Remains of a mountaineer from 100 years ago found on Mount Everest

Some remains believed to be those of Andrew Irvine, a British climber who went missing 100 years ago while attempting to become the first person to climb the world’s tallest peak Mount Everest in the Himalayas, have been discovered. The find is gaining international attention as the camera that he was carrying at that time is expected to reveal whether he had succeeded in conquering. If there are any remaining photos that capture Irvine on Everest, it will be proof that he had climbed the mountain 29 years earlier than the first record of 1953.

National Geographic announced on Friday (local time) that its documentary team had found a pair of hiking boots, with a sock inside, and the remains of a foot, believed to be Irvine's, on the Rongbuk Glacier in central Everest. The socks have Irvine’s name engraved on them: ‘A.C. Irvine’ (photo).

Irvine had gone missing in June 1924 while climbing Mount Everest with his colleague George Mallory. He was last seen about 250 meters away from the summit.

There is growing attention on the whereabouts of the camera that Irvine always carried with him. It is well-known that the camera was buried somewhere in the glacier, but the search scope was so vast that it has not been found since. Mallory's remains were discovered in 1999, but the photo of his wife that he vowed to leave on the summit of Everest was not found among his belongings, leading to speculation that he may have succeeded in reaching the peak. With the discovery of Irvine's remains, however, the search scope has narrowed significantly, raising expectations for finding the camera.


Ji-Sun Choi aurinko@donga.com