Did Mallory & Irvine Summit Everest 100 years ago? Author Dr. Robert Edwards new book investigates

Ultimately, there's no mystery about what GM stated numerous times about potential routes to the summit. The only mystery is why people are still talking about the second step. Mallory stated repeatedly (all in print in books, letters and postcards) that he had no intention of taking on anything so technically difficult such as the second step because even if he could climb them he would be too exhausted to summit. He took either the zigzag or couloir route and was spotted by Odell at the the foot of the 3rd step or even the 'citadel'. At 12.50, there was time to summit and unfortunately the accident happened on the descent. Well done Bob Edwards on not drinking the second step kool-aid and looking at the FACTS.

A crystal-clear and highly intelligent interview that takes this analysis to a whole new level. It's been a breath of fresh air. Thank you.

Makes more sense that they died on the way down from the summit, the way most Everest climbers day, exhausted and vulnerable due to the long period in the death zone. Michael Tracy makes a good case; one piece of evidence is a photo of Mallory's kids that his wife sent to him, which he did not have on him when his body was found, though he had two other photos of less important people on him. Mallory said he was going to leave a photo of his wife at the summit, but Tracy makes a good case that Mallory never had such a photo on his ascent--so it makes sense he would leave a photo of his kids up there instead.

Quite a few comments to this video state the following: "There's a photograph of him [Oddell] pointing to the spot on the mountain where he last saw them." This assumption is incorrect. The photo was taken by Reinhold Messner in early 1978, when he visited Oddell at his home in England in preparation for his [Messner's] oxygenless attempt on Everest. The photo is reproduced on page 33 of Messner's 1978 book "Everest - Expedition zum Endpunkt", and the caption reads: Oddel mit Everest von Norden. Finger an der Stelle, an der die Eisaxt Mallorys gefunden wurde". Translation: "Oddell with Everest as seen from the north. Finger points at the spot where Mallory's ice ax has been found." So Oddell pointed at the ice ax spot, NOT at the spot of his last sighting of M.&I.!

Odell was a geologist. He would not have mistaken a rock for a person.

Great interview

They traversed below the second step and possibly up the coulior or the “zig zag” route. Give Michael Tracey’s channel a watch. In my opinion he is a great source of information that he backs up with credible research

The book is brilliant. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Amazingly done Bob!

Congratulations bob! Awesome video and interview! M&I MADE IT! Thank you also Francis!

In hist last view, Odell said they were on the ridge, just under the last rock step before the summit. That is a strong evidence, it would be just under the citadel and third step. And if Mallory and Irvine was there around noon, they sure went to the summit, there would be plenty of time for this and no real obstacle. The weather was good that that day and the next day, it was not a threat to them. The most probable scenario is that they summited and died during the descent, in the dark, from a fall, and due to exhaustion, cold and lack of oxygen. If they were all the time under the first step, they would had gave up in the afternoon and return safely to the tent for a hot tea. It would be a short walk of 1 or 2 hours. They died because they remained long hours above 8000 m and beyond their pack of oxygen, exposed to the freezing night, what comprimise their strenght and skills. The fall was the result of a night descent in some kind of exhaustion. Their deaths is somehow a proof that they were climbing long hours and not making an exploratory walk around first step.

Congratulation Bob!

Thanks for the video. I don't have an opinion on whether they reached the summit. I enjoy hearing educated speculation on the topic. Dogma is much less welcome. No matter what happened, they were remarkable men to have accomplished all that they did.

Thank you! ❤

We know so much and yet so little. To my knowledge the physical evidence supports they did not use the modern route. Did they die on the way up or down? Modern statistics trend towards people dying on the way down after submitting.

We'll never know, but it is exciting to try and solve the mystery. This is one of 3 questions I would love to know the answer to before I die but it's impossible to know. Mallory (whether he did it or not) and Shackleton are my heroes!!! These were real men, not corporations and the wealthy on expensive, dangerous climbing tours for the wealthy. It's too easy, you can't compare it to the first explorers. Thanks for sharing.

The tricky bit would have been finding - relocating, on the way back down, the correct route through the cracks of the yellow band, which are labyrinthine, that would have led them back to their high camp.

Anyone who has studied Mallory knows that he had no intention of following the modern route and climbing the second step.

when Mallory told Norton he would climb with Irving, in a very English way he responded, "well, I sayyy!"

GM chose Irving over Odell since Irving was a wizard on the very fickle  oxygen apparatus beside being an althelete