The Third Pole: Mystery, Obsession, and Death on Mount Everest

Were George Mallory and Andrew “Sandy” Irvine the first to summit Mt. Everest, in 1924? Journalist and professional climber Synnott (The Impossible Climb) joined National Geographic’s 2019 Sandy Irvine research and documentary expedition with the goal to find Irvine’s body on Everest’s uppermost slopes, and more importantly to find the pair’s camera, which could definitively solve this mystery. Synnott enlisted the help of experts who specialize in the 1924 expedition to aid in locating Irvine’s body. (Mallory’s body was found in 1999; see The Lost Expedition by Conrad Anker and David Roberts.) Throughout the book, Synnott skillfully intertwines Irvine’s story with his own expedition’s progress, while highlighting some of his fellow travelers’ stories. He also discusses the physiological effects of altitude, the development and use of supplemental oxygen, the environmental impacts of Everest tourism, and the challenges of filming at an elevation where altitude plays havoc on bodies and equipment. As in his previous book, the author’s writing comes alive when he recounts life on the mountain, including low visibility and high winds, along with his determination to find answers.