A century after he disappeared on the mountain, one of Everest’s first pioneers has finally been found. The partial remains of Andrew “Sandy” Irvine were discovered by a National Geographic expedition, the organization announced Friday. Irvine, 22, and famous climber George Mallory, 38, disappeared on Everest on June 8, 1924, during one of the first major attempts to summit the world’s highest mountain.
The British duo were never seen again — until American alpine legend Conrad Anker discovered Mallory’s frozen body in 1999 on the upper part of Everest. Now, in a poetic twist of fate, Jimmy Chin — one of Anker’s most important climbing partners — has found the partial remains of Irvine.
It’s a seismic moment for mountaineers and climbers, many of whom grew up fascinated by the enduring question raised by Mallory and Irvine’s fatal attempt: Did they reach the summit first and die attempting to descend? If so, that would forever change climbing history, as the official first ascent of Everest belongs to Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay for finally reaching its summit in 1954.
Historians have long hoped that Irvine’s camera would turn up and finally solve the mystery. But so far, Chin and National Geographic have only found one of Irvine’s feet, encased in a boot with his name, “A.C. Irvine,” stitched into the sock.
The mystery of Mallory and Irvine continues to live on — for now.
Irvine Family Welcomes Discovery
Unlike his partner Mallory, Irvine’s remains were found below the North Face of Everest on the central Rongbuk Glacier.
Chin, a veteran alpinist and the Oscar-winning director of Free Solo, wrote on social media that the finding was a lucky coincidence that happened while he, Erich Roepke, and Mark Fisher were filming the Everest Ski Expedition for National Geographic.
“Sometimes in life, the greatest discoveries occur when you aren’t even looking,” Chin wrote. “Any expedition to Everest follows in the shadow of Irvine and Mallory.”
A rapidly warming climate has melted deeper layers of snow and ice on the world’s highest mountains worldwide. As a result, the bodies of fallen climbers — many of them frozen for decades — have begun appearing more frequently in recent years. That’s most apparent on Mount Everest, where more than 100 bodies likely remain on the mountain’s slopes.
The partial remains are now in the possession of the China Tibet Mountaineering Association, which is responsible for climbing permits on Everest’s northern side, according to National Geographic.
However, the find was also reported to the Royal Geographical Society, which jointly organized Mallory and Irvine’s expedition.
Finally, the news was also shared with Irvine’s great niece and biographer, Julie Summers, one of his many living family relatives. The Irvine family has volunteered to compare DNA test results with the remains to confirm Irvine’s identity.
“I have lived with this story since I was a 7-year-old when my father told us about the mystery of Uncle Sandy on Everest,” Summers said in a statement. “The story became more real when climbers found the body of George Mallory in 1999, and I wondered if Sandy’s body would be discovered next … 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. It was and will remain an extraordinary and poignant moment.”
Mystery Endures
Exciting as it is, this finding will not end the mystery surrounding the greatest question around the ill-fated climb of Mallory and Irvine — whether they reached the summit on June 8, 1924, before perishing.
For years, expeditions and armchair mountaineers have hoped that the small Kodak camera that Irvine carried would turn up.
In the best possible scenario, the film inside the camera might then be developed and reveal a summit picture that would change the history of mountaineering. This would mean that two British climbers summited the world’s highest peak 29 years before Norgay and Edmund Hillary.
No camera or any other item was reportedly found by Chin and the National Geographic expedition. Yet the remains do end the rumors that Chinese climbers may have removed the body from the mountain.
Irvine was an “exceptional figure” who made a significant contribution to the understanding of Everest and the Himalayas, said Joe Smith, director of the Royal Geographical Society.
“This discovery of his remains provides an element of closure for his relatives and the wider mountaineering community, and we are grateful to Jimmy and his team for enabling this and ensuring Sandy is in safe hands,” Smith wrote in a National Geographic news release. “The Society will continue to assist Jimmy, his team and Sandy’s extended family during what will inevitably be a period of intense global interest.”
