World
October 12, 2024 12:30
mount everest - The mystery surrounding the disappearance of 22-year-old Andrew 'Sandy' Irvine on Mount Everest has finally been solved after 100 years. Learn why the family is so moved...
The British media, led by the Daily Mail, is fascinated by the mystery of the disappearance of 22-year-old Andrew 'Sandy' Irvine on Mount Everest. He and climbing partner George Mallory (37) are believed to have reached the summit of the world's highest mountain as early as June 1924. Climbers have made an incredible discovery: the finding of a foot with a sock and boot. National Geographic reported this.
Experts believe Irvine and Mallory indeed achieved their goal before perishing, as they were last seen about 240 meters from the summit and possibly fell during the descent. A Kodak Vest Pocket camera they carried to capture images at the top may provide definitive evidence or require a revision of history. The search for this Kodak is now underway.
The found foot, wrapped in a sock and leather boot, was identified by the name stitched in red on the sock: A. C. Irvine. The young explorer's full name was Andrew Comyn Irvine.
Mallory's remains were discovered back in 1999, located just 600 meters from the summit. He had a rope around his waist and injuries that suggested he and Irvine might have fallen during a snowstorm while tied together. Though rumors persisted, the search was halted at that time.
Mallory had previously attempted to climb Mount Everest twice, reaching a height of 8229.6 meters in 1922. Young Irvine was conquering Everest for the first time.
A small team from National Geographic, including climber and filmmaker Jimmy Chin, made the discovery. He reported the find to the Royal Geographical Society, which, along with the Alpine Club, organized Mallory and Irvine's original expedition. The remains are now under the custody of the China Tibet Mountaineering Association, which issues permits for climbing the north side of Everest.
In a statement to the BBC, Irvine's family expressed being 'deeply moved' by the discovery. They thanked the mountain-climbing and film team led by Jimmy Chin for the respectful and professional handling of the find. Sandy Irvine was the youngest member of the 1924 Mount Everest expedition and went missing with George Mallory on June 8, 1924, in the upper reaches of the mountain.
Irvine's great-niece and biographer Julie Summers volunteered to undergo DNA testing for comparison with the recovered remains. She remarked, 'It is remarkable that this discovery was made on the hundredth year since Sandy's disappearance. I've lived with this story since I was 7 years old when my father first told us about the mystery of Uncle Sandy on Everest. When Jimmy told me he saw the name A. C. Irvine on the label of the sock in the boot, I was moved to tears. It was an extraordinary and poignant moment.'
To this day, Brit Edmund Hillary and sherpa Tenzing Norgay are celebrated as the first climbers to successfully reach Everest's summit during their 1953 expedition. Via the 'easier' route, though. If Mallory and Irvine are indeed proven to be the first atop Mount Everest, they would also be the first to achieve this feat on the perilous north face, roughly 40 years before Chinese climbers did so in 1960.
In 2021, author Mark Synnott speculated in his book 'The Third Pole: Mystery, Obsession, and Death on Mount Everest' that Chinese climbers may have discovered Irvine's body and camera, removing evidence to claim credit for the first ascent of the north face. Synnott extensively researched, including involvement from national security agencies. 'Mao was China's leader then and deemed it crucial. There were political motivations as well. He asserted over half the mountain, which now partly lies in Tibetan territory. We have multiple sources, including from China, indicating these climbers out of envy removed and possibly discarded Irvine's body,' he stated.
Discoverer Jimmy Chin noted that every expedition to Mount Everest follows in the footsteps of Irvine and Mallory. 'Sometimes in life, the greatest discoveries happen when you least expect them. This was a monumental and emotional moment for us and our entire on-site team.'