clothing on a good day.

In June 2007, as part of the Altitude Everest Expedition, Conrad Anker and Leo Houlding successfully free-climbed the Second Step, having first removed the Chinese ladder (which was later replaced). Houlding rated the climb at 5. 9, just barely within Mallory's estimated capabilities. The climb was part of an expedition designed to film a recreation of the 1924 climb as closely as possible. However, Anker fell off the crack on his first attempt, raising the question if a 5. 12-grade climber has trouble with it, how well can a 5. 9 climber be expected to do. Eight years earlier Anker had climbed the Second Step as part of the Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition but had used one point of aid by stepping on a rung of the ladder. The goal of the Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition of 1999 was to discover evidence of whether George Mallory and Andrew Irvine had been the first to summit At that time he had rated the climb at 5. 10 and probably beyond Mallory; after the June 2007 climb he changed his view and said that "Mallory and Irvine could have climbed it". The climbing community still remains split on the subject of whether Mallory was capable of having climbed the Second Step.

Mallory is known to have "swarmed up" a very similar obstacle in alpine conditions on the Nesthorn (3,824 m) in the Swiss Alps, and his companions were under no illusions about either his considerable ability or his visionary, idealistic self-motivation.

As for climbing difficulties, Mallory is known to have climbed comfortably at HVS (Hard Very Severe) standard or 5. 8–5. 9 range in North Wales. Many of his early pioneering rock climbs were undertaken on Y Lliwedd, a near-1,000 ft often-loose cliff face, which is part of the Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) massif. Y Lliwedd is a subsidiary peak of Yr Wyddfa ( Snowdon) in Snowdonia National Park, North Wales. Those who have climbed on this face in mountaineering boots, perhaps armed with only basic equipment, will understand the genuine difficulty of a climb of HVS standard when so-equipped – and come to truly appreciate Mallory's boldness and physical ability. But on this, his final climb, he had already taxed himself by a previous aborted ascent, along with the other standard, strenuous activities of being on Everest.

Initially, Noel Odell believed he had seen Mallory and Irvine ascend the Second Step. However the British climbing establishment increasingly questioned this opinion, and Odell eventually gave in. Towards the end of his life, however, he expressed his original view, stating with conviction that he had seen them climb the Second Step. And if his eyewitness report is accurate, the topography he describes does appear to much better describe the Second or even the Third Step on the ridge rather than the First. One alternative theory suggests that when Odell saw them climbing a Step, he assumed they were still ascending--and thus had to be on the Second Step, as the First is not on the route to the summit. It fit nicely into the general disdain for the oxygen equipment, to blame it for the five hour delay of where Mallory had stated he expected to be. Thus, when Odell saw them, he immediately assumed they were still ascending, but woefully late. Therefore they could only have been climbing the Second Step. But if they were already on their descent, the unproven oxygen malfunction issue goes away, the unlikely late start theory disappears, and they are closer to estimates of climbing time in their descent from perhaps as high as the base of the Second Step. Odell then, the throry goes, saw them clambering up the First Step as a vantage point from which to view the complex route to the Second Step before returning to the North Col. (This is what the French did in 1981 when they, too, could no longer continue upward. )

Further expeditions

The 1999 research team returned to the mountain in 2001 to conduct further research. They discovered Mallory and Irvine's last camp, but failed to find either Irvine or a camera. In 2004, another expedition (unrelated to the 1999 and 2001 team) searched for the cameras and other clues that either had reached the summit, but found no significant new evidence. A fourth initiative in 2005 also proved fruitless.

Possible sightings of Irvine

In 1979 a Chinese climber named Wang Hongbao reported that, in 1975, he had seen the body of an "English dead" at 8100 m, a 20 minute walk from his bivouac tent. Tragically, Wang was killed in an avalanche a day after the report and so the location was never precisely fixed. This article refers to the natural event For other uses see Avalanche (disambiguation An avalanche is an abrupt and rapid flow of snow often However, in 1986, Chinese climber Zhang Junyan (who had been sharing the tent with Wang in 1975) confirmed Wang's report of finding a foreign climber's body to Tom Holzel. If this report was accurate, at that altitude and date, the only possible identity of the body was that of Mallory or Irvine. Wang's sighting was the key to the discovery of Mallory's body 20 years later in the same general area, though Wang's reported description of the body ("hole in cheek") does not fit that of Mallory, who was face down and his face was completely buried in scree but with a plum-sized puncture wound on his forehead). The 2001 research expedition discovered Wang's campsite location and made an extensive search of its surroundings. Mallory remained the only ancient body in the vicinity, and some argue it was indeed Mallory that Wang had found in 1975, despite the wide variances in body position.

Another Chinese climber, Xu Jing, claims to have seen the body of Andrew Irvine in 1960 (see Hemmleb and Simonson, Detectives on Everest), although testimony is uncertain with regard to the location of his find. On two occasions, he placed it between Camps VI and VII (Yellow Band, c. 8300 m), while later changing it to the NE-Ridge between the First and Second Steps (c. 8550 m). In spite of several such rumored and reported sightings, subsequent searches of the North Face have failed to find any concrete trace of Irvine since his ice-ax was discovered in '33. Some climbers believe Xu could very well have spotted Irvine. He was reportedly lying on his back in a rock clef--a sign that he died after lying down to recover from either a serious injury or simply to rest. The position of the body also better matches the desciption Xu Jing gave.

