George Mallory's passing continues to spark debate.
In the year 1924, George Mallory lost his life in an attempt to climb Mount Everest, which is now seen as a "victorious disaster" in his native country. This term also includes other instances of heroic failures. The big question about Mallory's expedition still remains unanswered even a century later.
Mallory's pursuit of greatness was encapsulated by his response to being asked why he wanted to conquer Mount Everest, standing over 8,800 meters tall. He simply said, "Because it is there." He had made three attempts on the highest mountain on Earth, about three decades before Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, who were the first to reach the summit. Mallory paid for his ambition with his life.
A brief moment of clear sky reveals the peak of the mountain. At this moment, expedition member Noel Odell spots two black dots moving along the ridge. These black dots belong to Mallory and his climbing partner Andrew "Sandy" Irvine. It has been a hundred years since Mallory was last seen alive.
The Fascination with Heroic Defeats
Mallory's expedition, along with others, is one of the "Victorious Disasters" in British history, according to the Financial Times. Other failures that fall into this category include Robert Falcon Scott's race against Roald Amundsen to reach the South Pole and the British retreat from Dunkirk during World War II. "The British admire their heroic defeats in war and adventure almost as much as their victories," says the Financial Times.
Mallory's "Because it is there" approach has become an inspiration for nostalgic Britons and those interested in human achievements. The famous quote even inspired a speech by US President John F. Kennedy about the Space Race.
Expeditions like Mallory's, Hillary's, and Reinhold Messner's (who climbed Everest without oxygen in 1978), are not like the ones we see today. Thousands of people want to reach the highest selfie point on Earth, and many get injured or even die. This is due to the long wait in the so-called Death Zone, above 8,000 meters, where the oxygen content is low.
The Roof of the World as the Highest Garbage Dump
These days, over 300 to 400 foreigners and locals brave the journey to the summit each year. They are adventurers, monarchs, billionaires, and record-breakers. The list of those who have been to the top includes an 80-year-old Japanese man, a 13-year-old American child, and several amputees and blind people.
According to the Himalayan Database Expedition Archive, over 6,600 people have reached the summit a total of 12,000 times. They leave their trash on the mountain, making Everest the highest garbage dump on Earth. All-inclusive trips to the top of the world usually cost between 50,000 and 100,000 euros per person. This price includes equipment, oxygen bottles, and a Sherpa team that guides the route, carries gear, and cooks. In the base camp, there is internet access and, if desired, gourmet cuisine.
Despite the luxuries of modern-day expeditions, there is still a significant risk. The Himalayan Database states that over 300 people have died on the mountain, with more than a third of them being Sherpas. Due to its cost, complexity, and danger, the remains of some who did not make it have not been retrieved from Everest. Those who wish to ascend the mountain must pass by the dead. Some serve as a bizarre guide.
Was Mallory the First at the Top?
It took twenty-five years for Mallory's body to be discovered. In 1999, an expedition finally succeeded in finding the remains of the British climber. The hope that the discovered remains would solve one of the greatest mysteries of mountaineering was not realized. Were Mallory and Irvine successful in 1924? Advocates argue that the absence of Mallory's wife's photo at the summit is a sign of failure.
The relationship between the couple is shown through the letters that researchers at the University of Cambridge have made public on the 100th anniversary. These letters also demonstrate Mallory's awareness of the danger they faced. "The candle is going out, and I have to stop," he writes in his last letter to Ruth. "It's 50 to 1 against us, but we will still succeed and be proud of ourselves." Even among their fellow climbers, opinions were divided about whether or not they reached the summit.
Observer Odell believes that the pair would have made it, while his de facto leader Edward Norton is less certain. Mountain legend Messner, who published a book about Mallory a few months after his body was found, has always been convinced that Mallory failed. For Messner, it is essential that Mallory and Irvine's clothing and footwear were unsuitable for the challenging journey before the summit.
One's hopes lie in Mallory's camera, will we see the summit picture? Sadly, both his camera and Irvine's body will never be discovered. Will this mystery ever be solved? It seems even Mallory's corpse has disappeared from Mount Everest.
The speculation: Could China have thrown the remains into the abyss, as suggested by the "Guardian"? A probable motive could be that the communist administration wished to prevent the world thinking that the British had reached the summit through the Chinese side of the mountain prior to a Chinese squad. This was a significant propaganda triumph in 1960. Hillary and Norgay climbed the mountain in 1953 via the Nepalese side.
