A team of climbers filming for National Geographic has made a remarkable discovery on Everest’s Central Rongbuk Glacier: a preserved boot believed to belong to British climber Andrew “Sandy” Irvine, who disappeared along with George Mallory in 1924 while attempting to summit the mountain.
The boot, containing a foot, was revealed by melting ice and could hold the key to solving one of mountaineering’s greatest mysteries—whether Irvine and Mallory were the first to reach the summit, 29 years before Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.
For Irvine’s family, the discovery has brought a mix of emotions.
Speaking to British state media, Irvine’s great-niece, Julie Summers, expressed amazement at the find, particularly during the centenary year of his disappearance. While the family has provided a DNA sample to confirm the remains, the sock found in the boot, labelled with Irvine’s name, has boosted confidence in the identification. The search for Irvine’s body and the elusive camera he was carrying—potentially containing summit photographs—may now intensify, offering hope that the long-standing mystery could soon be solved.
