The partial remains of tragic Mount Everest climber Andrew ‘Sandy’ Irvine are believed to have been found, 100 years after he disappeared.
Irvine disappeared at age 22 with his climbing partner, renowned mountaineer George Mallory, in June 1924, while attempting to become the first people to scale the world’s highest peak.
What is believed to be Irvine’s foot, encased in his sock and boot, was found on Everest’s central Rongbuk glacier, beneath the mountain’s north face and at a lower altitude than where Mallory’s remains were found in 1999.
Incredibly, Irvine’s remains were identified by the name sewn into his sock: AC Irvine. His middle name was Comyn.
Irvine’s family said in a statement that they are “deeply moved” to learn of the discovery.
The partial remains of tragic Mount Everest climber Andrew ‘Sandy’ Irvine are believed to have been found, 100 years after he disappeared. What is believed to be Irvine’s foot, encased in his sock and boot, was found on Everest’s Central Rongbuk Glacier, beneath the mountain’s north face. Irvine’s remains were identified by the name sewn into his sock: AC Irvine
Irvine (left) disappeared at age 22 with his climbing partner, renowned mountaineer George Mallory, in June 1924.
A small team consisting of Oscar-winning director and climber Jimmy Chin and fellow climbers and filmmakers Erich Roepke and Mark Fisher recently made the discovery. National Geographic revealed today.
The remains are now in the possession of the Chinese Tibet Mountaineering Association, the body that issues permits to climb the north side of Everest.
The discovery has been reported to the Royal Geographical Society, the body that organized Mallory and Irvine’s original expedition, along with the Alpine Club.
Irvine’s family, which includes her great-niece and biographer Julie Summers, has volunteered to compare DNA test results with the remains to confirm they belong to Irvine.
Some experts believe that the couple could have achieved their goal before they died, because they were last seen about 250 meters from the summit.
In 2021, author Mark Synnott speculated in his book The Third Pole: Mystery, Obsession and Death on Mount Everest that Chinese climbers could have found Irvine’s body and camera and then removed the evidence.
Questions will remain as to why only Irvine’s foot has been found. The whereabouts of the camera are unknown.
Mallory’s body was found wearing spiked boots just 2,000 feet from the summit of Everest in 1999.
He had a rope around his waist and injuries consistent with the possibility that he and Irvine had fallen while tied together.
The couple was carrying a Vest Pocket Kodak camera that has never been found. If found, it could contain crucial photographs proving the men had reached the summit of Everest.
The foot and boot were found on Everest’s Central Rongbuk Glacier, beneath the mountain’s north face and at a lower altitude than where Mallory’s remains were found in 1999.
A small team consisting of Oscar-winning director and climber Jimmy Chin and fellow climbers and filmmakers Erich Roepke and Mark Fisher recently made the discovery, National Geographic revealed today. Above: Mr Chin with what is believed to be Irvine’s remains
Irvine (top left) and Mallory (top row, second from left) are pictured with the other members of the 1924 Everest expedition.
Without that evidence, Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay are still credited with being the first climbers to reach the summit of the Himalayan mountain, which straddles Nepal and China, on their 1953 expedition. .
Had Mallory and Irvine reached the summit of Everest, they would also have been the first to successfully do so on the deadly north face, nearly 40 years before Chinese climbers accomplished the feat in 1960.
A statement from Irvine’s family read: “The Irvine family is deeply moved to learn of the discovery of partial remains of Sandy Irvine.
‘We are grateful to the mountaineering and filming team, led by Jimmy Chin, who made the discovery and treated it with respect and professionalism.
‘We are happy that the remains are now in the hands of the CTMA.
“Sandy Irvine was the youngest member of the 1924 Mount Everest expedition and was lost on the upper slopes of the mountain with George Mallory when they both disappeared on June 8, 1924.”
George Mallory is seen with Andrew Irvine at base camp in Nepal.
Mrs Summers said: “It is remarkable that this discovery has been made in the centenary year of Sandy’s disappearance.
“I’ve lived with this story since I was 7 years old, when my father told us about the mystery of Uncle Sandy on Everest.”
She added: “When Jimmy told me he had seen the name AC Irvine on the sock tag inside the boot, I was moved to tears. It was and will continue to be an extraordinary and moving moment.”
Mr Chin said: “Any Everest expedition remains in the shadow of Irvine and Mallory,” Mr Chin said.
‘We certainly did. And sometimes in life the greatest discoveries happen when you’re not even looking.
“This was a monumental and emotional moment for us and our entire team on the ground, and we only hope that this can finally bring peace of mind to his family members and the climbing world at large.”
Professor Joe Smith, director of the Royal Geographical Society, said of the discovery: “As joint organizer of the 1924 Everest expedition (with the Alpine Club), the Society deeply appreciates the respect that Jimmy Chin’s team has shown to the remains of Sandy Irvine and his sensitivity towards Sandy’s relatives and other people related to that expedition.
He added: “This discovery of her remains provides an element of closure for her relatives and the wider mountain community, and we are grateful to Jimmy and his team for enabling this and ensuring Sandy is in good hands.”
“The Society will continue to support Jimmy, his team and Sandy’s extended family during what will inevitably be a period of intense global interest.”
