George Mallory

Born:	18 June 1886 Mobberley, Cheshire, England
Died:	8-9 June 1924 The North Face, Mount Everest, Tibet
Occupation:	Schoolmaster, Mountaineer
Spouse:	Ruth Thackeray Mallory, nee Turner

George Herbert Leigh Mallory (18 June 1886 – 8 June/9 June 1924) was an English mountaineer who took part in the first three British expeditions to Mount Everest in the early 1920s. On the third expedition, in June of 1924, Mallory and his climbing partner Andrew Irvine both disappeared somewhere high on the North-East ridge during (or perhaps after completing) the final stage of their attempt to make the first ascent of the world's highest mountain. The pair's last known sighting was only a few hundred metres from the summit. Mallory's ultimate fate was unknown for 75 years, until his body was finally discovered in 1999. Whether or not they reached the summit before they died remains a subject of speculation and continuing research. June 18 is the 169th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (170th in leap years), with 196 days remaining. ... Year 1886 (MDCCCLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England_(bordered). ... Mobberley is a semi-rural village and civil parish in Cheshire. ... The Cheshire Plain - photo taken adjacent to Beeston Castle The Cheshire Plain - photo taken towards Merseyside The Cheshire Plain panorama - photo taken from Mid-Cheshire Ridge Cattle farming in the county Black-and-white timbered buildings on Nantwich High Street Cheshire (or, archaically, the County of Chester)[1] is a... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area... June is the sixth month of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with a length of 30 days. ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar). ... “Everest” redirects here. ... Tibet (older spelling Thibet; Tibetan: བོད་; Wylie: Bod; Lhasa dialect IPA: [; Simplified and Traditional Chinese: 西藏, Hanyu Pinyin: XÄ«zàng; also referred to as 藏区 (Simplified Chinese), 藏區 (Traditional Chinese), ZàngqÅ« (Hanyu Pinyin), see Name section below) is a plateau region in Central Asia and the indigenous home to the Tibetan people. ... A schoolmaster or simply master once referred to a male school teacher. ... Mountaineering is an umbrella term that can variously be used to describe the actions of climbing, hillwalking and scrambling. ... June 18 is the 169th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (170th in leap years), with 196 days remaining. ... Year 1886 (MDCCCLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... June 8 is the 159th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (160th in leap years), with 206 days remaining. ... June 9 is the 160th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (161st in leap years), with 205 days remaining. ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area... Mountaineering is an umbrella term that can variously be used to describe the actions of climbing, hillwalking and scrambling. ... “Everest” redirects here. ... Andrew Sandy Irvine (April 8, 1902 – 8-9 June 1924) was an English mountaineer who took part in the third British Expedition to Mount Everest in 1924. ... A missing person is a person who has disappeared for no known reason. ... In climbing, a first ascent (FA) is the first climb to reach the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route. ... Lyskamm, 4 527 m, Pennine Alps A mountain is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain in a limited area. ...

After being asked repeatedly by reporters in New York City while on a lecture tour why he wanted to climb Mount Everest, Mallory is famously said to have replied, "Because it is there." He later said that he didn't recall ever making the remark, and if he did, it was merely a quip to deal with a "foolish question" from an ignorant reporter: nonetheless, the quote is forever associated with Mallory, the mountain and mountain climbing.

Early life, education, and teaching career

Mallory was born in Mobberley, Cheshire, the son of a Herbert Leigh Mallory (1856–1943), a clergyman who legally changed his surname to Leigh-Mallory in 1914. George had an elder sister and a younger brother Trafford Leigh-Mallory, the World War II Royal Air Force commander. Mobberley is a semi-rural village and civil parish in Cheshire. ... The Cheshire Plain - photo taken adjacent to Beeston Castle The Cheshire Plain - photo taken towards Merseyside The Cheshire Plain panorama - photo taken from Mid-Cheshire Ridge Cattle farming in the county Black-and-white timbered buildings on Nantwich High Street Cheshire (or, archaically, the County of Chester)[1] is a... see also Holy Orders The following terms have traditional meanings for the Anglican Church, and possibly beyond: A churchman is in principle a member of a church congregation, in practice someone in holy orders. ... Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory KCB, DSO and Bar (11 July 1892 - 14 November 1944) was a senior commander in the Royal Air Force in World War II and the highest-ranking British officer to die in the war. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ...

