"Is there some sort of April Fools' Day in October?" I asked myself at 6:00 AM.
A friend from Australia had posted on my unDefined Community with the title A potential find of Irvine. It seemed so strange, so out of the blue, I couldn't parse it. So, I poured a cup of coffee and clicked the link.
Wow. It was true...It is true. Partial remains of Andrew Comyn Irvine were discovered by Erich Roepke and Jimmy Chin on the Central Rongbuk Glacier.
The information brought me back immediately, viscerally, to 25 years ago, turning over shirt collars at 27,000 feet, realizing what we had found, swirling in disbelief, wonder, stupor. I can only imagine Erich and Jimmy and their team are doing the same now, trying to digest and fully comprehend what they've found, what it means, what stories it can tell.
They've released but scant information thus far, which makes complete sense (but will undoubtedly be interpreted by some as mischievous, devious) as the artifacts need first to be analyzed and interpreted. I'm sure there's far more to the story, and it will be shared in due time.
For now, 100 years out from their disappearance, it is beyond exciting to have a new discovery - and a major one - and new light shed upon the story of Mallory and Irvine. I plan to take a bit of time to digest this and give some thought to what it all means, what it may (or may not) tell us, etc. But, for now, let's be happy first and foremost that the Irvine family may have some small degree of closure, and that the world may know a bit more about the story of Everest 1924.
Blown away, completely. Waiting impatiently for more news.
Thanks, Dan, and I'm with you about wanting more news soon!
I thought the same thing as you did this morning, Jake, i.e. that it must’ve been a joke. Seeing Jimmy Chin's name associated with the story, put that thought to rest.
What a truly amazing discovery and I cannot wait to learn more as facts come to light. Thanks, for all you contribute to the mountain community with your love for adventure, exploration, history, and the sharing the truth.
Thank you, Josephine - glad I was not alone in thinking it was a joke at first! And, thank you for your kind words. I just posted some follow-up thoughts on the discovery here if you're interested.
Phantastic Story
Indeed!
Incredible. Is this finding anywhere near where you had looked previously?
Thanks, Meg! Irvine's discovery is essentially below - WELL below - where we found Mallory, by about 6000 feet! No one I'm aware of has ever searched specifically in the Central Rongbuk, but this find is amazing!
What are the odds Jimmy would be one of those to find the Sandy Irvine remains after Conrad (and you) were instrumental in finding Mallory. Some kind of karmic link; a magical symmetry. Can’t wait to hear the full story.
I know - it's a weird world sometimes! Thanks, Jeffrey.
Thank you Jake for sharing this. I can't wait until we can hear from you, perhaps the most authoritative source on all things Everest today, concerning this find when more information is available.
Thanks, Steven! Just posted my brief thoughts on it all!
Where do we go from here Jake? Brings little closure to families but raises more questions. It seems theory that Chinese threw him off the mountain is holding water now. To me I think bastards did indeed threw him off of the mountain without burial that historic person and his family deserves.It raises questions at least for me, why they didn't come out clean and just confirm that GLM and SI indeed did not summit. It raises question that will always hover over Chinise 1960 summit,what do they hidong?I don't believe they summited. But that's just me, my intuitive feeling.
Thanks for the comment, Tony, and your respect for both Mallory and Irvine. I'm personally not sure that this find tells us that the Chinese did (or did not) find Irvine years back, or if they did (or did not) push his remains off. Maybe more info about that the team found will help shed light on this, but without word one way or other from the Chinese it will be hard I think. We shall see. Thanks again!
Good news for sure, for the family and all of those like yourself that have worked tirelessly to find answers. I suppose, from a forensic point of view, since glaciers move at a somewhat measurable pace, one could work backwards from discovery location of Irvine's remains to the approximate fall line? A little back of the envelop math could reveal the approximate year in which Irvine came to rest atop the Rongbuk glacier, thusly answering the question of whether he fell past Mallory in 1924 or the Chinese threw his remains to the glacier. Anything wrong with that thinking? One thing for sure, you'll have your work cut out for you! Good luck!
Hey Jake,
I missed your email some time ago, didn’t mean to ghost you. I may have inadvertently suggested that you have been storing the Irving foot next to the neopolitan ice cream in your garage freezer for the last 25 years. And that you and Jimmy might be involved in a grand conspiracy involving the arrival of new pandas at the dc zoo in trade for historical artifacts. Keep the amazing pics and articles coming our way. Say hi when you’re in Aspen next.