Climbing
A National Geographic expedition team led by Jimmy Chin has discovered what are believed to be the partial remains of British explorer Andrew “Sandy” Irvine on Mount Everest, nearly 100 years after his disappearance. The team found a boot containing a sock embroidered with “A.C. Irvine” on the Central Rongbuk Glacier below Everest’s North Face.
“When they spotted it, there was no mistaking what they were looking at: a boot melting out of the ice. The discovery, made by a National Geographic team 100 years after the mountaineer vanished with George Mallory, could add new clues to one of the great unsolved adventure mysteries of all time.”
Irvine, 22 at the time, vanished along with his climbing partner George Mallory during their 1924 attempt to be the first to reach Everest’s summit. Their fate has remained one of mountaineering’s greatest mysteries for a century.
The discovery includes a foot encased in a leather boot with steel hobnails, typical of the era. Irvine’s great-niece and biographer Julie Summers expressed deep emotion upon learning of the find. “When Jimmy told me that he saw the name A.C. Irvine on the label on the sock inside the boot, I found myself moved to tears,” she said.
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The remains are now in the possession of the China Tibet Mountaineering Association. The Irvine family has volunteered to provide DNA samples to confirm their identity.
This discovery could finally resolve one of mountaineering’s most enduring mysteries: whether Irvine and Mallory reached Everest’s summit nearly three decades before Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay’s officially recognized first ascent in 1953. The quest to conquer the world’s highest peak began earnestly in 1921 and 1922, with British expeditions falling short of the ultimate goal.
The 1924 expedition brought Mallory and Irvine tantalizingly close to success. The pair was last seen a mere 800 feet from the summit, “going strong” before disappearing into Everest’s notorious cloud cover. Their fate remained unknown for 75 years until Mallory’s body was discovered in 1999, though it yielded no conclusive evidence of a successful summit attempt.
Now, with the potential discovery of Irvine’s remains, mountaineering historians and enthusiasts are holding their breath. Irvine’s long-lost camera might still be intact, potentially containing photographic proof of their historic achievement.
Chin described the find as a “monumental and emotional moment” that occurred unexpectedly during filming for an upcoming National Geographic documentary. The exact location of the discovery has not been disclosed to prevent unauthorized expeditions.