In 1896, Mallory attended boarding school in Eastbourne after completing preparatory school in West Kirby. At the age of 14, he won a mathematics scholarship to Winchester College. In his senior year there, he was introduced to rock climbing by a master, R. L. G. Irving, who took a small number of pupils climbing in Wales each year. In October of 1905, Mallory entered Magdalene College, Cambridge to study history. There, he became good friends with members of the Bloomsbury Group including James Strachey, Lytton Strachey, John Maynard Keynes, and Duncan Grant, who painted several portraits of Mallory. Mallory rowed for Cambridge in all three Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race winning crews of 1906, 1907 and, as captain, in 1908. Mallory himself wrote an eloquent account of activities surrounding the 1907 race: Year 1896 (MDCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar). ... A boarding school is an educational institution where some or all pupils not only study, but also live, amongst their peers. ... For other places called Eastbourne, see Eastbourne (disambiguation). ... Sunset over the Marine Lake West Kirby is a town located on the north west corner of the coast of the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside, England. ... Winchester College is a well-known boys independent school, and an example of a British public school, in the city of Winchester in Hampshire, England. ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... Full name The College of Saint Mary Magdalene Motto Garde ta Foy Keep your Faith Named after Mary Magdalene Previous names Buckingham College Established 1428 Sister College(s) Magdalen College Master Duncan Robinson Location Magdalene Street Undergraduates 335 Postgraduates 169 Homepage Boatclub Magdalene College (pronounced ) was founded in 1428 as... The Bloomsbury Group or Bloomsbury Set or just Bloomsbury, as its adherents would generally refer to it, was an English group of artists and scholars that existed from around 1905 until around World War II. // History The group began as an informal socialwe have been great to society assembly of... Giles Lytton Strachey (March 1, 1880–January 21, 1932) was a British writer and critic. ... John Maynard Keynes (right) and Harry Dexter White at the Bretton Woods Conference John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes, CB (pronounced cains, IPA ) (5 June 1883 – 21 April 1946) was a British economist whose ideas, called Keynesian economics, had a major impact on modern economic and political theory as well... Self Portrait, 1920, National Gallery of Scotland. ... Boat Race Logo Exhausted crews at the finish of the 2002 Boat Race The Boat Race is a rowing race between the rowing clubs of the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ...

"What great things are now expected of this Jesus method of rowing! The style of the captain, the style of the secretary, the style of stroke, all imaginable styles except that peculiar to Mr Rogers, all are to be blended in a homogeneous, ergocosmic device, the ingenious and possibly ingenuous Quintessence of a Facile, Indefatigable Compendulum. We are to have a Jesus coach. Goldsmith has said: 'God will provide. But alas, how fickle, how selfish the Theocracy'. A fortnight has passed, and still no god to coach us. And so perforce we must go to the Hall, and get some sturdy unintelligent to 'bid him forward, breast and back as either should be', and teach us to shove it along by sweat and swearings, with all the horror of the ancient Swinck Misspent. And yet when he is secured he makes us row not a whit differently from the elegant, divine way, the way we rowed at Henley. He is none of your cursing, blustering, hell-for -leather, body-swing-overdone-at-all-costs, stupendous-recovery fellows at all. He is shy and rosy-checked, modest as any maiden, and makes a considerable effort to be sensible when sober and obscene when drunk." Full name The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge Motto Facias Prosperum Iter Named after Jesus Lane & Jesus Parish Previous names - Established 1496 Sister College(s) Jesus College, Oxford Master Prof. ...

