Ghosts of Everest: The Search for Mallory & Irvine

216 Pages·1999·22.522 MB·English

by  Jochen Hemmleb, Larry A. Johnson, Eric R. Simonson

vc c' • • V. \ , .. x* .
EXCLUSIVE TEAM STORY ♦ STARTLING DISCOVERIES
THE SEARCH FOR MALLORY & IRVINE
Adventure Narrative
coming i
defeated.
George Leigh Mallory
JL or three quarters or a century, this is all that
has been known with any certainty: Just after
dawn on June 6, 1924, two members of the
1924 British Everest Expedition crawled out of
their tents on the North Col, a wind-savaged
23,180-foot-high saddle of snow, ice, and rock
between theh^ang mass of Everest itself and
its lesser northern neighbor, Changtse, and
began a long walk into history. At 12:50 P.M.,
two days later, they were seen high on the
mountain’s Northeast Ridge “going strong
for the top.”
never retijirned,
Until now, clues about what happened to
these two Everest pioneers had been scant and
misleading. Until now, no one has known
whether they reached the summit. Until now,
no one has known where or how they perished
Ghosts of Everest: The Search for Mallory &
Irvine is a detective story of the first order.
It is the story not just of Mallory and Irvine’s
last climb, but of the team of climbers and
Continued on back flap

