In June 1924, British mountaineers, Andrew “Sandy” Irvine and George Mallory, disappeared while attempting to make history by reaching Everest’s summit. For nearly a century, the body of 22-year-old Irvine was believed to be lost to the mountain. But last month, a remarkable discovery brought new hope: a preserved foot, boot and sock bearing the inscription “AC Irvine”, offering fresh clues about their ill-fated expedition.
Any evidence that Irvine and Mallory reached the summit could alter the course of history. While Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay are celebrated for their successful ascent of Everest in 1953, it’s a feat that could be claimed by Irvine and Mallory nearly three decades earlier. Historians have long theorised that a Kodak camera could contain photographic evidence of their successful summit, however, when Mallory’s body was found in 1999, the camera was not with him. Since then, the odds of finding both Irvine’s body and the elusive camera have greatly diminished… until now.
The discovery of Irvine’s boot was made by a National Geographic team led by photographer and filmmaker Jimmy Chin, alongside climbers and filmmakers Erich Roepke and Mark Fisher. While exploring the Central Rongbuk Glacier on Everest’s northern flank, they stumbled upon the boot. Given its exceptional state of preservation, the team believes it likely thawed from the glacier no more than a week before its discovery, making them extremely lucky to have spotted it. Initially, the crew considered leaving the artefact where they found it, but soon realised it was at risk of damage from wildlife and the elements if left unattended.
Family members have volunteered to provide DNA samples for identification, which will be compared with the remains. It is hoped that this discovery will offer some closure to Irvine’s family, who continue to honour his legacy, and shed light on the events that unfolded on the mountain in 1924.
However, as with the discovery of Mallory’s body, serious ethical concerns have arisen. Many photos were taken of the remains and Chin transported the boot and foot off Everest in a cooler, before handing them over to the China-Tibet Mountaineering Association (CTMA). This recent discovery runs the risk of reducing Irvine to nothing more than a foot in a boot, overlooking the fact that he was a determined and intelligent 22-year-old who set out to pursue his dream.
Both Irvine and Mallory were fully aware of the risks their mission entailed. Mallory himself acknowledged the peril, stating, “When I say our sport is a hazardous one, I do not mean that climbing mountains carries a high chance of death, but rather that we are constantly surrounded by dangers that will claim us if we allow them to.”
It is estimated that more than 200 bodies remain on Mount Everest today, though the exact number is unknown. Transporting these frozen bodies, which can weigh over 136 kg, costs thousands of pounds and is highly inefficient, impractical, and poses significant hazards. The bodies of sherpas and climbers rest in crevasses, buried beneath avalanche snow, or exposed on the slopes of catchment basins. For many high-altitude mountaineers, such tragedies are seen as an unfortunate but inevitable part of the sport. For the rest of us, the idea that a body could remain in plain sight for decades is almost incomprehensible.
Families often bear the heaviest burden of tragedy when a body becomes a grim fixture, frequently observed and photographed. For Mallory, this was perhaps taken to an extreme. His frozen body, bleached by the relentless sun, was photographed and filmed for documentaries, while his personal belongings were distributed, some to family, but many auctioned off.
Most of his belongings are now preserved at the Royal Geographical Society in London, following a nationwide tour on loan. I had the privilege of visiting this past summer, where I had the opportunity to see and handle several items recovered from his body, including his goggles, pocket watch, and a boot. Yet, even in that moment, it felt strangely intrusive. While the discovery of Irvine’s remains could potentially answer countless questions, one can't help but wonder: could he meet the same fate as Mallory, reduced to a relic to be displayed and gawked at?
It is a question that remains unanswered, but we should still strive to remember Irvine as a person. As Julie Summers writes in her book about her great-uncle, Irvine was “a beautiful young man who died in the flush of youth.”
At just 22, he was the youngest member of the 1924 expedition. An athletic and popular rower at Oxford, Irvine came from an upper-middle-class family in Cheshire, England. He was not only exceptionally talented in mathematics and engineering but also possessed a remarkable mechanical aptitude. His expertise led him to improve the design of the team’s oxygen cylinders, and as a result he was swiftly appointed oxygen officer upon joining the expedition. His knowledge, dedication and courage will be remembered.
There is no doubt that the search on Everest will persist. Chin has declined to disclose the precise location of the remains, citing his desire to deter trophy hunters. However, he is confident that other artefacts—and potentially even the camera—are still in the vicinity. “It certainly narrows the search area,” he remarks. It’s uncertain when new developments will surface, but this discovery is highly significant, offering hope to relatives, mountaineers, and all those invested in the story. Therefore, a century after the tragic deaths of Irvine and Mallory, the greatest mystery in mountaineering history still endures: did they reach the summit?