It was also traditional at this time to light a bonfire in the College grounds immediately after the Boat Club Supper. However, during the period 1906-8 this got somewhat out of hand. In 1908, for instance, wooden panelling set aside specifically to repair Magdalene College Chapel was 'borrowed' for the Boat bonfire! Magdalene College could be Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalene College, Cambridge This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

After taking his degree, Mallory stayed in Cambridge for a year writing an essay he later published as Boswell the Biographer (1912). He also lived briefly for a time in France in preparation for a teaching career. In 1910 Mallory began teaching at Charterhouse School, Godalming, Surrey. While at Charterhouse he met his wife, Ruth, who lived in Godalming, and they were married in 1914 and had two daughters and a son. He joined the Royal Garrison Artillery as 2nd lieutenant in December 1915 and participated in the shelling of the Somme. After the war he returned to Charterhouse until he took a position in the Cambridge University Extramural Studies Department. Charterhouse School (Originally, Suttons Hospital in Charterhouse) is a famous boys English public school, located in Godalming in the county of Surrey. ...

Climbing

In Europe

In 1904, Mallory and a friend attempted to climb Mont Velan in the Alps, but turned back shortly before the summit due to Mallory's altitude sickness. In 1911, Mallory climbed Mont Blanc, as well as making the third ascent of the Frontier ridge of Mont Maudit in a party led by R. L. G. Irving. 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (see link for calendar). ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Altitude sickness, also known as acute mountain sickness (AMS) or altitude illness is a pathological condition that is caused by acute exposure to high altitudes. ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... This article is about the Alpine mountain. ... Mont Maudit (4,465 m) is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in France and Italy. ...

By 1913 he was at the peak of his rock-climbing powers and ascended Pillar Rock in the English Lake District, with no aid or assistance, by what is now known as "Mallory's Route" – currently graded Hard Very Severe 5a (American grading 5.9). It is likely to have been the hardest route in Britain for many years. Year 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... In mountaineering and related climbing sports, climbers give a climbing grade to a route that attempts to assess the difficulty and danger of climbing the route. ...

In Asia

In 1921 he participated in a reconnaissance mission, exploring routes up to the North Col of Mount Everest, intended to produce the first accurate maps of the region around the mountain. Although he was accompanied by several senior members of Britain's Alpine Club and by surveyors based in India, the debilitating effect of altitude meant that Mallory, his climbing partner Guy Bullock and E. O. Wheeler of the Survey of India performed most of the exploration of the slopes. Under Mallory's leadership, and with the assistance of around a dozen Sherpas, the group climbed several lower peaks near Everest, including the North Col of Everest (7,066 m or about 23,000 ft) to gain an understanding of the region's topography. His party were almost certainly the first Westerners to view the Western Cwm at the foot of the Lhotse face, as well as charting the course of the Rongbuk Glacier and discovering the previously-unknown East Rongbuk Glacier. Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for full calendar). ... The North Col refers to the pass or col connecting Mount Everest and Changtse to its North. ... “Everest” redirects here. ... The Alpine Club was founded in Great Britain in 1857 and was probably the worlds first mountaineering club. ... The Survey of India is Indias central agency in charge of mapping and surveying. ... See at the bottom of this page for other meanings of the word Sherpa. ... Often called the Valley of Silence, the Western Cwm (cwm, pronounced coom, is Welsh) is a broad, flat, gently undulating glacial valley basin terminating at the foot of the Lhotse Face. ... Lhotse is the fourth highest mountain on Earth and is connected to Mount Everest via the South Col. ... Rongbuk Glacier and the Mount Everest as seen from the International Space Station. ... Rongbuk Glacier and the Mount Everest as seen from the International Space Station. ...

In 1922 Mallory returned to the Himalaya as part of the party led by General Charles Granville Bruce and climbing leader E. I. Strutt, with a view to making a serious attempt on the summit. Eschewing their bottled oxygen, which had proved too unreliable to justify its weight, Mallory led his climbing team of Howard Somervell and Edward Norton almost to the top of the North-East ridge. Despite being hampered and slowed by the thin air, they had achieved a record altitude of 26,985 ft (8,225 m) before weather conditions and the late hour forced them to retreat. After a second party led by George Ingle Finch reached a height in excess of 27,000 ft (8,229 m) using bottled oxygen, Mallory organised a third attempt on the summit, departing as the monsoon arrived. While he was leading a group of climbers on the lower slopes of the North Col of Everest in fresh, waist-high snow, an avalanche swept over the group, killing seven Sherpas. The attempt was immediately abandoned, and Mallory returned home to face criticism for the outcome of the second expedition. Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ... Brigadier-General Charles Granville Bruce, CB, MVO (7 April 1866 – 12 July 1939) was a Himalayan veteran and leader of the second British expedition to Mount Everest in 1922. ... General Name, Symbol, Number oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series nonmetals, chalcogens Group, Period, Block 16, 2, p Appearance colorless (gas) very pale blue (liquid) Standard atomic weight 15. ... George Ingle Finch (4 August 1888 - 22 November 1970) was a chemist and mountaineer. ... An avalanche is a very large slide of snow (or rock) down a mountainside, caused when a buildup of snow is released down a slope, and is one of the major dangers faced in the mountains. ... The word Sherpa originally referred to an ethnic group from the most mountainous region of Niple, high into the Himalayas (although many of them now live in India). ...

