Early 1920's EVEREST Expeditions - Did Mallory & Irvine SUMMIT Mount Everest???
In today’s video, we’ll be looking back at the first three explorations of Mt. Everest, which took place all the way back in the 1920’s and climaxed with the disappearance of two climbing legends and then the discovery of one of them 75 years later. In 1921, the Mount Everest Committee was formed in England to fund and support a reconnaissance expedition to explore the mountain. This expedition was led by Charles Howard Bury and included George Mallory, a teacher, writer and mountaineer who previously reached the summit of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps at 15,773 feet. Mt. Everest, however, was in an entirely different league at over 29,000 feet.
Mont Blanc
At the time of this exploration, no Westerner had been within 50 miles of the mountain. During the initial trek, before even reaching the mountain, one member of the team, Alexander Kellas, died of a heart attack and another, Harold Raeburn, fell so ill he had to turn around. These were the two older, more experienced mountaineers on the team. Still, the 1921 expedition was a success in the fact that thousands of square miles had been surveyed and mapped out. It was a treacherous mission performed without the use of supplemental oxygen, but the team reached the North Col at 23,000 feet and Mallory traced a potential route to the summit.
At this time, climbing from the more technical north side was the only option as the south side was in the forbidden country of Nepal. Of course, there is no safe route up Everest and the south side has its own challenges, such as the Khumbu Icefall.
In 1922, Mallory returned to Everest along with a new team, led by Brigadier General C.G. Bruce. This was the first Everest expedition to use bottled oxygen. Counting sherpas, there were about 160 men as part of the expedition. The 1921 route that Mallory helped discover was followed, heading through the valley of the Rongbuk Glacier and eventually arriving at the North Col. The team fought through horrendous conditions to set up a high camp at around 25,000 feet. The vast majority of climbers were becoming too sick to continue. Ultimately, Mallory, along with three others, Edward F. Norton, Dr. Howard Somervell, and Henry Morshead, made the first attempt at the summit, opting to not bring oxygen. Morshead had to turn around due to exhaustion and frostbite and the other three turned around shortly after 2 PM after reaching nearly 27,000 feet, a world record.
Edward F. Norton
A second attempt at the summit was made by four others, including Geoffrey Bruce, the cousin of expedition leader C.G. Bruce, and George Finch. During this summit attempt, oxygen would be used. The team ended up stormbound for two nights. They pushed through deadly conditions to reach a new record 27,300 feet but eventually had no choice but to turn back due to severe winds, problems with the oxygen, and exhaustion.
At this point, it was a miracle that no one had been killed. The medical expert of the team, Dr. Tom Longstaff, recommended that the expedition be terminated at this point since most climbers were either completely exhausted or extremely ill. This advice was not taken and a third attempt was made. George Mallory was part of this attempt along with three other climbers and thirteen Sherpas. It was snowing so much that the climbers were often waist-deep in snow. Suddenly, an explosive sound roared from the mountain and the entire slope gave way. Seven Sherpas were killed in the avalanche and the 1922 expedition was over.
After this journey, George Mallory and George Finch toured England and the United States, making presentations on the expedition, helping to create an interest in mountain climbing and hopefully help fund future expeditions. It was during this time when Mallory was asked “why?” What is the point? Why climb a mountain like Everest given the risks? His famous answer, of course, was “Because it is there.”
It wasn’t until 1924 that the next Everest expedition was launched. The oxygen equipment had been improved during the previous two years, but still wasn’t completely reliable. C.G. Bruce would once again be in charge. Returning for this expedition were Geoffrey Bruce, Howard Somervell, Edward F. Norton and George Mallory, who would be accompanied by several new climbers to Everest including Noel Odell and Andrew Irvine, who went by the nickname “Sandy.” Sandy was just 21 years old, but was an elite athlete in incredible shape with an expertise in engineering and mechanics. He made key innovations to the oxygen systems, making them lighter while improving functionality.
During
the initial
climb towards the North Col, C.G. Bruce was stricken with malaria and
had to descend. Norton took over leadership duties. As
in the previous expeditions, hundreds of Sherpas helped carry
supplies up the mountain. Most of them became too exhausted to
continue as the expedition wore on. Deteriorating weather and
illnesses – the usual suspects – slowed progress down but the
team eventually settled in at
Camp IV and prepared for their attempts at the summit, selecting the
15 strongest Sherpas, whom they called “Tigers,” to assist them.
Mallory and Bruce made the first attempt, supported by 9
Sherpas, at this point also known as Tigers. The conditions were
harsh with powerful and relentless winds cutting through the
climbers. Four sherpas dropped what they were carrying and turned
back. The remaining climbers set up Camp V at 25,260 feet. The next
day, the plan was to set up Camp VI at 26,800 feet
but the remaining Sherpas
were physically unable or
unwilling to continue and the
team turned back.
Norton and Somervell were the next two to give it a go and they were accompanied by 6 Sherpas. The climbers, minus 3 Sherpas who turned back, made it to Camp V. The next day, they reached a record 28,000 feet. Around this point, Somervell could not continue. Norton pushed on, reaching 28,120 feet before arriving at an extremely steep and icy terrain, just 920 feet short of the summit. No person had ever been this close to the summit, but Edward F. Norton showed incredibly smart judgment at that moment. Realizing that he was almost completely out of strength, could not get back before darkness and would have to traverse this very difficult and dangerous terrain, he turned back. Norton’s record remained the highest confirmed climb in history for nearly 30 years.
He descended and re-joined Somervell. Norton was leading the descent when Somervell began choking on his own frostbitten flesh. He could not speak or shout to alert Norton and eventually accepted that he was going to die. According to Somervell,
“Finally, I pressed my chest with both hands, gave one last almighty push – and the obstruction came up. What a relief! Coughing up a little blood, I once more breathed really freely – more freely that I had done for some days. Though the pain was intense, I was a new man.”
