Andrew Irvine (mountaineer)

Andrew " Sandy" Comyn Irvine ( born April 8, 1902 in Birkenhead, England; † June 8, 1924 on Mount Everest ) was a British mountaineer. He came around when attempting the first ascent of Mount Everest. To date, there is speculation as to whether he reached the summit before he died.

Biography

Andrew Irvine attended the Birkenhead and Shrewsbury School and moved to Merton College, Oxford later. He was an avid sportsman and especially an excellent rower. In 1923 he won with his university team the coveted trophy of the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race.

As participation was offered to him at a Mount Everest expedition in 1924, the then 22 - year-old had not yet completed his studies. This expedition was then the second serious attempt to climb Mount Everest. Also participants of this expedition was George Mallory, who is still regarded as one of the pioneers of mountaineering. He was two years previously been present in the failed expedition in 1922.

With Andrew Irvine was chosen, although not from one of the most experienced mountaineers, but the budding engineer and amateur photographer had in England by his physical fitness and unconventional way to climb at a Spitsbergen expedition to draw attention to themselves. Added to this was that he knew very well due to his studies on the use of the then newly developed breathing apparatus and oxygen bottles. Even during the Anmarsches and also in the high camps to Irvine dealt with repairs and improvements to the then relatively new equipment.

Expedition

On the morning of June 8, 1924, Mallory and Irvine made ​​from the last high camp, Camp VI, (approx. 8140 m) on the way to the summit. Time and pressure to succeed had the two start their attack despite not perfect weather. The last time they were seen presumably by Noel Odell against about 13 clock, after a long delay, on a rock stage. Everything that happened after that is unknown to this day. Andrew Irvine and George Mallory disappeared in an emerging cloud and never came back again. Thus they were probably among the first tragic hero of Mount Everest.

The question of whether the two managed to reach the top and had thus climbed for the first 29 years before Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary of Mount Everest, is considered a mystery and gives the world of alpinism today rise to numerous debates and discussions. Almost all the leading alpinists speculate whether the two had ever been possible at that time, with the former technical possibilities and under the conditions known to tackle the climb. Sir Edmund Hillary commented to the effect only once with the statement, it is a fact that he was the first in any case, the returned alive from the summit of Mount Everest again.

Hoped for enlightenment

In the 1960s - after the Chinese occupation of Tibet - started from the Chinese side to open up the north ridge and climb to the summit. 1975, a manager at the so-called Second Step was attached. This point marks the most difficult section of the route and the opinion was then- climbing skills might be an insurmountable obstacle. Several climbers have the Second Step up today freeclimbed, thus demonstrating that the Second Step was beatable with the means of the time and the skill of Mallory and Irvine. The Chinese Wang Hongbao saw west of the ridge said to be the corpse of a climber. This could be at this level only or Mallory Irvine, because before the Chinese expedition were only these two as high enters and then lost on the mountain.

1986 to 1999, the expeditions to Tibet in the hope that, for example, to find the camera Andrew Irvine and thus to clarify the questions about the two climbers. On 1 May 1999 well preserved body was found at an altitude of 8,150 m George Mallory through the thin air and the cold. The find was a worldwide sensation. A proof that would have answered important questions, however, remained and were found on Mallory's body no camera. 2010 an expedition headed by Jochen Hemmleb started to Everest to find the corpse of Irvine and thus the puzzle in order to clarify the first ascent again. However, this expedition returned without new insights from Tibet.

Reactions

After certain countless theories and speculations renowned mountaineer Reinhold Messner, such as the relevant media and the professional literature. Some tried out details of the site and from the condition of the body close to the time of death and to gain further insights. What is certain only that George Mallory died on the descent after dark in a fall. The body of Andrew Irvine was probably discovered in 1960, but not identified and is missing today.