Vertical Limit: K2, The Savage Mountain

George Mallory was 38 years old on June 8, 1924. He and his companion, Andrew (“Sandy”) Irvine were hopeful they would soon be the first to stand at the top of the world.

Not far from the summit of Everest, Mallory and Irvine (this video includes archival film and recreated footage) were seen by Noel Odell, a member of their expedition. Then clouds enveloped them, and they were never seen again.

Had they made it to the top? Were Mallory and Irvine the first to reach Everest’s summit? Twenty-nine years later, when Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay embraced at 29,028 feet, were they really the first to be there?

No one knew for sure. Only two points were certain: Hillary and Norgay had safely descended the mountain. Mallory and Irvine had not.

In the spring of 1999, the Mallory-Irvine Expedition went to Mt. Everest. The purpose of the mission was to find the missing men and their borrowed camera. If the small, pocket Kodak could be located - and its film developed after 75 years - the mystery of the first Everest ascent could forever be put to rest.