Discovery of Boot on Everest May Solve 100-Year Mystery of Missing Climber Sandy Irvine

The remains of British climber Andrew “Sandy” Irvine, missing on Mount Everest for 100 years, may have been found, potentially shedding light on one of the greatest mountaineering mysteries. In September, a National Geographic documentary team led by adventurer Jimmy Chin discovered a boot emerging from melting ice on the Central Rongbuk Glacier, on the north face of Everest. Inside the boot was a foot, and a label stitched inside the sock read “A.C. Irvine,” strongly suggesting that the remains belong to the 22-year-old climber.

Irvine and his partner, George Mallory, vanished in June 1924 while attempting to be the first to summit Everest, nearly three decades before Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay successfully reached the top. Mallory’s body was found in 1999, but Irvine’s whereabouts remained unknown—until this recent discovery.

For Irvine’s descendants, the find brings a long-awaited sense of closure. His great-niece, Julie Summers, expressed both shock and relief upon hearing the news. “We had all given up hope of ever finding him,” she said. Summers and her family have volunteered DNA samples to confirm the identity, though the team is confident based on the label in the boot.

The discovery also revives speculation about whether Irvine and Mallory succeeded in reaching the summit. Irvine was believed to be carrying a camera, which may contain photographs providing evidence of their achievement. The search for the camera, which could definitively answer the question, is likely to continue.

Summers reflected on the impact of the discovery, saying that while solving the mystery of whether the climbers reached the summit would be remarkable, what matters most is remembering Irvine’s adventurous spirit and the courage he showed. “For us, it’s about how far they got and how brave they were,” she said.

Chin described the moment of finding the boot as “monumental and emotional,” not just for the team, but for the entire mountaineering world. He hopes the discovery will provide Irvine’s family and the climbing community with peace of mind after a century of uncertainty.