The remains of a British explorer, missing for over 100 years after he vanished while climbing Mount Everest, have been found. Andrew Comyn “Sandy” Irvine, 22, vanished in June 1924 along with fellow climber George Mallory. Sandy Irvine’s foot has now been discovered buried in ice.
It is still unknown if the duo made it before they died. Irvine and Mallory were attempting to be the first to reach the top of the world’s highest mountain. Mallory’s body was found in 1999, but a photo of his wife, which he planned to leave at the summit, was missing. Irvine had a camera that might have captured their journey, but his body was not found at the time. According to records, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first to successfully climb to the peak of Mt. Everest in 1953.
Sock with red label and “A.C. IRVINE” on it found
A National Geographic documentary team, led by Oscar-winning director Jimmy Chin, believes they have found the foot of Andrew Irvine, the British explorer who disappeared over a century ago on Mount Everest.
The team, which includes climbers and filmmakers Erich Roepke and Mark Fisher, made the discovery on the Central Rongbuk Glacier, lower on the mountain than where George Mallory’s body was found.
🔴 Foot of a famed Mount Everest climber is possibly found after 100 years.
If confirmed by DNA, the discovery would be the first evidence of Andrew “Sandy” Irvine’s remains. pic.twitter.com/wl49BTK6e3
— News Of The Globe (@NewsOfEarthTr) October 15, 2024
The foot was covered by a boot when found, and the sock on the foot had a name stitched into it. “I lifted up the sock,” Chin told National Geographic, “and [there was] a red label that has A.C. IRVINE stitched into it.”
On June 8, 1924, Irvine and Mallory were seen for the last time as they made their push to conquer Everest’s summit. Their fellow climber, Noel Odell, observed them as tiny black shapes from afar.
He noticed them near the second of the three major steps on the mountain. For a fleeting moment, one of the figures seemed to rise above the ridge when the clouds briefly parted. Then, they disappeared, never to be seen alive again.
Mallory’s body found in 1999
In 1999, US climber Conrad Anker discovered Mallory’s body less than 2,000 feet (600 meters) from Everest’s summit. Mallory had a rope tied around his waist, and injuries suggested he and Irvine had fallen while still tied together.
Using this location as a guide, Jimmy Chin and his team searched the nearby glacier for additional evidence. It was during this search that they found a boot, which had slowly begun emerging from the ice.
“This was a monumental and emotional moment for us and our entire team on the ground, and we just hope this can finally bring peace of mind to his relatives and the climbing world at large,” Chin said.
The team handed over the remains of Sandy Irvine’s foot which had been discovered buried in ice to the China Tibet Mountaineering Association, the organization responsible for overseeing climbing permits on Everest’s northern side.