Over the years, Mallory and Irvine were presumed to have perished on Everest, something that happens to many who attempt to climb it. But no one knew what really happened. And if Odell was correct, did the pair manage to get past that last ridge and get to the summit before Hillary and Norgay?
Several expeditions were planned to look for their bodies. An ax belonging to Irvine was discovered in 1933. In 1979, a Chinese climber claimed he saw the body of a European man with the same characteristics as Mallory on the mountain. But the climber, Wang Hongbao, died in an avalanche the day after his report. In 1999, another group tried to find Mallory and Irvine, or more specifically a camera Irvine carried.
The 1999 expedition used clues from Wang and determined a search area. And on May 1, they found a body frozen in its last position an arm outstretched above the head as if still reaching for a rock, reports Outside. At first, they thought it was Irvine. But as the looked closer, they found labels on the clothes, G. Mallory.
His right leg had been broken and a climbing rope was wrapped around him twice. His forehead also had a deep gash, possibly from an ice ax. It was not the body Wang said he saw but it definitely Mallory. Finally, it seemed the mystery of Mallory's death was solved.
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