Mallory and Irvine: Should we solve Everest's mystery?

[Gerald]

http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/5595/55793090triogetty.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/836/55793090triogetty.jpg/)
The mystery of whether two British adventurers were the first to reach Everest's summit has long intrigued the public. But do we really want to know the truth?

As a tale of doomed, romantic endeavour, it has endured for decades.

It is also Everest's most persistent mystery - did George Mallory and Andrew "Sandy" Irvine make it to the top in 1924, almost 30 years before it was officially conquered?

The pair, equipped with primitive climbing gear, were last sighted a few hundred metres away from the summit before bad weather closed in around them.

Wearing Burberry gabardine jackets and hobnail boots, and carrying a rudimentary oxygen supply, their gear was a far cry from the hi-tech protective clothing worn by modern mountaineers.

And historians have long argued whether or not they made it to the peak before succumbing to the freezing conditions.

A forthcoming expedition to Everest aiming to establish what exactly happened is just the latest in a series of attempts to solve the puzzle. But despite the continued speculation, many of those with a stake in the mystery hope it will never be resolved, fearing the prosaic truth could never match the legend.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15123551

Note: 3 October 2011 Last updated at 11:38 GMT

[Betonov]

It would be interesting to know who was first on top.

But it wouldn't change anything, first to conquer means first to get to the top and back alive

[Sailor Steve]

It would be interesting to know who was first on top.

But it wouldn't change anything, first to conquer means first to get to the top and back alive
Exactly what I was going to say. I guess that means you were the first to point it out and get back alive.

For now...

[Betonov]

Well, even Hillary had a sherpa with him to the top :DL

[Sailor Steve]

That's true. Kind of makes you wonder how many sherpas were there before.

[Gerald]

Many, I think.

[Betonov]

Why do I have this image in my head, Hillary finnaly reaching the top and finding a sherpa run kebab stand on top :doh:

[kraznyi_oktjabr]

Why do I have this image in my head, Hillary finnaly reaching the top and finding a sherpa run kebab stand on top :doh::har:

[ajrimmer42]

Why do I have this image in my head, Hillary finnaly reaching the top and finding a sherpa run kebab stand on top :doh:

roflmao :haha:

[jumpy]

An expedition to everest to clean the place up would be a better idea.
In Chris Bonnington's 'The Everest Years' he describes how both he and fellow climbers got dysentery at one of the higher camps from using snow and ice, to cook food and make drinks, that was contaminated with human faecal matter.
And that was way back in the 70's.

Never mind all of the kit and other general rubbish left behind on the mountain.

There may well have been romance and trepidation in the early years of mountain conquering - being the first, or at the very least, one of the few to die in the attempt - leaving behind the mystery of who, how and when. Not so much these days. Just like everywhere else human beings go in profusion; refuse.

[joegrundman]

some time ago i cam across this compelling blogpost about everest

http://godheadv.blogspot.com/2010/04/abandoned-on-everest.html

[NeonSamurai]

An expedition to everest to clean the place up would be a better idea.
In Chris Bonnington's 'The Everest Years' he describes how both he and fellow climbers got dysentery at one of the higher camps from using snow and ice, to cook food and make drinks, that was contaminated with human faecal matter.
And that was way back in the 70's.

Never mind all of the kit and other general rubbish left behind on the mountain.

There may well have been romance and trepidation in the early years of mountain conquering - being the first, or at the very least, one of the few to die in the attempt - leaving behind the mystery of who, how and when. Not so much these days. Just like everywhere else human beings go in profusion; refuse.

You have any idea how dangerous Everest is? It is literally a giant open graveyard littered with well over a hundred corpses of dead climbers in the death zone. There is one area called rainbow valley because of all the people who fell in there, making the place rainbow colored from the different colored snow suits they are wearing. To reach the summit you literally have to climb over the dead (or even dying sometimes) to do it.

Nova: Everest the Death Zone
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1788082149157525822

http://gizmodo.com/5755875/abandoned-on-mt-everest

http://godheadv.blogspot.com/2010/04/abandoned-on-everest.html


Now they have tried some expeditions to clean up a bit, like the one last year. But it is very difficult and extremely dangerous. It is hard enough just reaching the peak and surviving, let alone trying to clean up. If you can't go on and your in the death zone, you are dead.. as no one can help you (or they will die with you).

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/19/mount-everest-death-zone-clean

[Herr-Berbunch]

Why do I have this image in my head, Hillary finnaly reaching the top and finding a sherpa run kebab stand on top :doh:

http://www.toonpool.com/user/589/files/take_a_number_283135.jpg

[Gerald]

http://www.toonpool.com/user/589/files/take_a_number_283135.jpg Line up boys,:D

[Egan]

An expedition to everest to clean the place up would be a better idea.
In Chris Bonnington's 'The Everest Years' he describes how both he and fellow climbers got dysentery at one of the higher camps from using snow and ice, to cook food and make drinks, that was contaminated with human faecal matter.
And that was way back in the 70's.


I know Chris. He's a friend of my dad's. Personally, I think they made it and died during the descent. I seem to remember the location and condition of Mallory's body supported this to some extent when it was eventually discovered (in 2000, I think?)

[jumpy]

You have any idea how dangerous Everest is? It is literally a giant open graveyard littered with well over a hundred corpses of dead climbers in the death zone. There is one area called rainbow valley because of all the people who fell in there, making the place rainbow colored from the different colored snow suits they are wearing. To reach the summit you literally have to climb over the dead (or even dying sometimes) to do it.

Nova: Everest the Death Zone
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1788082149157525822

http://gizmodo.com/5755875/abandoned-on-mt-everest

http://godheadv.blogspot.com/2010/04/abandoned-on-everest.html


Now they have tried some expeditions to clean up a bit, like the one last year. But it is very difficult and extremely dangerous. It is hard enough just reaching the peak and surviving, let alone trying to clean up. If you can't go on and your in the death zone, you are dead.. as no one can help you (or they will die with you).

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/19/mount-everest-death-zone-clean

Yes, I know all of this.

Given the risk involved with climbing such a mountain, merely for personal gain, I find it a very selfish thing to do. Each of those who died left behind friends and family, not all of whom would be happy about their friend/loved one risking their death.
Those who do are not thinking of others, just themselves. That's my take on dangerous mountaineering, and that of many climbers who have lost friends over the years - surviving to be old enough to see how selfish they actually were. Some of the accounts by climbers themselves say this, quite directly in some cases.
The cliché of the personality clash on the mountain is quite true in many instances; some deaths are no doubt attributable to this - bad decisions made by ambitious people, you know how it goes.

I wouldn't advocate stopping them doing it however.
But it would be nice to not leave so much flotsam behind, both material and human, particularly for such an arbitrary goal.

[Betonov]

If I die somewhere with that kind of wiew...

LEAVE ME ON IT !!!!

[Armistead]

I highly doubt it could ever be done anyway. As stated, anyone climbing it can view numerous frozen bodies in almost pristine looking condition. I think the only way it could be done is someone would have to build an equipped tech shelter. It would be a mass undertaking.

I'm no expert, but I would think in all this time there would be major snow shifts, possibly moving the bodies, so where they found them would still result in speculation.