1922 British Mount Everest expedition

Expedition at Base Camp.
Back row: Morshead, G Bruce, Noel, Wakefield, Somervell, Morris, Norton
Front row: Mallory, Finch, Longstaff, General C  Bruce, Strutt, Crawford

The 1922 British Mount Everest expedition was the first mountaineering expedition with the express aim of making the first ascent of Mount Everest. This was also the first expedition that attempted to climb Everest using bottled oxygen. The expedition attempted to climb Everest from the northern side out of Tibet. At the time, Everest could not be attempted from the south out of Nepal as the country was closed to Western foreigners.

The 1921 British Mount Everest reconnaissance expedition had explored all the eastern and northern surroundings of the mountain. In searching for the easiest route, George Mallory, who would also be a member of the 1924 expedition (and the only person on all three expeditions in 1921, 1922, and 1924), had discovered a route which, in his opinion, would allow an attempt on the summit.

After two unsuccessful summit attempts, the expedition ended on the third attempt when seven Nepalese porters died as the result of a group-induced avalanche. Not only had the expedition failed to reach the summit, but it also marked the first reported climbing deaths on Mount Everest. The expedition did, however, establish a new world record climbing height of 8,321 metres (27,300 ft) during its second summit attempt, which was subsequently exceeded in the 1924 expedition.

North face of Mount Everest

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