Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - Did George Mallory Climb Mount Everest First?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Almost everyone knows the first people to climb Mount Everest were Tenzing, Norgae, and Edmund Hillary, who reached the summit and returned in 1953. However, some believe another group might have reached the summit 19 years before they did. It's a debate which has raged for decades and recently discovered evidence on the slopes of Everest hasn't quieted the discussion. Learn more about George Mallory and his attempts to summit Mount Everest on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. virus is trending on TikTok. Vaccines are poison. Then your yoga teacher says that sex traffic children are being sacrificed by satanic liberals, but it's all okay. The Great Awakening

Starting point is 00:00:54 is coming. What is happening? Every week on Conspiratuality Podcast, we explore the fever dreams that suck friends, family, and wellness gurus down the right-wing cult spiral in a search for salvation. George Herbert Lee Mallory was born on June 18th, 18th, 1886 in Marbury-Cheshire, England. The son of a clergyman, he showed an adventurous spirit from boyhood, famously climbing on the roof of his family's church. He attended Winchester College, where he developed a passion for climbing in the Welsh Mountains, and later went to Magland College, Cambridge, where he read history and came under the influence of notable intellectuals, including the writer Lytton Strachey. At Cambridge, he deepened his relationship with mountaineering,

Starting point is 00:01:45 climbing regularly in the Alps under the mentorship of accomplished alpinist R.L.G. Irving. He became an elegant and gifted climber known for his fluid, almost instinctive technique. After Cambridge, he trained as a schoolmaster and took a teaching post at Charterhouse School, where he taught from 1910 onward, beloved by his students for his enthusiasm and unconventional style. In 1914, Mallory married Ruth Turner, the daughter of a prosperous architect. Their marriage was devoted and deeply affectionate, producing three children, Claire, Belridge, and John. Ruth became the emotional anchor in his life, and his letters to her from the Himalayas are considered amongst the most moving documents in mountaineering history.

Starting point is 00:02:28 The outbreak of World War I interrupted his climbing career as he served as a lieutenant in the Royal Garrison Artillery on the Western Front, surviving the conflict when many of his contemporaries did not. By the early 1920s, Mallory had built a formidable reputation in alpine climbing, having made numerous difficult ascents in the Alps and elsewhere. When the Royal Geographical Society in the Alpine Club began organizing the first British expedition to Mount Everest, newly identified as the world's highest peak and a supreme object of national ambition, Mallory was a natural choice. In 1921, an expedition to Everest was organized by the Royal Geographical Society in the Alpine Club and led by Colonel Charles Howard

Starting point is 00:03:11 Bury. This was not a summit attempt. It was a reconnaissance. Its job was to answer a basic question. Is there a viable route to the top? At the time, Nepal was closed to foreigners. That meant that any attempt had to approach from Tibet across the mountains northern side. The key climbing figures included George Mallory, Guy Bullock, and Edward Oliver Wheeler. Before 1921, Everest had never been closely examined by climbers. Even its surrounding geography was poorly understood. Maps were incomplete. The glaciers and ridges were largely unknown. This expedition was essentially a high altitude exploration combined with serious cartography. The British were motivated by national prestige. Everest was the highest point on Earth, and reaching it would be a

Starting point is 00:04:02 symbolic achievement in an era of imperial exploration. The team traveled through India into Tibet and then across the high plateau to the Everest region. The logistics of the expedition were immense. Hundreds of porters and pack animals were required just to move supplies. This was months of travel, even before climbing could begin. Once near Everest, the team explored multiple valleys and glaciers to determine how the mountain might be climbed. They examined approaches from the east and north, mapping the region in detail. Mallory's biggest contribution came when he helped identify a workable line via the Rongbuk glacier to the north Kull, a high saddle between Everest and Mount Changsi.

