Overview of Selects: Did Mallory Make it to the Top of Everest First?
This Stuff You Should Know Select revisits one of mountaineering’s most enduring mysteries: whether George Mallory and Andrew “Sandy” Irvine reached the summit of Mount Everest in 1924, nearly 30 years before Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay are officially credited with the first confirmed ascent. The episode blends history, exploration, and human ambition, showing how Everest became the ultimate proving ground for early climbers—and why Mallory’s final climb remains unresolved.
The Core Mystery
- George Mallory was one of the earliest major figures in Everest exploration and became obsessed with summiting the mountain.
- On the final 1924 expedition, Mallory and Irvine disappeared while making a summit attempt from the north side of Everest.
- The key question remains: Did they reach the top before they died, or did they fall short?
- The episode explains why the evidence is still inconclusive, even after Mallory’s body was found decades later.
George Mallory: The Man and the Climber
A surprising background
- Mallory began as a progressive schoolteacher and intellectual, with connections to the Bloomsbury Group.
- He became deeply involved in climbing in his late teens and quickly rose as a gifted mountaineer.
- His quote, “Because it’s there,” became one of the most famous lines in mountaineering history.
Why he mattered
- Mallory was not just an adventurer; he was part of the generation that helped invent modern high-altitude climbing.
- He and his peers were working with:
- primitive gear
- improvised clothing
- little understanding of altitude physiology
- almost no established route-finding knowledge
Everest Before the First Summit
Why Everest was such a big deal
- Everest was seen as the “Third Pole”—one of the last great unexplored challenges on Earth.
- By the early 1900s, the poles had been reached, but Everest represented a new frontier.
Early mapping and expedition history
- In 1852, Indian survey work identified Everest as the world’s tallest mountain.
- The mountain was named Everest after Sir George Everest, though Tibetans knew it as Chomolungma (“Mother Goddess of the World”).
- In 1921, the first major British expedition began scouting routes and mapping possible approaches.
The Difficulty of Climbing Everest
More than just climbing a mountain
The episode emphasizes that getting to Everest was almost as hard as climbing it.
- Climbers had to traverse long distances through mountain ranges before reaching the mountain itself.
- They faced:
- glaciers
- crevasses
- avalanches
- ice cliffs
- extreme altitude sickness
- freezing conditions
- low oxygen levels
The north route
- Mallory’s expeditions used the north route from Tibet.
- That route is still considered harder than the southern Nepal route because it requires:
- more time at high altitude
- a longer approach
- harsher oxygen deprivation
The 1921 and 1922 Expeditions
1921: scouting and mapping
- The first expedition was mainly about finding a workable route.
- The team identified the North Col, which remains an important route today.
1922: a dangerous advance
- Climbers pushed higher than ever before.
- Mallory and others reached about 26,800 feet without supplemental oxygen.
- The expedition also saw tragedy:
- seven Sherpa died in an avalanche
- the team learned firsthand how deadly Everest could be
Oxygen and high-altitude climbing
- Early oxygen systems were bulky and awkward, with heavy glass bottles and wooden crates.
- Some climbers, including Mallory, were skeptical of oxygen use, even though it became clear how vital it was.
The Final 1924 Expedition
New team members and the last chance
- In 1924, Mallory returned for what would be his final Everest attempt.
- He was joined by Andrew “Sandy” Irvine, a strong young engineering student who could help improve the oxygen equipment.
- Irvine was less experienced than the others but was physically powerful and technically useful.
- Mallory was the only climber to take part in all three early Everest expeditions.
The summit attempt
- On the final push, Mallory and Irvine set out from the highest camp established at the time.
- They were already behind schedule when Noel Odell, a geologist positioned at a higher camp, saw two small figures moving upward.
- Odell believed he saw them near the second step, a major obstacle on the route.
The Last Sighting
Noel Odell’s testimony
- Odell reported seeing two black dots moving upward on the ridge.
- Clouds and a blizzard then obscured them.
- He later searched for them and eventually signaled back that they were likely lost.
Why Odell matters
- He was considered a credible witness because:
- he was a trained geologist
- he had unusually good eyesight
- His sighting is central to the debate over whether Mallory and Irvine made the summit.
Did They Reach the Top?
The two main theories
- They did reach the summit:
If Odell saw them on the second step, they may have cleared the final major obstacle and continued to the top. - They did not reach the summit:
If Odell actually saw them on the first step, they still had a major climb left and may have fallen short.
Why the debate continues
Evidence found later suggests both possibilities remain plausible:
- Mallory’s body was found in 1999, remarkably preserved.
- He had:
- a severe leg fracture
- rope trauma around his waist
- a head wound that may have been fatal during a fall
- The rope and injuries suggest he may have fallen while roped to Irvine or while descending.
- Mallory’s wife’s photograph, which he had promised to leave at the summit, was not found on his body.
- A camera they carried is still missing, and if it were found with usable film, it might help solve the mystery.
Historical Significance
What the episode makes clear
- Whether or not Mallory stood on the summit, he was a pioneer of modern mountaineering.
- His expeditions helped establish:
- the first practical Everest route
- high-altitude camp systems
- early understanding of acclimatization and oxygen use
- Even failed attempts advanced the goal for later climbers.
Legacy
- Mallory became a symbol of:
- ambition
- endurance
- risk
- the human drive to attempt the impossible
- The mystery of his final climb gives his story lasting power.
Key Takeaways
- George Mallory was an early Everest pioneer and one of mountaineering’s most famous figures.
- The 1921–1924 British expeditions mapped the first viable route on Everest’s north side.
- Sandy Irvine joined Mallory on the final attempt because of his strength and technical skill.
- Noel Odell’s sighting remains the strongest clue in the mystery.
- Mallory’s body, found in 1999, did not definitively prove whether he reached the summit.
- The episode leaves the question open: Mallory may have been the first person to summit Everest—but we still don’t know for sure.
Notable Quote
- “Because it’s there.” — George Mallory, on why he climbed mountains