A team of climbers may have found a crucial clue to solving one of mountaineering’s greatest mysteries: whether British climbers Andrew “Sandy” Irvine and George Mallory became the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1924, long before Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay’s historic ascent in 1953.
The discovery was made in September 2024 by a team filming a National Geographic documentary. The climbers stumbled upon a preserved boot, emerging from melting ice on the Central Rongbuk Glacier, believed to belong to Irvine, who disappeared 100 years ago alongside Mallory. Inside the boot was a foot, and on the sock was an embroidered name: “A.C. Irvine.”
For the family of Irvine, it was a moment they had long stopped expecting. “I just froze. We had all given up any hope any trace of him would be found,” said Julie Summers, Irvine’s great-niece, in an interview with the BBC. Summers called the discovery “extraordinary.”
The filmmakers are confident that the boot belonged to Irvine. Jimmy Chin, the renowned adventurer leading the team, described the moment as “monumental and emotional.” He added, “I mean, dude… there’s a label on it.”
The discovery has also renewed the possibility of finding the camera Irvine was believed to be carrying, which could hold a photograph proving whether he and Mallory successfully reached the summit.
Energized by their discovery, the team searched the glacier for several days, hoping to locate Irvine’s body and the camera. The family has provided a DNA sample to confirm the identity of the foot, which has been passed to Chinese mountaineering authorities for further analysis.
For Summers and her family, this find has brought both relief and reflection, particularly during the centenary of Irvine’s disappearance. “It would be nice – we would all feel very proud,” Summers said of the possibility that Irvine and Mallory might have reached the summit. However, she added, “the only way we will ever know is if we find a picture in the camera he was believed to be carrying.”
While Mallory’s body was found in 1999, the location of Irvine’s remains has remained a mystery until now.
