The Lost Explorer: Finding Mallory on Mount Everest

This is a dramatic account of both Mallory and Irvine's final and probably unsuccessful attempt to climb Mount Everest that ended in disaster in June 1924, and the discovery of Mallory's body on the mountain in May 1999 by a group of climbers including the co-author of this work, who actually discovered the body himself. There is a sharp contrast drawn between the differing attitudes and approaches of 1924 and 1999, and the very sharp difference in the techniques, equipment and clothing available to each climbing party. The extreme cold, the bitter winds, the thin, thin air getting more extreme and more thin as climbers near the summit comes across very clearly....so many climbers have had to give up even just a few hundred feet for the show more summit as they are very close to death in the extreme conditions of what is accurately called the Death Zone. What struck me about Mallory was his very driven and daredevil nature, combined with an alarming absentmindedness and technical gaucheness (the latter somewhat made up for by Irvine). I tend to agree with the author's conclusion that almost certainly they did not make it to the summit but that they literally fell somewhat short and thereby created probably the greatest mystery in the history of mountaineering. A great read. show less

On June 8, 1924, English climbers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine vanished without a trace while climbing toward the summit of Mt. Everest. The last person to see them alive, Noel Odell, saw them ascending the northeast ridge of the mountain. Then clouds closed in, and Mallory and Irvine disappeared into legend, until 1999 when Conrad Anker discovered Mallory's body at 27,000 feet on Everest's north face.

This book, cowritten by Anker and David Roberts, traces Mallory's storied history and relationship with Mt. Everest, and details the expedition that searched for and found his body. It is a tale that bridges two very different eras in mountaineering--eras distinguished by technology, technique, and attitude, yet united by a mountain show more that remains as daunting and dangerous as ever.

Well written and engaging, the only thing this book lacks is a satisfying conclusion, but that's not the fault of the authors. For although Mallory's body was found, Irvine's remains missing to this day, along with the camera that could establish without doubt whether or not they made it to the "top of the world" twenty-nine years before Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. Regardless, Anker explains in great detail why he believes Mallory and Irvine fell to their deaths before reaching the summit. Although his may not be the last word on the subject, he makes a strong case.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of Everest or climbing in general. show less

This is a companion book to The Ghosts of Everest, which tries to present as unsensationalised an account of the discovery of George Mallory's body as possible. Although the book has dated, Anker now believes that it is possible that Mallory and Irvine reached the summit, it is still an interesting addition to the Everest canon, and does at least attempt to separate the facts, as remembered by Anker, from the fiction, and provide some context to the decisions made at the time. By alternating the chapters between 1999 and 1924, whether deliberately or not, Anker and Roberts are able to reinforce Anker’s point that Everest is not a mountain to be underestimated and that the best equipped, most experienced climbers, can still get into show more serious trouble on the mountain. show less

This book is a nice companion to Ghosts of Everest - it takes a less romanticized view of the same project, and comes to what feels to me like a more likely conclusion. Ghosts of Everest brought me to my fascination with Everest, but I really like Anker's style and impressions. If you read one, I very much suggest reading the other.

The story of the disappearance of George Mallory and his climbing partner, Sandy Irvine, while ascending or descending Mount Everest on June 8, 1924 has fascinated mountain fans for decades. They were last seen ascending the upper reaches somewhere between the "First" and "Second Steps." Did they make it to the summit? Did the accident which took their lives occur on the way up or on the way down? Ultimately these questions cannot be answered; however, until the May 1999 NOVA/BBC sponsered search for Mallory's and Irvine's remains there was little evidence on which to base speculation. This book tells the story of Conrad's Anker's discovery of Mallory's body, his carefully reasoned suggestions about whether they were the first to summit show more Everest and the scenario of their demise; and it tells the story of George Mallory, the most gifted mountaineer of the first half of the twentieth century and the only man to have been a part of all three British reconnaissance and summit attempts of the 1920s. It's a good quick read for the armchair adventurist. show less

Definitely one of Robert's better works, due to the fact that he kept his ego in check.

Leigh-Mallory, George Herbert, 1886-1924/Mountaineers > Great Britain > Biography/Mountaineering > Everest, Mount (China and/Nepal)/Anker, Conrad/Mount Everest Expedition (1924)