See Photos From the 1924 Mount Everest Expedition That Led to the Vanishing of Two Explorers

It was one hundred years ago when British explorers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine decided to try and become the first people to summit Mount Everest. They started climbing the world’s tallest mountain in 1924 and vanished tragically while going through the northeast ridge of the mountain. Now, a century later, a book was published containing revealing pictures from the unfortunate expedition.

The Expedition Couldn’t Conquer Mount Everest

While neither Mallory nor Andrew returned from the climb, the new book, called Everest 24: New Views on the 1924 Mount Everest Expedition, compiles rare images from the expedition that have never been published before. The book offers a unique look at the meaning people see behind Everest mountaineering and takes a look at some of the mysteries of the experience.

The book also tells the stories of the indigenous people of the Himalayas, who are often overshadowed by the mountaineers but are always there helping the many explorers. There is also a foreword by Norbu Tenzing, who is the son of the first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest, Sherpa Tenzing Norgay. He reached the top in 1953 with Edmund Hillary.

Rare and Unpublished Photographs

The photographs featured in the book come from the collections of the Royal Geographical Society. They were taken by John Noel, who was the official photographer and cinematographer of the expedition, as well as by Bentley Beetham and some of the other team members. They show details from the life of the mountaineers who would go on these expeditions a hundred years ago but also reveal the magnificence of the mountain and the striking landscapes there.

The photographs include snowy vistas, the glaciers and jagged peaks of the mountain, views of the camps and the mountaineers, local Tibetians who look at the camera with curiosity, and much more. There is also the last picture of the two explorers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine before they left camp to make their attempt to climb the summit of Mount Everest. Mallory’s body was later found in 1999 but Irvine’s is yet to be discovered.