Mallory's last climb

June 1924 expedition to Everest

George Mallory joined the 1924 Everest expedition--his third--led as in 1922 by General Bruce, believing it would be his last opportunity to climb the mountain. Following a failed first attempt by Mallory and Geoffrey Bruce, and then another by Norton and Somervell, on 8 June 1924 Mallory and Andrew Irvine attempted to reach the top via the North Col route. The pair used oxygen, Mallory having been converted from his original skepticism by the experience of Finch in 1922. June 8 is the 159th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (160th in leap years), with 206 days remaining. ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Andrew Sandy Irvine (April 8, 1902 – 8-9 June 1924) was an English mountaineer who took part in the third British Expedition to Mount Everest in 1924. ...

Keen-sighted expedition colleague Noel Odell reported the following: Noel Ewart Odell (1890 - 1987) was a geologist and mountaineer. ...

At 12.50, just after I had emerged from a state of jubilation at finding the first definite fossils on Everest, there was a sudden clearing of the atmosphere, and the entire summit ridge and final peak of Everest were unveiled. My eyes became fixed on one tiny black spot silhouetted on a small snow-crest beneath a rock-step in the ridge; the black spot moved. Another black spot became apparent and moved up the snow to join the other on the crest. The first then approached the great rock-step and shortly emerged at the top; the second did likewise. Then the whole fascinating vision vanished, enveloped in cloud once more.'

– Noel Odell, geologist Noel Ewart Odell (1890 - 1987) was a geologist and mountaineer. ... the are cool The Geologist by Carl Spitzweg A geologist is a contributor to the science of geology, studying the physical structure and processes of the Earth and planets of the solar system (see planetary geology). ...

At the time, Odell identified his sighting to have been on the Second Step of the ridge. No evidence, apart from his testimony, has thus far been found that they climbed higher than about the First Step (one of their spent oxygen cylinders were found shortly below the First Step; and Irvine's ice ax was also found nearby.) They never returned to their camp and died somewhere high on the mountain.

It is assumed that Mallory and Irvine died either on 8 June or, at the latest, the next day.

Lost on Everest for 75 years

After their disappearance, several expeditions tried to find their remains (and perhaps determine if they had, in fact, reached the summit). None of these attempts proved successful, and Mallory's ultimate fate remained unknown for 75 years.

Then, on 1 May 1999, the Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition, sponsored in part by the TV show Nova and the BBC and organized and led by Eric Simonson, arrived at Everest to search for the lost pair. Guided by researcher Jochen Hemmleb, within hours of beginning the search, the frozen body of Mallory was found by Conrad Anker at 8,155 m (26,760 ft) on the north face of the mountain. The body was remarkably well preserved due to the mountain's climate. The team could not locate the camera that Mallory had reportedly carried with him. Experts from Kodak have said that if a camera is ever found, there is a good chance that its film could be developed to produce printable images, thanks to the nature of the black and white film that was used and the fact that it will have been in continual "deep freeze" for over three-quarters of a century. May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... The goal of the Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition of 1999 was to discover evidence of whether George Mallory and Andrew Irvine had been the first to summit Mt. ... Nova is a popular science television series produced by the Public Broadcasting Service. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC, is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion (US$7. ... Conrad Anker (born in 1963) is an American rock climber, mountaineer, and author famous for his challenging ascents in the high Himalaya and in Antarctica. ... Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE: EK) is a large multinational public company producing photographic equipment. ...

