Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition

The goal of the Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition of 1999 was to discover evidence of whether George Mallory and Andrew Irvine had been the first to summit Mount Everest in their attempt of 8–9 June 1924. Key objectives included finding Irvine's body and retrieving a camera that might hold proof of their summit success. Jochen Hemmleb, after reviewing historical records, pinpointed a search area based on a 1975 Chinese expedition report. The expedition was instigated by British climber Graham Hoyland.^[1][2][3] It was organised by regular Everest expedition leader Eric Simonson and advised by researcher Jochen Hemmleb, with a team of climbers from the United States, United Kingdom and Germany.

Funded by WGBH/Boston's Nova series and the BBC, the expedition included mountaineers Eric Simonson, Conrad Anker, Dave Hahn, and others. On May 1, 1999, Anker discovered Mallory's body at 26,760 ft, well-preserved by the harsh conditions. The body showed significant injuries consistent with a fall. Various artifacts were recovered, but the camera remained missing.

The discovery of Mallory's body raised intriguing questions, especially given the absence of a photo of his wife, which he had intended to leave at the summit, suggesting he might have reached it. Subsequent searches in 2001, 2004, and 2007 aimed to locate Irvine and further evidence but yielded limited results.