Assessments by climbing partners

Harry Tyndale: one of Mallory's climbing partners, said of Mallory: "In watching George at work one was conscious not so much of physical strength as of suppleness and balance; so rhythmical and harmonious was his progress in any steep place . . . that his movements appeared almost serpentine in their smoothness. "

Tom Longstaff: with Mallory on the 1922 Everest expedition, wrote in a letter to a friend, "It is obvious to any climber that they got up. Tom George Longstaff ( 15 January 1875 - 26 June 1964) was an English doctor explorer and mountaineer most famous for being the first You cannot expect of that pair to weigh up the chances of return. I should be weighing them still. It sounds a fair day. Probably they were above those clouds that hid them from Odell. How they must have appreciated that view of half the world. It was worthwhile to them. Now, they will never grow old and I am very sure they would not change places with any of us. "

Geoffrey Winthrop Young: one of the most accomplished alpine climbers of his day, held Mallory's ability in awe: "His movement in climbing was entirely his own. Geoffrey Winthrop Young DLitt (1876 – 1958 was a British Climber and Author of several notable books on Mountaineering. It contradicted all theory. He would set his foot high against any angle of smooth surface, fold his shoulder to his knee, and flow upward and upright again on an impetuous curve. Whatever may have happened unseen the while between him and the cliff . . . the look, and indeed the result, were always the same – a continuous undulating movement so rapid and so powerful that one felt the rock must yield, or disintegrate. " When informed of Odell's belief that Mallory had climbed the Second Step, Winthrop Young was convinced he made the summit. He wrote: "After nearly twenty years' knowledge of Mallory as a mountaineer, I can say that difficult as it would have been for any mountaineer to turn back, with the only difficulty past, to Mallory it would have been an impossibility. "

Theories

A range of different outcomes have been proposed, and new theories continue to be put forward. Most views have the two carrying two cylinders of oxygen each, reaching and climbing either the First or Second Step, where they are seen by Odell. At this point there are two main alternatives: either Mallory takes Irvine's oxygen and goes on alone (and may or may not reach the summit); or both go on together until they turn back (having used up their oxygen, or realizing that they will do so before the summit). In either case Mallory slips and falls to his death while descending, perhaps caught in the fierce snow squall that sent Odell to take shelter in their tent. Irvine either falls with him or, in the first scenario, dies alone of exhaustion and hypothermia high up on the ridge. The theory advanced by Tom Holzel in February 2008 is that Odell sighted Mallory and Irvine at the First Step while they were descending from a failed summit bid. As with all good mysteries, the fragmentary evidence leaves much room for speculation and hypothesis.

First real ascent, or just to the summit?

Even if evidence is uncovered which shows that George Mallory or Andrew Irvine reached the summit of Everest in 1924, some believe that the historical record should not be changed to state that they made the first ascent, displacing Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. In Climbing, a first ascent (FA is the first modern recorded climb to reach the top of a Mountain, or the first to follow a particular Climbing route Sir Edmund Percival Hillary, KG, ONZ, KBE (20 July 1919 &ndash 11 January 2008 was a New Zealand mountaineer and explorer Many mountaineers maintain that a successful first ascent not only involves reaching the summit, but also returning to the bottom. Indeed, George Mallory's own son John Mallory, who was only three years old when his father died, said:

"To me the only way you achieve a summit is to come back alive. The job is half done if you don't get down again".

John Mallory had mixed feelings about his dead father's celebrity status, explaining understandably that he would far rather have had a father than a legend.

Sir Edmund Hillary's assessment

Sir Edmund Hillary echoed a similar perspective, asking:

"If you climb a mountain for the first time and die on the descent, is it really a complete first ascent of the mountain? I am rather inclined to think personally that maybe it is quite important, the getting down, and the complete climb of a mountain is reaching the summit and getting safely to the bottom again. Sir Edmund Percival Hillary, KG, ONZ, KBE (20 July 1919 &ndash 11 January 2008 was a New Zealand mountaineer and explorer "

Chris Bonington's assessment

In conclusion, Chris Bonington, the widely respected British Himalayan mountaineer, summed up the view of many mountaineers all over the world:

"If we accept the fact that they were above the Second Step, they would have seemed to be incredibly close to the summit of Everest and I think at that stage something takes hold of most climbers . Sir Christian John Storey Bonington, CBE (born 6 August 1934 in Hampstead, London) is an British Mountaineer . . And I think therefore taking all those circumstances in view . . . I think it is quite conceivable that they did go for the summit . . . I certainly would love to think that they actually reached the summit of Everest. I think it is a lovely thought and I think it is something, you know, gut emotion, yes I would love them to have got there. Whether they did or not, I think that is something one just cannot know. "

Court named after Mallory

Writings of Mallory

Climbing among Mallory's family

References to Mallory in the media

See also

Further reading

References

  1. ^ CLIMBING MOUNT EVEREST IS WORK FOR SUPERMEN New York Times, March 18, 1923
  2. ^ HAZARDS OF THE ALPS. New York Times, August 29, 1923
  3. ^ Holzel, Tom, and Salkeld, Audrey. The Mystery of Mallory & Irvine, Mountaineers Books, 2000, pp. 172-176.
  4. ^ Rees, Nigel. Brewer's Famous Quotations: 5000 Quotations and the Stories Behind Them, Orion, 2006, p. 309.
  5. ^ Air of Authority — A History of RAF Organisation. Retrieved on 2007-08-26. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert.
  6. ^ Everest Summits 1995 EverestHistory. com

External links

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