Human foot bearing Sandy Irvine's name discovered on Everest's north side

A boot containing a human foot and a white name tape spelling A.C. IRVINE was uncovered on the north flank of Mount Everest in October 2024, sparking fresh interest in the 1924 disappearance of Andrew "Sandy" Irvine and his partner George Mallory. The last confirmed sighting of the pair was by Noel Odell on June 8, 1924, after which mist concealed them.

Mallory’s body was located in 1999, but no trace of Irvine had been found until now. Julie Summers, Irvine’s grandniece, described the discovery as a shocking moment and is collaborating with Jochen Hemmleb, a climber-historian who helped locate Mallory, on a new book titled "The Everest Mystery: Sandy Irvine, George Mallory, and the Truth Still Buried on Everest." The work aims to portray Irvine’s background, his technical skill with the expedition’s oxygen equipment, and to explore theories about whether the duo may have reached the summit before their deaths.