The Mallory Mystery: Did George Mallory Summit Everest in 1924?¶

George Mallory and Andrew Irvine vanished into the clouds near Everest's summit on June 8, 1924 — 29 years before Hillary and Tenzing's confirmed ascent. When Mallory's body was found in 1999, preserved on the North Face, the discovery raised more questions than it answered. Did they reach the top? This guide examines the evidence.

Introduction¶

"Because It Is There"¶

The 1924 British Expedition¶

The Team and Their Technology¶

The Approach and Camps¶

June 8 — The Final Climb¶

Last Seen Alive¶

Noel Odell's Sighting¶

The Second Step¶

Into the Clouds¶

The 1999 Discovery¶

Finding Mallory's Body¶

The Condition of the Remains¶

What Was Found — And What Wasn't¶

The Missing Camera¶

The Evidence For and Against¶

Arguments They Summited¶

Arguments They Didn't¶

The Second Step — Could They Have Climbed It?¶

The Search for Irvine¶

Recent Search Expeditions¶

The Kodak Camera Theory¶

Does It Matter?¶

The Nature of "First Ascent"¶