Deaths linked to 1924 storm.

"I don't think you actually conquer the mountain. You sneak up on it and then get the hell off!" -  Krakaur


On June 8, 1924 British explorers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine attempted to reach the summit of Mount Everest; they were last sighted by their comrades at 28,000 feet. Then...nothing.

Down at base camp their comrades, knowing full well the perils of the mountain and what little tolerance it had for the tiniest mistake, waited anxiously for their return. It soon became clear that tragedy had struck.

At the first opportunity, search parties scoured the area hoping against all odds for some sign of life; it was not to be. The tempestuous mountain left no trace of Mallory or Irvine and their mysterious dissappearance became legend.

Some decades later, in 1999, a group of scientists calling themselves "The Mallory-Irvine Research Expedition" made an amazing discovery. They found Mallory's mummified body face down in a mixture of ice and gravel on the side of the mountain.

Forensic analysis suggests that Mallory fell some distance and, although knowing he would surely die, it is clear that he fought for survival right to the bitter end. His arms were frozen in place above his head and his fingers clawed out as if still unwilling to let go of the phantom stone or ice chunk that broke his fall. Having little oxygen, water, or warmth he wouldn't have sufferred long.

But what went wrong?

Members of the original expedition agree that all was going well up until their last sighting of them (at approximately 28,000 feet). The weather on that day had been as obliging as one could possibly hope for. Without realizing it, they may have already had the answer.

When the 1999 expedition took barometric readings they recorded 8mbar. A look back at the 1924 recordings revealed a shocking 18mbar... making the chances for disastrous weather most imminent.

But how can the weather be different for the climbers vs. the men back at camp? Remember they are on a mountain. With the changes in elevation also comes changes in atmospheric conditions. What one person sees at the base of a mountain is not necessarily what is going on at the top.

The fluctuation in barmoetric pressure could warn of sudden blizzard-like conditions and a drop in available oxygen..which is now almost certainly the case with Mallory and Irvine.

It is not known if they ever made it to the top.

In the end, Mallory and Irvine received the fame they were longing for, although, now their names are forevermore synonymous with that of the dark mystique of the mountain.

Irvine has never been found.