The expedition conducted a Christian service for Mallory and buried his remains.

Did Mallory and Irvine climb Everest?

A considerable number of clues, but as yet no solution, to the mystery have been found in the eight decades since Mallory and Irvine's last climb.

Clues from Mallory's body

From the rope-jerk injury around his waist, encircled by the remnants of a climbing rope, it appears that the two were roped together when Mallory fell. The body lay roughly below the location of an ice axe found in 1933 and generally believed to belong to Irvine, although not close enough to assume with any certainty that it was the site of Mallory's fall. The fact that the body was relatively undamaged (in comparison to other bodies found on Everest) also suggests that Mallory may not have fallen such a long distance.

Two details noted when Mallory's body was discovered are tantalising:

• Firstly, Mallory's daughter has always said that Mallory carried a photograph of his wife on his person with the intention of leaving it on the summit. This photo was not found on Mallory's body. Given the excellent preservation of the body and its garments, this points to the possibility that he may have reached the summit and deposited the photo there. However no one who has subsequently reached the summit has reported seeing any evidence that Mallory deposited the photograph.

• Secondly, Mallory's snow goggles were found in his pocket, suggesting that he and Irvine had made a push for the summit and were descending after sunset. On his attempt a few days earlier, Norton had suffered serious snow-blindness because he did not wear his goggles, so Mallory would be unlikely to have dispensed with them in daylight. On the other hand, given their known departure time and movements, had they not attempted the summit pyramid it is unlikely that they would have still been out by nightfall. An alternative reason is that Mallory may have carried an extra pair, and the pair he was wearing was torn off in his fall.

Oxygen supply

From the location of their final camp (discovered in 2001), the summit climb may be expected to have taken them around eleven hours. Assuming they took two cylinders each, they only had about eight hours of oxygen available, so – although this depends on the flow rate, which could be controlled and was not necessarily used on full flow – the oxygen would almost certainly have run out before they reached the summit. The two flow rates available on those oxygen sets were 1.4 and 2.2 liters/min. Both are low rates for active climbing, and it is unlikely the two would have used the lower flow rate. One of their oxygen bottles was found some 200 yards short of the First Step, which enables their speed of climbing to be calculated. It can be estimated that at best they might have reached the base of the Second Step with one-and-a-half hours of oxygen remaining each. Given the distance, and the more difficult and dangerous climbing after the Second Step, this is not enough for both of them to reach the summit.

Although more recent expeditions have climbed Everest without the aid of oxygen, based on the experiences of 1922 it is very unlikely that they would have been able to continue their climb at that altitude once their supply ran out. On this scenario, the best chance for Mallory to have reached the summit was if he had relieved Irvine of his oxygen at around the First Step and sent him down to safety, but if Mallory was roped to Irvine when he fell this would not be possible.

Another possibility, prompted by Mallory's remark in his last note to John Noel that they would "probably go on two cylinders", is that the pair carried three, not two cylinders each (Mallory's "probably" implying that the choice was between two or three, as a single cylinder would clearly be inadequate). Mallory's oxygen rig was not with his body and has never been found.

The difficult "Second Step"

Experienced modern climbers disagree on whether Mallory was capable of climbing the infamous "Second Step" on the North Ridge, now surmounted by two aluminium ladders permanently fixed in place by Chinese climbers to avoid the problem. The Second Step was first climbed "free" - that is, by using only the natural handholds and footholds of the rock, by Catalan climber Oscar Cadiach in 1985. He rated the 15-foot crack that forms the crux 5.7-5.8 (5+ UIAA grading), generally accepted as within Mallory's ability. However, on Cadiach's climb, the Second Step was filled with a hard snow ramp that made its ascent considerably easier than in the conditions faced by Mallory. Austrian Theo Fritsche repeated the free climb solo - that is, without rope protection - in 2001 under dry pre-monsoon conditions (as in 1924), and supported Cadiach's assessment of 5.7–5.8. Fritsche completed the climb without supplementary oxygen (as did Cadiach), wearing only a light down jacket, and believes that Mallory could have summitted in his clothing on a good day. On the other hand, Conrad Anker climbed the Second Step in 1999 as part of the Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition and rated it, in his opinion, as beyond Mallory's capability at 5.10, A0 (Anker's was not a free climb as he used one point of aid by stepping on a rung of the Chinese ladder). 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... The goal of the Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition of 1999 was to discover evidence of whether George Mallory and Andrew Irvine had been the first to summit Mt. ...

