100 years later, foot of lost Mount Everest climber Andrew Irvine likely found

For the past 100 years, a enigma has plagued explorers climbing Mount Everest — but the find of a severed quality ft whitethorn yet supply immoderate answers.

Last month, a squad of filmmaking climbers said they discovered an aged leather footwear peeking retired from melting crystal connected the Central Rongbuk Glacier, beneath the northbound look of Mount Everest. Upon person inspection, the filmmakers discovered a sock inactive successful the boot, with the ft inside, branded with an embroidered stitch reading, “A.C. Irvine.”

Immediately, the National Geographic documentary squad said they realized this was nary mean boot. They judge it belonged to English mountaineer Andrew Comyn “Sandy” Irvine, who attempted to scope Everest’s acme with his climbing spouse George Mallory successful June 1924.

Irvine, 22, and Mallory, 38, whitethorn person been the archetypal radical to acme Everest, though it has truthful acold been intolerable to determine, since the duo ne'er returned.

Since then, the enigma has fascinated radical some wrong and retired of the planetary mountaineering community. Much of the fascination has had to bash with a camera carried by Irvine during the trek, which could perchance clasp undeveloped movie to beryllium whether helium and Mallory reached the summit.

Photographer and manager Jimmy Chin told National Geographic that find of the ft had his squad “all literally moving successful circles dropping F-bombs.”

He speculated the footwear had lone melted retired of the crystal astir a week oregon truthful anterior to its discovery.

The remains were being disturbed by ravens, Chin said, truthful his squad asked support from the China-Tibet Mountaineering Association to transportation the ft and footwear down the upland successful a cooler.

Though the squad cannot yet accidental for definite whether the remains beryllium to Irvine, Chin is confident.

“But I mean, dude,” helium said. “There’s a statement connected it.”

Chin contacted surviving relatives of Irvine to stock the news.

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Julie Summers, 64, said the ft and footwear “tells the full communicative astir what astir apt happened.”

Summers, who wrote a biography astir her great-uncle, told National Geographic the find is simply a signifier of closure. She speculated Irvine’s remains whitethorn person been carried down Everest by avalanches, and aboriginal crushed by the moving glacier.

The ft volition beryllium DNA-tested and compared to samples provided by Irvine’s surviving household members.

Prior to the find of the boot, Chin said his squad identified an oxygen vessel bearing the day 1933. That year, an expedition of climbers discovered an crystal axe that had belonged to Irvine.

Chin and his squad person not disclosed wherever precisely the remains were recovered successful an effort to dissuade others from searching for trophies.

Mallory’s remains were discovered successful 1999. His assemblage had a breached limb and showed signs of heavy enactment lacerations, meaning helium apt suffered a fall. Many judge Irvine would person fallen with him, arsenic it is communal signifier for climbers to necktie to 1 another.

Mallory had reportedly carried a photograph of his woman portion climbing Everest, which helium planned to permission astatine the summit. The photograph was not connected his person, and his snowfall goggles were successful his pocket, starring immoderate to judge helium and Irvine had so been palmy connected their ascent.

Before now, determination was nary hint of Irvine.

Irvine and Mallory attempted to scope Everest’s acme 29 years earlier Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay climbed to the top. Hillary, an explorer from New Zealand, and Norgay, a Sherpa mountaineer from Nepal, are the archetypal 2 radical known to person reached Everest’s summit.