GHOSTS
of
EVEREST

GHOSTS
of
EVEREST
THE SEARCH FOR MALLORY & IRVINE
FROM THE EXPEDITION THAT DISCOVERED MALLORY’S BODY
R.
JOCHEN HEMMLEB ♦ LARRY A. JOHNSON ♦ ERIC SIMONSON
William E. Nothdurft
as told to
M
THE
MOUMTAINEE R S
BOOKS
Published by
The Mountaineers Books
M
1001 SW Klickitat Way, Suite 201
Seattle, WA 98134
© 1999 by Jochen Hemmleb, Larry A. Johnson, Eric R. Simonson
All rights reserved
First edition, 1999
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any electronic, mechanical, or other
means, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published simultaneously in Great Britain by Macmillan, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Ltd.
Manufactured in the United States of America by R.R. Donnelley & Sons
Editor-in-Chief: Margaret Foster
Edited by Kris Fulsaas
All chapter opening photographs by Jim Fagiolo. © Mallory & Irvine Research Expedition
Historical Photo Research: Margaret K. Sullivan
Production Director: Helen Cherullo
Cover design by Jennifer LaRock Shontz
Book design and layout by Jennifer LaRock Shontz
Cover photographs: Mallory and Irvine setting off for their final climb from the North Col,
June 6, 1924 (Photo by Noel Odell. © Royal Geographical Society, London)
Inset: Mallory’s note to John Noel, sent down with porters from Camp VI on June 7, 1924
(© John Noel Photographic Collection)
Frontispiece: Pioneers of Everest—George Leigh Mallory and Andrew Comyn Irvine (© Royal
Geographical Society, London. © The Sandy Irvine Trust) Collage by Jennifer LaRock Shontz
Photographers and Picture Sources: We gratefully acknowledge all those who provided pictures for
use in this book. We have made every attempt to trace copyright holders and gain permission for
such use and apologize for any errors or omissions.
Library of Congress Catalogmg-in-Publication Data
Hemmleb, Jochen, 1971-
Ghosts of Everest : the search for Mallory and Irvine / by
Jochen Hemmleb, Larry A. Johnson, and Eric R. Simonson of the
expedition team that found Mallory on Everest as told to William E.
Nothdurft.— 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-89886-669-5 (cloth)
1. Mountaineering—Everest, Mount (China and Nepal)
2. Leigh-Mallory, George Herbert, 1886-1924. 3. Irvine, Andrew,
1902-1924. 4. Mountaineers—Great Britain—Biography. 5. Everest,
Mount (China and Nepal)—Description and travel. I. Johnson, Larry
A., 1946- II. Simonson, Eric R. III. Title.
GV199.44.E85H46 1999
796.52'2'0922—dc21
[B]
99-6818
CIP
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ■ 6
FOREWORD ■ 7
A NOTE TO READERS ■ 9
LAST ATTEMPT ■ ll
PROLOGUE
THE DETECTIVE AND THE MYSTERY
CHAPTER 1
MORE LIKE WAR THAN ADVENTURE
CHAPTER 2
ABOUT TO WALK OFF THE MAP -
CHAPTER 3
THE WHOLE E>ANDOE>AST
CHAPTER 4 • 71
AN INFERNAL MOUNTAIN
CHAPTER 5 • 91
THE “ENGLISH DEAD”
CHAPTER 6 ■ 109
THE FINAL PYRAMID
CHAPTER 7 - 131
NOTES ON AN ENVELOPE
CHAPTER 8 • 159
BECAUSE IT’S THERE
■EPILOGUE ■ 181
NOTES • 185
EVEREST NORTH SIDE: RESOLVED AND
APPENDIX 1
UNRESOLVED MYSTERIES • 191
MALLORY & IRVINE RESEARCH EXPEDITION
APPENDIX 2
STATISTICS • 195
SELECTED REFERENCES ■ 199
INDEX 203
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The 1999 Mallory & Irvine Research Expedition would not State Historical Museum; archaeologist Dr. Rick Reanier;
have been successful without the hard work and support oi many coroner Donald T. Reay, M.D.
individuals, organizations, and companies in the United States, Clare Millikan and John Mallory and their families.
Britain, Nepal, China, and Tibet. For making this book into a reality and this event into an
For their pioneering work into the mystery of Mallory and engaging, authentic story: writer Bill Nothdurft along with
Irvine, we are indebted to Tom Holzel and Audrey Salkeld. Margaret Foster, Art Freeman, and the staff at The Mountaineers
For their expert mountaineering skills, team spirit, and Books.
enthusiasm for this project, we thank the entire expedition team
and the Sherpa, who took this dream into the real world and In addition:
became a part of a historic event. Jochen Hemmleb would like to thank Larry Johnson for
For her hard work in helping to manage and organize his unrelenting support and loyalty, and Eric Simonson for
every phase of the expedition and well beyond, we are indebted organizing and leading the expedition to a successful conclusion.
to Erin Copland. The following individuals helped in the course of the research
We thank our media partners: Chuck Gottschalk, Peter for this book: Dr. Gerhard Bax, Gay Blanchard at Barnard Castle
Potterfield, and Anya Zolotusky at MountainZone.com'-, Liesl School, Russell Brice, the late Mai Duff, Kiyoshi Furuno, Harry
Clark, David Breashears, and Paula Apsell at WGBH/AY9U4; Hett, Maohai Huang, Tim Macartney-Snape, Colin Monteath,
Graham Hoyland, Peter Firstbrook, and Kate Slattery at BBC; Sandra Noel, Joanna Scadden at the Royal Geographical Society,
Nate Simmons, Lisa Raleigh, and Penn Newhart at Backbone Marc Small, Mike Smith, Julie Summers at the Sandy Irvine
Media. Trust, Swiss Airphoto & Survey, Jon Tinker, Brad Washburn,
For their special assistance during the course of the expe¬ Thomas Wetter, and Professor Zhou Zheng. And finally, he
dition, we thank old friends and new, including: Mr. Ying wishes to thank his family and friends for their love and support
Daoshui at China-Tibet Mountaineering Association; Liu Feng, over the years.
Zhao Lin Lin, and Renchin Phinjo, our Everest 1999 Rongbuk Larry Johnson would like to thank Jochen Hemmleb for
Liaison Officers; Xu Chuan, interpreter; Sonam Gyalpo and Ang the inspiration to become involved in this grand adventure and
Jangbo of Great Escapes Trekking in Kathmandu. Eric Simonson who made the expedition happen. No less impor¬
For their invaluable expertise and assistance with the artifacts: tant, his wife, Dottie, who has stood by with love and support,
Schelleen Scott and Heather Macdonald; Larry Huntington, and his children for their help and encouragement.
Dan Mann, and Charlie Peck of the American Foundation for Eric Simonson would like to thank his parents, Hal and
International Mountaineering, Exploration, and Research; Carolyn Simonson, and his friends, clients, and fellow guides for
Patricia Blankenship and Lynn Anderson of the Washington their ongoing support and encouragement.
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