Everest's First Summit? Mallory & Irvine Documentary · Original

So happy i stumbled upon this channel, great content! For someone who lives in SE America, and hopes to one day see a 8K meter peak.. these videos keep my curiosity alive

Odell never got the recognition he deserved for staying so high for so long. Along with Rob Hall surviving overnight near the summit with no tent, the unparalleled achievements on Everest

Who knows? But one thing's for sure: getting to within 1000 feet of the unclimbed summit of Everest wearing Harris tweed and smoking pipes outperforms a modern ascent any day!

I didn’t know who David Snow was a week ago, but now I’ve watched close to 20 hours of his awesome Himalaya docs here. This channel is gold.

The old pictures and videos are fantastic.

It's pretty cool hearing guys that were there talk about it like it happened yesterday.

Hearing his cohorts interviewed makes me realize just how eloquent people were back then.

Such an excellent documentary. Actual footage of the expedition as well as speaking with actual participants.

Noel Odell was a Rock Star and definitely the kind of man you would want on your support team.

Thanks for a great old school documentary, I wish they still made them like this instead of the over dramatized way many are now narrated.

George Mallory said if he made it to the summit of Everest he’d leave a photograph of his wife. When his body was finally found by an expedition they said in his pants pocket they found all his personal papers which were all still perfectly preserved but there was no picture of his wife. Makes me think maybe he did make it. Unfortunately Irvine’s body has never been found and he was the one that carried the camera so we will never know for sure.

Mallory took a picture up the mountain of his wife with the intent to leave it on the summit should he reach it. His belongings were collected but no picture of his wife was among the items. In my humble opinion, I believe Mallory was the first to summit Everest, with or without Irvine. The rope around Mallory was severed. This could be due to Irvine falling off a cliff and Mallory having to cut it, or it could have been the other way around causing Mallory to fall to his death. It is also a fact: It is easier to summit with no oxygen than it is to descend with exhaustion. On the day Mallory was seen that close to the summit, it was good weather and early enough to complete the climb. All facts lead to a more probable conclusion that he made it to the summit.

I know Hillary and Tenzing are the official first to climb Everest but Mallory and Irvin are my favorite Everest climbers

The photo of his wife and his flag, both meant for the summit, were NOT found in his belongings when his body was found. I think he made it to the top.

That quote at the end is quite a romantic view of freezing to death. I always wondered if Mallory chose Irvin because he was younger and also less experienced. Which might encourage him to listen to Mallory with less naysaying than a more experienced climber might give - make him more likely to agree to keep climbing when they should turn around. After all it was likely Mallory's last chance to climb Everest.

I always wanted to call my daughter (if I had one) Mallory and my son(ditto) Irvine, I have been fascinated by these two chaps since I read a book about them as a child, I’m in my late 60s now. I hope that they find that camera with photos of them on top of Everest. His generation went through hell, so many were lost for what? Unfortunately I couldn’t persuade my husband, so my kids are called Stephen, Alexandra and Matthew, maybe in my next life.

One of the greatest and most beautiful stories of humanity...

Good discussion here. There is a lot of romanticism in this controversy (and comments) - but consider these facts: 1. George Mallory of course, was a veteran mountaineer and a very determined, tough human being - however, in his time he would have been approximately a 5.9 rock climber by most accounts. That puts him barely capable of navigating the Second Step. Now consider, it would likely be mixed ice and rock, very cold, these guys are exhausted and miserable - and 8000+ meters means they're weak and hauling heavy O2 gear and wearing winter clothing. 2. They are likely not carrying anything that resembles the type of protection in the day (hammers, pitons, etc) nor would their fingers hold up trying to place it, tie in, etc. 3. If Mallory's technical skills are borderline for this - then Irvine's are definitely not up to spec. This means that Mallory would essentially be free soloing the route. Irvine remains below. 4. If Mallory even considers soloing the pitch, he can't presume there is a walk-off. He must downclimb it (without protection). That is even trickier than ascending. 5. He would instinctively look for another way to circumvent the step - which we now know, there is none. As for the deaths of the two individuals - that is certainly up for debate. Interestingly, Mallory's body was found tied to a broken rope - so they were still likely together when he fell.

This is great, thank you for posting it. I have been interested in the Mallory story for years. I know that many Everest climbers have said they don't think he made it to the summit. I'm not a mountaineer, so I trusted their opinion...until I saw this documentary. It's fascinating to hear the people who were there describe Mallory's dedication and their opinion that he would not turn back. It makes me re-think the issue. Of course, not turning back does not mean that he reached the summit. But the one thing everyone agrees on is his climbing skill and physical fitness. It's a shame that we will probably never know if he reached the summit. I can't imagine climbing Everest in their clothing and equipment. It would have arguably be the greatest act of exploration of that era, even though he did not survive.

Great footage, pics, interviews and narration!!