Mallory and Irvine on Everest
Two climbers were last seen heading for Everest's summit in 1924. Whether they reached it, 29 years before Hillary and Tenzing, is still unknown.
What was reported
On 8 June 1924, George Mallory and Andrew 'Sandy' Irvine set out from their high camp on the north side of Everest to try for the summit. Their teammate Noel Odell glimpsed them through a gap in the clouds, climbing a step on the ridge, before they disappeared from view. They never returned.
In 1999 a search expedition found Mallory high on the north face. The photograph of his wife that he'd planned to leave on the summit wasn't with him, and his snow goggles were in his pocket, hinting they may have been coming down late in the day.
Explanations offered
Without the camera they carried, which has never been found, no one can say whether they reached the top. Most experts think the climb, especially the difficult 'Second Step', was beyond them. In 2024 a film team found a boot believed to be Irvine's on a glacier below the face.
- When
- 8 June 1924
- Where
- North face of Mount Everest
- Witnesses
- Noel Odell, the last to see them
- Status
- Never solved
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.