Starting point is 00:04:46 From there, the climbers could access the North Ridge, and then the Northeast Ridge towards the summit. This discovery essentially established the route that would be used in 1920 and 2024, and again, by a Chinese expedition in 1960. Mallory and Bullock reached roughly 23,000 feet, an extraordinary height for what was officially just a reconnaissance mission, but they were forced back by weather, exhaustion, and the limits of their equipment. Unlike later expeditions, oxygen was not used in 1921. Clothing was wool, silk, and gabardine. Boots were primitive by modern standards. Weather forecasting was non-existent.

Starting point is 00:05:28 Above 20,000 feet, they were operating in largely uncharted territory. with minimal understanding of how altitude truly affected the body. With the knowledge gained in 1921, 1922 was going to be the first real attempt at the summit. It was led by Brigadier General Charles Bruce and included key climbers such as George Mallory, Edward Norton, Howard Somerville, and George Finch. The team returned to the northern approach in Tibet using the North Call route discovered the previous year. The plan was straightforward in concept, but brutally hard to execute. Establish a series of progressively higher camps on Rongbuck Glacier,

Starting point is 00:06:10 climb to the north call, and then push up the North Ridge and Northeast Ridge to the summit. This expedition also marked a major innovation in mountaineering, the use of supplemental oxygen. At the time, oxygen was controversial. Many climbers saw it as unsporting or even dangerous. Finch strongly advocated for it and would become its most successful early user. The team successfully reached the North Kohl Mountain Pass and established high camps above 7,000 meters. This alone was a major achievement.

Starting point is 00:06:43 On May 21st, Mallory, Norton, and Somerville made the first summit attempt without oxygen. They reached approximately 8,230 meters or about 27,000 feet, higher than any human being had ever climbed at that point. They were forced to turn back due to exhaustion and worsening conditions. A second attempt followed on May 27th, this time using oxygen. George Finch and Jeffrey Bruce made a remarkable ascent, reaching around 8,320 meters. Finch's performance with oxygen was particularly impressive and helped validate its effectiveness. They turned back due to equipment failures and fatigue.

Starting point is 00:07:24 For the first time in history, humans had climbed above 8,000. meters. The so-called death zone had been entered and survived. On June 7th, Mallory led another team towards the north call. While ascending a steep snow slope below the call, an avalanche swept down the face. Mallory survived, but seven Sherpa Porters were killed. They were the first recorded climbing fatalities on Mount Everest. The avalanche ended the expedition. Morale collapsed and continuing would have been irresponsible, so the team withdrew. If 1921 proved Everest was climable in theory, 1922 proved it was climable in practice, at least up to extreme altitudes.

Starting point is 00:08:10 It transformed Mount Everest from a geographic puzzle into a solvable but deadly challenge. The only thing that was left was actually reaching the summit. In preparation for their next expedition, Mallory went on a tour of the United States to raise money. During the tour, he was constantly asked why he wanted to climb Everest. To Mallory, it seemed like an obvious question, so he developed a stock response that seemed flippant, but was actually true. He would reply, because it's there. The 1924 expedition would become one of the most famous in the history of Everest and Mounteering, not because it succeeded, but because of what happened high on the Northeast Ridge on June 8th.

Starting point is 00:08:53 led once again by Charles Bruce, though operational leadership later shifted to Edward Norton due to Bruce's illness, the expedition returned to the now-established northern approach in Tibet. By 1924, the route through the Rongbuck Glacier and up to the north call was well understood. The question was no longer how to approach Everest. It was whether the summit could finally be reached. The team methodically established camps up to the north call and beyond. conditions were harsh, but the climbers were more experienced than in previous years. On June 4th, Edward Norton and Howard Somerville launched a summit attempt without supplemental oxygen.

