The partial remains of Andrew “Sandy” Irvine are believed to have been found on the slopes of Mount Everest, a century after he died alongside his fellow British climber George Mallory while attempting – or just possibly returning from – the first ascent of the mountain.
The two men, part of a British expedition to climb the north-east ridge, were last seen making a push for the summit on 8 June 1924. They never returned, leading to one of the most enduring mysteries in mountaineering – whether the two men died after reaching the summit, as members of their team believed.
Mallory’s remains were found in 1999, and last month, a team of climbers and film-makers discovered a foot encased in a climbing boot and sock – on which was sewn a label identifying it as Irvine’s.
“I lifted up the sock and there’s a red label that has ‘AC Irvine’ stitched into it,” the climber and film director Jimmy Chin told National Geographic. “We were all literally running in circles dropping f-bombs.”
While the discovery of Mallory’s body, marked by deep rope-marks that might indicate a fall, answered some questions about the circumstances of their deaths, it left many others unanswered. A photograph of Mallory’s wife which he had intended to leave on the summit was not found with his body – indicating that they may have achieved their aim.
Irvine, who was 22, is believed to have been carrying a Kodak camera, which some have hoped might settle the question for good, but neither this nor the rest of his body have been found. It would be another 29 years before Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the first acknowledged ascent in 1953.
The foot was found on a glacier below Everest’s north face, at a lower altitude than Mallory’s body. It is now with the China Tibet Mountaineering Association, which is responsible for climbing permits on Everest’s northern side.
Julie Summers, Irvine’s great-niece and biographer, said: “I have lived with this story since I was a seven-year-old when my father told us about the mystery of Uncle Sandy on Everest. 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.
“A quarter of a century after that discovery, it seemed extremely unlikely that anything new would be found. When Jimmy told me that he saw the name AC 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.”
Chin said: “It’s the first real evidence of where Sandy ended up. A lot of theories have been put out there … When someone disappears and there’s no evidence of what happened to them, it can be really challenging for families. And just having some definitive information of where Sandy might have ended up is certainly [helpful], and also a big clue for the climbing community as to what happened.”
Questions have been raised in recent years about the whereabouts of the two men’s bodies – Mallory’s was left where it lay on the mountain in 1999 – amid suggestions they had been found and removed by Chinese authorities. But Summers told the magazine she believed they were refuted by the discovery of the foot. “I think Jimmy’s find has absolutely answered that question,” she said.
Prof Joe Smith, director of the Royal Geographical Society, said of the discovery: “Sandy was an exceptional figure and made a significant contribution to our understanding of Everest and the Himalaya. 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.”
