“When they saw it, there was no doubt what they were seeing: a boot melting into the ice,” begins the article published today by National Geographic about the discovery. And the paragraph continues: “As they approached, they realized that the cracked leather was old and worn and the sole was studded and held in place with the diamond-patterned steel nails of a bygone era of climbing.” It happened just a few weeks ago. A team of documentary filmmakers found a boot and a foot that almost certainly belong to the remains of Sandy Irving, who together with George Mallory first attempted to climb Everest from the north face.
This is how the media itself, in charge of giving the scoop, explains it: “A National Geographic documentary team that included photographer and director Jimmy Chin, along with filmmakers and climbers Erich Roepke and Mark Fisher, took a closer look at the boot. Inside, they discovered a foot, remains that they instantly recognized as belonging to Andrew Comyn Irvine, or Sandy, as he was known.” The uncertainty disappeared when they approached and noticed that there was a name embroidered on the sock: AC Irvine.
Irvine and Mallory were last seen on June 8, 1924, before continuing the ascent and when they were attempting to become the first people to reach the summit of the world’s highest peak. The question of whether they had reached the summit has endured as the greatest climbing mystery of all time. The controversy over whether they had reached the top has been debated for decades. The reason is very simple: If Irvine and Mallory were successful, their achievement would have come almost 30 years before Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary were recognized as the first two men to conquer Everest.
Mallory’s remains were found in 1999. However, Irvine’s whereabouts were unknown. Now the same expedition that located the boot of the mountaineer, who disappeared when he was only 22 years old, will try to find the missing remains, including the Kodak Vest pocket camera that he was carrying and that could certify whether they completed their ascent. There are indications that this was the case. They were obtained after Mallorý’s body was recovered, as he was not carrying the photo of his wife, which he had planned to leave on the summit. Irvine’s boot, sock and remains are now in the hands of the China-Tibet Mountaineering Association (CTMA), the government authority that oversees the north side of Everest. In addition, a DNA sample was taken on which they are working with the British consulate for further identification.