Starting point is 00:09:32 Norton climbed to approximately 8,573 meters, the highest altitude any human had ever reached. He was only about 275 meters, or 900 feet, from the summit. His ascent along the Great Kulwar line remains one of the most extraordinary high-altitude efforts in mountaineering history. He was eventually forced to turn back due to exhaustion and snowblindness. Norton's climb demonstrated that the summit was physically within reach. It also left open the possibility that oxygen might make the final difference. After Norton's attempt, George Mallory decided on one final push. He chose Andrew Sandy Irvine as his partner. Irvine was young and less experienced as a climber, but he was mechanically skilled and had worked extensively on improving the expedition

Starting point is 00:10:21 oxygen apparatus. On June 8, 1924, Mallory and Irvine left their high camp around 8,170 meters with oxygen sets. At approximately 12.50 p.m., geologist Noel O'Dell, climbing below them, reported seeing two figures high in the ridge, quote, going strong during a brief clearing in the clouds. Odell believed that they were approaching or ascending one of the major rock steps on the northeast ridge, possibly the second step, though this exact identification has been debated ever since. That citing by Odell was the last confirmed observation of George Mallory and Sandy Irving alive. No definitive proof has ever emerged that Mallory and Irvine stood on the summit. Since then, people have debated whether Mallory and Irvine reached the top.

Starting point is 00:11:13 The controversy persists because the evidence can be argued either way, and because their last confirmed position was so close to the summit. Several factors have driven the debate. The first is the terrain. The northeast ridge includes major rock barriers known as the first, second, and third steps. The second step in particular is a serious obstacle even for strong climbers, and today it's aided by a ladder that was installed decades later. Whether Mallory and Irvine could have climbed it quickly enough late in the day,

Starting point is 00:11:48 wearing 1920s clothing and using 1920s equipment, is one of the core technical questions in mountaineering history. The second major factor is timing and oxygen. Odell's 12.50 p.m. siting, plus the long distance remaining to the summit and back, implies a very tight schedule for a successful ascent and descent, especially given the limits of early oxygen systems and the brutal, pace of movement once you get above 8,000 meters. For decades, only scattered clues ever surfaced, including equipment finds on the north side of Everest. In 1999, a dedicated search team

Starting point is 00:12:25 led by Eric Simonson, with climbers including Conrad Anchor, located George Mallory's body on the north face at about 8,155 meters or 26,760 feet. The body's condition revealed important details. Mallory had sustained a severe lower-leg fracture consistent with a serious fall. There was also a wound above his eye suggesting head trauma. A rope around his waist was frayed and broken, indicating that he had been roped to Irvine when one or both of them fell. The body's position with hands clawed into the slope as if trying to arrest a fall suggested that he had been alive and struggling at least briefly after the initial impact. Mallory was buried by the team on the mountain near where he was found.

Starting point is 00:13:14 The team recovered several items, including an altimeter, a pocket knife, and some letters, but most importantly, not his camera. His missing camera could have ended the debate. Mallory had a vest-pocket Kodak camera with him. The camera was not found with Mallory, and Irvine's body was not located in 1999, leaving the hope for conclusive evidence unresolved. George Mallory's legacy has two halves. One is historical and technical. It was he that helped pioneer the north side route, proved that humans could operate at astonishing altitudes with

Starting point is 00:13:53 clothing and logistics of the early 20th century, and became a reference point for how quickly Himalayan climbing evolved in technique, oxygen use, and risk management. His other legacy is cultural. Mallory became the emblem of exploration's blend of ambition, romance, and tragedy. His disappearance turned Everest into a modern mythic location long before mass tourism and commercial guiding made it popular. His Because It's There a line became a shorthand for the human urge to test limits, and his story continues to generate books, films, and expeditions aimed at understanding exactly what happened on the slopes of Mount Everest over 100 years ago. The executive producer of Everything Everywhere,

Starting point is 00:14:43 daily is Charles Daniel. The associate producers are Austin Otkin and Cameron Kiefer. My big thanks go to everyone who supports the show over on Patreon. Your support helps make this podcast possible. And I also want to remind everyone about the community groups on Facebook and Discord. That's where everything happens that's outside the podcast. And links to those are available in the show notes. As always, if you leave a review on any major podcast app or in the above community groups, you too can have it read in the show.

Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography & More - Did George Mallory Climb Mount Everest First?

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