Feb 1, 2010 – Irvine’s Body Found on Everest?

Feb 1, 2010 – Irvine’s Body Found on Everest?

The mystery of whether Andrew Irvine and George Mallory reached the summit of Everest almost three decades before Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay’s famous 1953 ascent may finally be answered. Irvine and Mallory left their high camp based less than a kilometer from Everest’s summit on June 8, 1924 in hopes of being the first to climb the world’s highest mountain. The team was never heard from again. This has led to speculation that Irvine and Mallory might have reached to top of Everest 36 years before Hillary and Norgay. However, the lack of any evidence confirming Irvine and Mallory’s ascent has prevented any definitive conclusions. While Mallory’s body was found in 1999, it was missing the Vest Pocket Kodak (VPK) camera that would have contained proof of the summit. This may all change now that Everest historian Tom Holzel claims he has spotted the location of Irvine’s body which would contain the VPK and proof of whether the team successfully summited. Holzel is mounting an expedition to visit the site this spring or more likely the spring of 2011. More details here.