After 100 years of speculation surrounding his fate, the partial remains of Andrew Comyn “Sandy” Irvine are believed to have finally been discovered on Mount Everest. At age 22, Irvine vanished while attempting to conquer the world’s tallest peak on June 8, 1924, along with his climbing partner, renowned mountaineer George Mallory.

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A sock embroidered with "A.C. Irvine", along with a boot, has been discovered on the Central Rongbuk Glacier below the North Face of Mount Everest by a team led by Jimmy Chin. This is the first possible proof of Irvine's death since disappearing during a 1924 expedition. (credit: Jimmy Chin)

The discovery was made recently by a small team including National Geographic Explorer, photographer, Academy Award^Ⓡ-winning director and professional climber Jimmy Chin along with climbers and filmmakers Erich Roepke and Mark Fisher. What is believed to be Irvine’s foot, encased in a sock and boot, was found on the Central Rongbuk Glacier below the North Face of Everest at a lower altitude than Mallory’s remains were located. The partial remains – identified with his name stitched into the sock – are now in the possession of the China Tibet Mountaineering Association, which is responsible for climbing permits on Everest’s northern side.

The find was reported to the Royal Geographical Society - who jointly organized Mallory and Irvine’s expedition along with the Alpine Club - which at the time was only the third British climb on Mount Everest. It was also shared with Irvine’s great niece and biographer, Julie Summers – one of many living family relatives. The Irvine family has volunteered to compare DNA test results with the remains to confirm Irvine’s identity.

“Any expedition to Everest follows in the shadow of Irvine and Mallory,” said Chin. “We certainly did. And sometimes in life the greatest discoveries occur when you aren’t even looking. This was a monumental and emotional moment for us and our entire team on the ground, and we just hope this can finally bring peace of mind to his relatives and the climbing world at large.”

“It is remarkable that this discovery was made in the centenary year of Sandy’s disappearance,” said Summers. “I have lived with this story since I was a 7-year-old when my father told us about the mystery of Uncle Sandy on Everest. The story became more real when climbers found the body of George Mallory in 1999, and I wondered if Sandy’s body would be discovered next. A quarter of a century after that discovery, it seemed extremely unlikely that anything new would be found. When Jimmy told me that he saw the name A.C. Irvine on the label on the sock inside the boot, I found myself moved to tears. It was and will remain an extraordinary and poignant moment.”

Professor Joe Smith, director of the Royal Geographical Society, said of the discovery: “As joint organiser of the 1924 Everest expedition (with the Alpine Club), the Society deeply appreciates the respect Jimmy Chin’s team has shown Sandy Irvine’s remains and their sensitivity toward Sandy’s family members and others connected to that expedition. Sandy was an exceptional figure and made a significant contribution to our understanding of Everest and the Himalaya. This discovery of his remains provides an element of closure for his relatives and the wider mountaineering community, and we are grateful to Jimmy and his team for enabling this and ensuring Sandy is in safe hands. The Society will continue to assist Jimmy, his team and Sandy’s extended family during what will inevitably be a period of intense global interest.”

Irvine and Mallory were British mountaineers who disappeared in 1924 during an expedition organized by the Royal Geographical Society and Alpine Club to be the first to summit Everest. The mystery of whether they reached the summit before their death has intrigued climbers and historians for decades. Mallory’s body was discovered in 1999 by climber Conrad Anker, but until now, Irvine’s remains had never been found.

The team’s climb was funded by National Geographic Documentary Films for an upcoming documentary directed and produced by the Academy Award- and the BAFTA Award-winning team behind “Free Solo,” E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Chin, and their banner Little Monster Films.

Irvine Family Statement on the Discovery:

“The Irvine family is deeply moved to hear of the discovery of partial remains of Sandy Irvine. We are grateful to the mountaineering and film team, led by Jimmy Chin, who made the discovery and who have treated it with respect and professionalism. We are happy that the remains are now in the hands of the CTMA. Sandy Irvine was the youngest member of the 1924 Mount Everest expedition and was lost on the upper slopes of the mountain with George Mallory when the two disappeared on 8 June 1924.”

ABOUT JIMMY CHIN

Chin is a professional climber, skier, mountaineer, 20-year member of The North Face Athlete Team and National Geographic Explorer. Consistently over the past 20 years, Chin has led or participated in cutting-edge climbing and ski mountaineering expeditions to all seven continents and participated in the first and only American ski descent from the summit of Mount Everest. He is also a filmmaker and National Geographic photographer. He has worked with many of the greatest explorers, adventurers and athletes of our time, documenting their exploits in the most challenging conditions and locations in the world. Together with his wife, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, he has co-directed the films “Meru,” “Free Solo,” “The Rescue,” “Wild Life,” “Return To Space,” and their first scripted feature, “Nyad.” Their next documentary feature, “Endurance” premieres this weekend at the BFI London Film Festival. Chin and Vasarhleyi won the Best Documentary Oscar^® in 2019 for “Free Solo.”

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NatGeo.com Story: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/sandy-irvine-body-found-everest

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