Mallory is known to have "swarmed up" a very similar obstacle in alpine conditions on the Nesthorn (3,824 m) in the Swiss Alps, and his companions were under no illusions about either his considerable ability or his visionary, idealistic self-motivation.

As for climbing difficulties, Mallory is known to have climbed comfortably at HVS (Hard Very Severe) standard or 5.8–5.9 range in North Wales. Many of his early pioneering rock climbs were undertaken on Y Lliwedd, a near-1,000 ft often-loose cliff face, which is part of the Snowdon massif. Those who have climbed on this face in mountaineering boots, perhaps armed with only basic equipment, will understand the genuine difficulty of a climb of HVS standard when so-equipped – and come to truly appreciate Mallory's boldness and physical ability. Y Lliwedd Is a sister peak to Mount Snowdon in Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd in Wales. ...

Initially, Noel Odell believed he had seen Mallory and Irvine ascend the Second Step, though on later reflection conceded that it might have been the First. Towards the end of his life he became firmly convinced he had seen them climb the Second Step. If his eye-witness report is accurate, the topography he describes appears to much better describe the Second or even the Third Step on the ridge rather than the First.

Further expeditions

The 1999 research team returned to the mountain in 2001 to conduct further research. They discovered Mallory and Irvine's last camp, but failed to find either Irvine or a camera. In 2004, another expedition (unrelated to the 1999 and 2001 team) searched for the cameras and other clues that either had reached the summit, but found no significant new evidence. A fourth initiative in 2005 also proved fruitless. shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Possible sightings of Irvine

In 1979 a Chinese climber named Wang Hongbao reported that, in 1975, he had seen the body of an "old English dead" at 8100m, 20 minutes walk from his tent. Tragically, Wang was killed in an avalanche a day later and so the location was never precisely fixed. In a 1986 interview with American researcher, Tom Holzel, Chinese climber Zhang Junyan, who had been sharing the tent with Wang back in 1975, confirmed the latter's report of finding a foreign climber's body. If this report was accurate, at that altitude and date, the only possible identity of the body was that of Mallory or Irvine. Wang's sighting was the key to the discovery of Mallory's body 20 years later in the same general area, though Wang's reported description of the body (face exposed, cheek "pecked by goreks") does not seem to fit that of Mallory (face down, wound on forehead). However, the 2001 research expedition discovered Wang's campsite location and made an extensive search of its surroundings. Mallory remained the only ancient body in the vicinity, so it appears likely that it was him Wang had found in 1975. For the song by the Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... An avalanche is a very large slide of snow (or rock) down a mountainside, caused when a buildup of snow is released down a slope, and is one of the major dangers faced in the mountains. ...

Another Chinese climber, Xu Jing, claims to have seen the body of Andrew Irvine in 1960 (see Hemmleb and Simonson, Detectives on Everest), although testimony is inconsistent with regard to the date and location of his find. On two occasions, he placed it between Camps VI and VII (Yellow Band, c. 8300 m), while later changing it to the NE-Ridge between the First and Second Steps (c. 8550 m). In spite of several such rumored and reported sightings, repeated searches of the North Face have failed to find any definite trace of Irvine. Andrew Sandy Irvine (April 8, 1902 – 8-9 June 1924) was an English mountaineer who took part in the third British Expedition to Mount Everest in 1924. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ...

Assessments by climbing partners

Harry Tyndale: one of Mallory's climbing partners, said of Mallory: "In watching George at work one was conscious not so much of physical strength as of suppleness and balance; so rhythmical and harmonious was his progress in any steep place... that his movements appeared almost serpentine in their smoothness."

Tom Longstaff: with Mallory on the 1922 Everest expedition, wrote in a letter to a friend, "It is obvious to any climber that they got up. You cannot expect of that pair to weigh up the chances of return. I should be weighing them still. It sounds a fair day. Probably they were above those clouds that hid them from Odell. How they must have appreciated that view of half the world. It was worthwhile to them. Now, they will never grow old and I am very sure they would not change places with any of us."

