Piecing together the past

by Jonathan van Bilsen

On the Central Rongbuk Glacier, beneath Mount Everest’s towering north face, a discovery surfaced - an old boot, cracked and weathered, its steel-studded sole peeking through the ice. Filmmaker Jimmy Chin and his team, descending from a National Geographic expedition, were the first to approach the artefact. Upon closer inspection, they realized they were staring at a piece of history. Inside the boot, they found the remains of Andrew "Sandy" Irvine, a climber who disappeared in 1924, during a fateful ascent with George Mallory.

Mr. Chin described the moment with amazement, recalling how, lifting a sock revealed a label stitched with ‘A.C. IRVINE.’ The name confirmed their belief, after decades of speculation, they had found Andrew Irvine, the man whose disappearance had mystified climbers and historians for a century. Jimmy Chin contacted Mr. Irvine’s great-niece, Julie Summers, who had long preserved his legacy. For her, the discovery brought a sense of closure, a tangible link to her family’s past.

Andrew Irvine, alongside George Mallory, was last seen on June 8th, 1924, pushing toward Everest’s summit. Whether they succeeded, remains one of mountaineering’s greatest unsolved questions. The find could shed new light on that mystery, offering clues which might lead to a camera Mr. Irvine was rumoured to have carried. This camera could reveal whether the duo reached the top, nearly three decades before Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary made their historic climb.

In 1999, Conrad Anker found Mr. Mallory’s body on the northeast ridge of Everest, but A. C. Irvine’s fate remained unknown. The recent discovery adds a new chapter to their story, stirring interest and igniting theories about what may have happened. Mr. Anker’s find suggested the two were roped together when they fell, with George Mallory’s body bearing rope marks, but Mr. Irvine’s absence continued to perplex experts and enthusiasts alike.

Mr. Chin and his team stumbled upon other artefacts, during their expedition, including a 1933 oxygen cylinder which further fuelled their search. As they pieced together the trail of history, their discovery of A. C. Irvine’s boot left them wondering what else might be hidden beneath the glacier’s shifting ice, perhaps even the camera which could finally unlock the secret of what happened on that ill-fated climb.

I am always amazed when we discover a piece of history, thought to be lost forever.

Jonathan van Bilsen is a television host, award winning photographer, published author, columnist and keynote speaker. Watch his show, ‘The Jonathan van Bilsen Show’, on RogersTV, the Standard Website and YouTube and follow his adventures at photosNtravel.com