The find could reveal the mountain's greatest secret.
A team of climbers came across a boot in melted ice. It probably belonged to Andrew Comyn “Sandy” Irvine, who disappeared while attempting to climb Everest in June 1924 with partner George Mallory.
The BBC reports this.
The find could help solve one of the biggest mysteries in mountaineering: whether Irvine and Mallory were the first people to climb Everest. That title currently belongs to Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, who climbed the world's highest peak 29 years later.
Andrew's great-niece Julie Summers was notified of the discovery of the boot. She said the family had given up hope that any trace of the man would ever be found. For years, many had searched for the body of Irvine, then 22, who carried a camera with undeveloped film inside. It may contain photographs from the summit.
Irvine and Mallory were last seen alive on June 8, 1924, when they set out for Everest. Mallory's body was discovered by an American climber in 1999.
The only way to know if these two climbers were really the first to conquer Everest is to find a camera and a photo with evidence on it.
Recall that Four bodies, a skeleton, and 11 tons of trash were removed from Everest. It took soldiers 55 days to do this.
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