On the 8th of June 1924, Noel Odell looked up the mountain he was climbing. Ahead of him he could make out two small figures nearing the summit of Mount Everest. They were close, closer than anyone had ever been – they must have made it to the top? But then a white mist rolled over the mountain obscuring his fellow climbers from view. No one ever saw them alive again.
In 1924, Britain was eager to be the first to climb the highest peak on earth. The north and south poles had been conquered by America and Norway respectively, leaving Britain wanting. They set their sights on Mount Everest, the newly acknowledged highest point on earth.
In 1921, a first expedition was sent out to the Himalayas to survey the landscape and map the terrain. This informed the 1922 expedition, the first effort in human history to attempt to summit Mount Everest. George Mallory was amongst the crew of climbers who were part of this failed effort. They made three attempts, each unsuccessful, and terminated their efforts after an avalanche (caused by Mallory) killed seven of the participants.
Despite their failure, they had managed to climb higher than anyone had done previously. Mallory knew they needed to try again. After the attempt they went on tour, exhibiting their findings and experiences and trying to drum up money for another shot. While in America, Mallory was asked for the millionth time why he wanted to climb Everest. His answer has become as iconic and elusive as the mountain itself. “Because it’s there.”
In 1924, another expedition set off to the Himalayas. The new, entirely British crew were selected based upon skill level, family status and military history. In fact, out of the twenty-six participants only six of them hadn’t fought in The Great War. Wade Davis, who has written extensively on the expedition, sees this fact as essential in understanding the mindset of the climbers. Their comfort in the proximity to death seems unbelievable to us. But the participant's recent encounters with conflict, danger and the possibility of a brutalising death would have done something to normalise the dark possibilities of climbing the mountain.
Two major changes to climbing technique were applied in this new expedition. Firstly, a much greater reliance on porters, or Sherpas. They knew the area well and could support the non-natives with the carrying of equipment and navigation of the lower parts of the mountain.
Secondly, the use of oxygen. The use of oxygen at this time was contested, and was in fact seen by some as cheating. However, after seeing George Ingle Finch beat the record for metres climbed while using oxygen, Mallory was insistent upon its use. For the 1924 expedition, Sandy Irvine used his engineering background to develop lighter, more efficient oxygen cylinders.
They made three attempts to summit Everest on this occasion. The first attempt was made by Mallory and Bruce, but at 25,200ft four of their porters turned back, fearful of what lay ahead. Unable to continue without the support the porters should have provided, they were forced to turn back.
The second attempt was made by Norton and Somervell and was in turns both more and less successful. Norton managed to get within 920ft of the peak before having to abandon due to poor visibility and unreliable terrain. However, Somervell did not join him due to breathing difficulties which caused him to cough up the lining of his throat. The following day, after their decent, Norton became completely snow blind.
The third and final attempt was made by Irvine and Mallory. While Irvine had little experience climbing at high altitudes, the two men had become firm friends during the expedition and Mallory trusted Irvine. While weather conditions were initially fine, the attempt was immediately compromised by the two men leaving behind their compass and losing their oven down an ice rift. They did however have oxygen, an asset the previous attempts had rejected.
So, what happened to George Mallory and Sandy Irvine? They left base camp IV and moved up into the snowy uncertainty of history.
George Mallory’s body was found in 1999, 26,768ft up the mountain. No oxygen tanks were discovered in the proximity of his body, suggesting that they had been used. In addition, his snow goggles were in his pocket which meant it had started to get dark by the time he fell to his death. Most importantly though, the photo of his wife Ruth which he declared he would leave at the summit of the mountain was missing.
There has never been any conclusive evidence that Mallory and Irvine made it to the top, however there has also never been any conclusive evidence to say they didn’t.
Odell’s final account places the two men higher than where Mallory’s body was found. However, his account has been questioned over time. In a 1987 interview he himself even professed to being unclear about the specifics of what he saw in 1924.
In the 1960’s, Chinese climber Xu Jing claimed to have spotted Irvine’s body while descending, but was never able to relocate the spot in which he saw him.
In October 2024 though, a team of American climbers found Irvine’s boot. The brown boot was identified by the climbers thanks to an initialled sock which hung loosely out of it. While it is another clue to the whereabouts of this brave explorer, it does little to clarify the central mystery at the heart of this story.
The more details we get, the more they just contribute to the climb’s ongoing mystery. The sheer coincidence of Irvine’s boot being found during the centenary of the climb speaks to the mythic quality of this 1924 expedition.
Ultimately, it is this unsolvable mystery and uncertainty surrounding the summit attempt that has seen it linger in our imaginations far more than it would if they had simply succeeded.
In 1952, the mystery of whether the mountain could be climbed was solved by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. In its place we have the mystery of what happened in 1924. That is a summit we will never conquer, that we can only look at from afar through the snowy mist.