This brings us to the final attempt at the summit during the Everest expeditions of the 1920’s. The two men who would make this last effort were George Mallory and the youngster, Andrew “Sandy” Irvine. Mallory and Irvine had become good friends and Mallory suggested Irvine be his partner for this last assault despite his inexperience as a high-altitude mountaineer. Mallory noted that he was “Strong as on Ox.” Their final photograph together was taken by Noel Odell as they prepared for the final push.
Mallory & Irvine
At 8:40 AM on June 6th, 1924, the two men departed for Camp V with 8 Sherpas. Four the Sherpas returned to Camp IV that evening with a note from Mallory that said “There is no wind here, and things look hopeful.”
The next day, June 7th, Odell and a Sherpa climbed to Camp V to help support the summit team. He encountered the remaining four Sherpas, whom he sent back to Camp IV.
At 8:00 AM on June 8th, Mallory and Irvine began their final assault on the summit and Odell began an ascent to Camp VI to help support them. During the climb, using a telescope, he believed he spotted the climbers and noted in his diary, “Saw M & I on the ridge, nearing the base of final pyramid.” On the Northeast Ridge, there are three steep rock barriers known as steps that occur just below the summit. Odell’s initial evaluation was that they had climbed the extremely difficult second step. Some have speculated that they had actually only climbed the first step. Still, others believe they had conquered the third step, which would have put them just 500 feet from the summit. Later, Odell wrote about what he saw -
"At 12.50, 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."
The climbing community have debated for nearly 100 years now as to exactly where he saw the climbers. Even Odell was not completely sure and admitted as much before his death in 1987. No one has ever known for sure whether they reached the summit or not. Odell never saw them again. After he reached Camp VI, he awaited the return of the climbers. He waited until 4:30 PM, calling out and whistling for them to no avail. Finally, he returned to Camp IV to sleep but ascended again the next day to look for the now lost climbers. Camp VI was unchanged. There was no trace of them. On the morning of July 11th, Odell and the remaining climbers began their final descent, ending the early 1920’s Mount Everest expeditions.
After 3 expeditions in four years, the British did not fund another for 8 years. That 1933 climb and subsequent ones have discovered more evidence regarding the fate of Mallory and Irvine. An ice axe from the 1924 expedition was found about 750 feet east of the First Step and was later determined to have belonged to Irvine. In 1991, a 1924 oxygen cylinder was found even higher on the mountain, just 200 feet from the First Step. Then, in 1999, the Malory & Irvine Research Expedition was launched in order to try to find out once and for all if the climbers reached the summit in 1924. Shockingly, 75 years after the disappearance of the two legendary climbers, at the foot of the northeast ridge, a sun-bleached and mummified body from 1924 was found. Because the body was not far from where Irvine’s ice axe was found, it was at first assumed to be Irvine’s. However, the name written on the tag of his clothing was unmistakable – “G. Leigh Mallory.”
Mallory & Irvine's Final Photo Together
Personal items with him further confirmed the body. There were fractures to Mallory’s right leg, a golf-ball sized puncture on his head and a rope tied around his waist, suggesting the two were roped together when a fall occurred. A camera, which could have definitively proven that a summit bid was successful, was not found. However, two pieces of evidence suggest that perhaps Mallory did make it to the top.
First, a pair of unbroken snow goggles were found in his pocket. This suggests that he may have made a push for the summit, and was descending during darkness when the fall occurred. Of course, even if this were true, it doesn’t mean he made the summit; only that he was descending in darkness after a definite attempt. More interesting is the photograph of his wife that he had with him at all times, a fact confirmed by the survivors of the 1924 expedition. He planned to leave the photograph on the summit. Interestingly enough, the photo was not found with him. This, of course, doesn’t prove anything as it could it have fallen out of his pocket during the violent fall or perhaps Mallory removed it to look at his wife one last time as he lay dying and then the photo flew away. Nevertheless, for many climbing enthusiasts, it is proof enough.
Unfortunately, unless Irvine’s body and that old camera are found, assuming the film can still be developed, there is no way to know for sure. In some ways, it seems unlikely – the Northeast Ridge route and three steps, which they evidently attempted, was never even tried before. The First Step is extremely difficult and many climbers, even in recent decades, have died there. Yet, the second step is considered even harder and modern climbers use a ladder. In 1960, it was surmounted using a shoulder stand, and had not been confirmed to be surmounted unaided until 1985 by an elite mountaineer named Oscar Cadiach, who ultimately climbed all 14 eight-thousanders, or mountains that are taller than 8,000 meters.
Mount Everest
There is plenty of speculation that perhaps they took Norton and Somervell’s route toward the Great Couloir, later known as the Norton Clouloir, but based on the fact that Norton fell quite short of reaching the summit, along with the available evidence, it seems more likely they indeed took the ridge route. Whatever the case, every route has insane obstacles of their own that had yet to be explored at that time. Mallory’s body was found not far from Camp VI, meaning significant progress had been made on the descent when tragedy struck. There is a definite possibility that the two turned back before reaching the summit, perhaps after running out of oxygen and seeing the extremely difficult terrain of the first two steps. The third step wasn’t even known to exist in 1924. At the end of the day, it’s all speculation and conjecture, but based on all the information we currently have, I would have to guess that they did not quite make it to the summit that day, but the mystery is certainly fascinating and regardless of whether or not Mallory and/or Irvine summited Everest in 1924, they became national heroes after the 1924 expedition. They, along with every other climber who took part in these early 1920’s expeditions including the Sherpas, were pioneers of the past-time and helped inspire later climbers to finally definitively make it to the top of the world.
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