In September, a National Geographic documentary team uncovered a boot and sock protruding from a melting glacier on Mount Everest, which they immediately identified as a clue to a century-old mystery. The woollen sock had a label reading "A.C. Irvine," suggesting it belonged to British climber Andrew "Sandy" Irvine. Irvine disappeared on Everest in 1924 alongside George Mallory, and their fate has remained one of mountaineering's greatest mysteries. While Mallory's body was discovered in 1999, Irvine's body and the camera they carried, which might hold clues to whether they reached the summit, have never been found — until now.
The sock was labeled with the name "A.C. Irvine." Jimmy Chin/National Geographic/PA Media
The team, including "Free Solo" co-director Jimmy Chin, discovered a human foot inside what they believe is Irvine's boot. While awaiting DNA confirmation by comparing samples from Irvine’s family, this discovery marks the first evidence of his death since his disappearance. This development offers hope of solving the mystery of whether Mallory and Irvine were the first to reach Everest’s summit.
Chin noted that it’s the first solid evidence of where Irvine might have ended up, providing closure for his family and new clues for the mountaineering community.
