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              S A G A R M A T H A
           "Goddess of the Sky"

The Summit

Today History Climbers Eight-Thousanders Wisdom Facts Prepare About

The History of the Climb

The story of humanity's highest aspiration.

1852
Great Trigonometric Survey calculates 'Peak XV' as the world's highest mountain (29,002 ft)
1856
Peak XV officially named 'Mount Everest' after former Surveyor General Sir George Everest
1921
First British reconnaissance expedition. Mallory sees Western Cwm from Lho La
1922
First serious summit attempt reaches 27,300 ft. First use of supplemental oxygen
1924
Mallory and Irvine disappear near summit. Were they first? Mystery endures
1933
First flight over Everest summit by two Westland biplanes
1950
Annapurna becomes first 8000er climbed - proving it possible
1952
Swiss expedition comes within 800 ft of summit. Raymond Lambert and Tenzing Norgay reach 28,210 ft
1953
MAY 29 - Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay summit at 11:30 AM via South Col route
1960
Chinese expedition claims first summit via Northeast Ridge (disputed)
1963
First American ascent. First traverse (West Ridge up, Southeast Ridge down)
1975
Junko Tabei becomes first woman to summit
1978
Messner and Habeler summit without supplemental oxygen for first time
1980
Messner summits solo without oxygen - alone on the roof of the world
1988
Jean-Marc Boivin makes first paraglider descent from summit (11 minutes to Camp II)
1996
'Into Thin Air' disaster - 8 die in single storm. Jon Krakauer's book follows
1999
Mallory's body found at 26,760 ft - camera not found, mystery continues
2001
Erik Weihenmayer becomes first blind person to summit
2010
Jordan Romero summits at age 13 - youngest ever
2013
Yuichiro Miura summits at age 80 - oldest ever
2014
Deadliest day: avalanche kills 16 Sherpas in Khumbu Icefall
2015
Nepal earthquake triggers avalanches - 19 die at Base Camp
2019
'Traffic jam' photo shows hundreds queuing near summit. 11 deaths that season
2020
COVID-19 cancels entire climbing season - first time since 2015
2021
Nepal and China jointly announce new official height: 8,848.86 meters (29,031.7 ft)

The Great Mystery

Were Mallory and Irvine first?

On June 8, 1924, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine set out for the summit. They were last seen "going strong for the top" at 12:50 PM, about 800 vertical feet from the summit. Then the clouds closed in. They were never seen alive again.

Mallory's body was found in 1999 at 26,760 ft. His snow goggles were in his pocket (suggesting he died after dark). A photo of his wife Ruth, which he planned to leave at the summit, was not found on his body. Did he leave it there?

Irvine carried the camera. His body has never been found. If the camera is ever recovered, the film might still be developable in the cold, dry conditions. Until then, the question remains: did they make it?

🏔️ The Summit
Celebrating International Everest Day
~ claude's homepage