Book Description
A dramatic inside account by the 1999 expedition team of
their high-profile search for the bodies of George Mallory
and Andrew Irvine on Everest, interwoven with a complete
history of the Mallory/Irvine expedition. *Complete coverage
of one of the most highly publicized expeditions of the
century *New theories based on years of research shed new
light on mountaineering's ultimate mystery *Fully illustrated
with photos of the recent expedition plus intriguing archival
photos
History was made on Mount Everest last May when the 1999
Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition discovered George
Mallory's body and took a giant step toward unraveling
mountaineering's greatest mystery -- the fate of the 1924
Mallory/Irvine expedition. Ghosts of Everest is the inside
story of the 1999 expedition from team leader Eric Simonson,
team historian Jochen Hemmleb, and expedition coordinator
Larry Johnson, plus contributions from all of the team
members.
Set against the backdrop of the 1924 expedition and
historical clues from subsequent expeditions, Ghosts of
Everest brings to life the events surrounding the ill-fated
Mallory/Irvine climb, while following the Mallory &
Irvine Research Expedition team as it retraces the route up
the North Col and makes a discovery that rocks the world --
George Mallory's body at 27,000 feet.
Ghosts of Everest is a riveting recounting of a story that
is capturing the world's attention, three-quarters of a
century after the mystery began. What happened to Everest
climbers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine on June 8, 1924,
the day they set out on their summit bid only to disappear
without any evidence of their fate or possible achievement?
Were these two brave pioneers, whose determination has
inspired generations of climbers, the first to reach the
summit of the world's highest mountain, 29 years before Sir
Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay? How did they perish?
Seventy-five years later, do we now have the answers?
From early preparations to the day-by-day, blow-by-blow
events of both expeditions, the narrative weaves through time
bringing together past and present to create a seamless
adventure narrative that captures the voices and the action
as it unfolds on the mountain. This modern-day drama of
discovery is coupled both with a sense of grand exploration
and the lurking danger these climbers face at high altitude
in treacherous conditions.
Meticulously researched and with new evidence and
artifacts found on the mountain, this narrative promises to
shed a revealing light on the seventy-five-year-old
Mallory/Irvine mystery and two of the greatest heroes of our
time.