Geoffrey Winthrop Young: one of the most accomplished alpine climbers of his day, held Mallory's ability in awe: "His movement in climbing was entirely his own. It contradicted all theory. He would set his foot high against any angle of smooth surface, fold his shoulder to his knee, and flow upward and upright again on an impetuous curve. Whatever may have happened unseen the while between him and the cliff... the look, and indeed the result, were always the same – a continuous undulating movement so rapid and so powerful that one felt the rock must yield, or disintegrate." When Informed of Odell's belief that Mallory had climbed the Second Step, Winthrop Young was convinced he made the summit. He wrote: "After nearly twenty years' knowledge of Mallory as a mountaineer, I can say that difficult as it would have been for any mountaineer to turn back, with the only difficulty past, to Mallory it would have been an impossibility." Geoffrey Winthrop Young (1876-1958) was an English writer and mountaineer. ...

Theories

A range of different outcomes have been proposed, and new theories continue to be put forward. Most views have the two carrying two cylinders of oxygen each, reaching and climbing either the First or Second Step, where they are seen by Odell. At this point there are two main alternatives: either Mallory takes Irvine's oxygen and goes on alone (and may or may not reach the summit); or both go on together until they turn back (having used up their oxygen, or realizing that they will do so before the summit). In either case Mallory slips and falls to his death, perhaps caught in the fierce snow squall that sent Odell to take shelter in their tent. Irvine either falls with him or, in the first scenario, dies alone of exhaustion and hypothermia high up on the ridge. As with all good mysteries, the fragmentary evidence leaves much room for speculation and hypothesis.

First real ascent, or just to the summit?

Even if evidence is uncovered which shows that George Mallory or Andrew Irvine reached the summit of Everest in 1924, some believe that the historical record should not be changed to state that they made the first ascent, displacing Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. Many mountaineers maintain that a successful first ascent not only involves reaching the summit, but also returning to the bottom. Indeed, George Mallory's own son John Mallory, who was only three years old when his father died, said: In climbing, a first ascent (FA) is the first climb to reach the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route. ... Sir Edmund Percival Hillary, KG, ONZ, KBE (born 20 July 1919) is a New Zealand mountaineer and explorer. ... Tenzing Norgay (May 1914 – 9 May 1986), often referred to as Sherpa Tenzing, was a Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer. ...

"To me the only way you achieve a summit is to come back alive. The job is half done if you don't get down again".

John Mallory had considerably mixed feelings about his dead father's celebrity status, explaining understandably that he would far rather have had a father than a legend.

Sir Edmund Hillary's assessment

Sir Edmund Hillary echoed a similar perspective, asking: Sir Edmund Percival Hillary, KG, ONZ, KBE (born 20 July 1919) is a New Zealand mountaineer and explorer. ...

"If you climb a mountain for the first time and die on the descent, is it really a complete first ascent of the mountain? I am rather inclined to think personally that maybe it is quite important, the getting down, and the complete climb of a mountain is reaching the summit and getting safely to the bottom again."

Chris Bonington's assessment

In conclusion, Chris Bonington, the widely respected British Himalayan mountaineer, summed up the view of many mountaineers all over the world: Sir Chris Bonington Sir Christian John Storey Bonington (born August 6, 1934 in Hampstead), is a British mountaineer. ...

"If we accept the fact that they were above the Second Step, they would have seemed to be incredibly close to the summit of Everest and I think at that stage something takes hold of most climbers... And I think therefore taking all those circumstances in view... I think it is quite conceivable that they did go for the summit... I certainly would love to think that they actually reached the summit of Everest. I think it is a lovely thought and I think it is something, you know, gut emotion, yes I would love them to have got there. Whether they did or not, I think that is something one just cannot know."

