Everest mystery deepens

Sadly news reaches Craigie of the cancellation of this year’s Dundee Mountain Film Festival due to Covid-related circumstances.

We wish its organisers well with their plans to pick up the reins again from November 24-26 next year, and would like to express the hope that events such as the live music-led screening of the official film of Mallory and Irvine’s ill-fated 1924 assault on Mount Everest, which we gave mention to recently, can be rescheduled.

Interestingly, Craigie reader Kenneth Miln says there are reasons to believe that historic

expedition may not have been the brave failure it is generally viewed as.

The Monifieth resident emails to explain: “On the June 8 1924, George Mallory and Sandy Irvine were seen through a telescope by team member Noel Odell at 12.50pm as two small figures climbing steadily and some 400 yards from the summit of Everest.

“Both climbers were equipped with twincylinder oxygen sets, each of which would have contained 2000l / 2500l of compressed oxygen – sufficient for 15 hours at flow rate (to face mask) 2.5l per minute.

“Fifteen hours would have permitted both climbers to have reached the summit by around 3.30pm. When found many years later, George Mallory’s well-preserved body lay upon a scree slope below the point where the climbers were last seen by Noel Odell.

“As Mallory’s oxygen set was not on, or near his body, this piece of equipment may have been discarded during the climber’s way down from the summit.

“These old oxygen sets were both heavy and cumbersome and would have been discarded when no longer needed. If my summary is accurate, indications are that both climbers may have stood upon the summit of Everest on June 8.

“Despite what was later to become known as the Hillary Step (a rocky outcrop not far from the summit), George Mallory certainly had the skill and strength to negotiate this obstacle. I like to believe that Everest was first climbed in 1924.”