Trivia

• Mallory has a court named after him at Magdalene College, Cambridge. There is an inscribed stone commemorating his death, set above the doorway to one of the buildings.
• A film is soon to be made of the life and times of George H. Mallory The movie is called In High Places and is being produced by Paul Heller (My Left Foot, Enter the Dragon).
• The band Gatsby's American Dream has a song called "The Fall of George Mallory", the first song on their freshman album entitled Why We Fight (2002).
• Mallory was once asked "Have we conquered an enemy?" and replied "None but ourselves."
• In 1995, Mallory's grandson, George Mallory II, reached the summit of Everest.
• Artist, poet and musician Billy Childish paid tribute to Mallory in the song 'Bottomless Pit' with his band, The Musicians of the British Empire.

Full name The College of Saint Mary Magdalene Motto Garde ta Foy Keep your Faith Named after Mary Magdalene Previous names Buckingham College Established 1428 Sister College(s) Magdalen College Master Duncan Robinson Location Magdalene Street Undergraduates 335 Postgraduates 169 Homepage Boatclub Magdalene College (pronounced ) was founded in 1428 as... Gatsbys American Dream [sic] is a prolific Seattle-based Indie rock band. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Billy Childish (real name Steven John Hamper) or William Charlie Hamper (born December 1, 1959) is an English artist, author, poet, photographer, film maker, singer and guitarist. ...

See also

• Mountaineer
• Mt. Everest
• Andrew Irvine
• Edmund Hillary
• Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition
• List of people who have disappeared

Mountaineering is an umbrella term that can variously be used to describe the actions of climbing, hillwalking and scrambling. ... This article is about the Alpine mountain. ... Andrew Sandy Irvine (April 8, 1902 – 8-9 June 1924) was an English mountaineer who took part in the third British Expedition to Mount Everest in 1924. ... Sir Edmund Percival Hillary, KG, ONZ, KBE (born 20 July 1919) is a New Zealand mountaineer and explorer. ... The goal of the Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition of 1999 was to discover evidence of whether George Mallory and Andrew Irvine had been the first to summit Mt. ... The following is a compilation of people who have mysteriously disappeared, whose death is not substantiated, whose remains have not been recovered, whose current whereabouts are unknown, and who (except for the most recent cases) may be presumed deceased. ...

Further reading

• Anker, Conrad and Roberts, David: The Lost Explorer - Finding Mallory on Mount Everest. London: Simon & Schuster, 1999
• Holzel, Tom and Salkeld, Audrey: The Mystery of Mallory and Irvine, revised edition. London: Pimlico, 1999, The Mountaineers, USA.
• Firstbrook, Peter: Lost on Everest: The Search for Mallory & Irvine. BBC Worldwide, 1999.
• Gillman, Peter and Leni. The Wildest Dream: Mallory, His Life and Conflicting Passions. London: Headline, 2001.
• Jochen Hemmleb, Larry A. Johnson, Eric R. Simonson, William E. Nothdurft: Ghosts of Everest - The Search for Mallory & Irvine. Seattle: Mountaineers Books, 1999. Story of the 1999 expedition that located Mallory's body.
• Jochen Hemmleb & Eric R. Simonson: Detectives on Everest. The Story of the 2001 Mallory & Irvine Research Expedition. Seattle: Mountaineers Books, 2002. Sequel to Ghosts of Everest, with new discoveries on Everest and revelations regarding the fate of Andrew Irvine.

References

• Mallory as a Young Man

External links

• MountainWorld Photography – The photographer website from the 1999, 2001, & 2004 Mallory & Irvine Research Expeditions.
• Ghosts of Everest – New evidence examined. 1999 Expedition finds Mallory's remains; tries to reconstruct Mallory's ascent. From Outside Magazine
• Lost on Everest – In January 2000, PBS broadcast the story of the 1999 Nova expedition to locate the bodies of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine.
• Alpine History – Overviews of the 1999 and 2001 research expeditions and findings, plus remarks on subsequent search attempts.
• Peter H. Hansen, ‘Mallory, George Herbert Leigh (1886–1924)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, brief biographical entry.
• 2004 Expedition to find the cameras
• Mount Everest 1924 photographs – John Noel's photographs from the 1924 expedition.
• BBC: Replica clothes pass Everest test
• Photo of Mallory Court, Magdalene College, Cambridge
• Mallory Film
• What happened to Mallory & Irvine?
• Photo of Young Mallory and family aswell as Ruth Mallory

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