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The Lost Explorer : Finding Mallory On Mount Everest
Conrad Anker , and David Roberts Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover  General
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ASIN: 0684871513 |
Book Description
This is the adventure story of the year -- how Conrad Anker found the body of George Mallory on Mount Everest, casting an entirely new light on the mystery of the explorer who may have conquered Everest seventy-five years ago.
On June 8, 1924, George Leigh Mallory and Andrew "Sandy" Irvine were last seen climbing toward the summit of Mount Everest. Clouds soon closed around them, and they vanished into history. Ever since, mountaineers have wondered whether they reached the summit twenty-nine years before Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.
On May 1, 1999, Conrad Anker, one of the world's strongest mountaineers, discovered Mallory's body lying facedown, frozen into the scree and naturally mummified at 27,000 feet on Everest's north face. The condition of the body, as well as the artifacts found with Mallory, including goggles, an altimeter, and a carefully wrapped bundle of personal letters, are important clues in determining his fate. Seventeen days later, Anker free-climbed the Second Step, a 90-foot sheer cliff that is the single hardest obstacle on the north ridge. The first expedition known to have conquered the Second Step, a Chinese team in 1975, had tied a ladder to the cliff, leaving unanswered the question of whether Mallory could have climbed it in 1924. Anker's climb was the first test since Mallory's of the cliff's true difficulty. In treacherous conditions, Anker led teammate Dave Hahn from the Second Step to the summit.
Reflecting on the climb, Anker explains why he thinks Mallory and Irvine failed to make the summit, but at the same time, he expresses his awe at Mallory's achievement with the primitive equipment of the time. Stunningly handsome and charismatic, Mallory charmed everyone who met him during his lifetime and continues to fascinate mountaineers today. He was an able writer, a favorite of the Bloomsbury circle, and a climber of legendary gracefulness. The Lost Explorer is the remarkable story of this extraordinarily talented man and of the equally talented modern climber who spearheaded a discovery that may ultimately help solve the mystery of Mallory's disappearance.
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On June 8, 1924, George Leigh Mallory and Andrew "Sandy" Irvine were last seen climbing toward the summit of Mt. Everest. Clouds soon closed around them, and they vanished into history. Ever since, mountaineers have wondered whether they reached the summit, twenty-nine years before Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. On May 1, 1999, Conrad Anker, one of the world's strongest mountaineers, discovered Mallory's body, frozen and naturally mummified at 27,000 feet on Everest's north face. The condition of the body, as well as the "artifacts" found with Mallory, are important clues in determining his fate. Seventeen days later Anker free-climbed the Second Step, a ninety-foot sheer cliff that is the single hardest obstacle on the north ridge. Anker's climb was the first test since Mallory's of the cliff's true difficulty. From the Second Step, Anker led teammate Dave Hahn to the summit under treacherous conditions. Reflecting on the climb, Anker explains why he thinks Mallory and Irvine failed to make the summit, but also expresses his awe for Mallory's achievement with the primitive equipment of the time. Handsome, charismatic, and a climber of legendary gracefulness, Mallory continues to fascinate mountaineers today. The Lost Explorer is the remarkable story of this extraordinary man, and of the equally talented modern climber who spearheaded a discovery that may help solve the mystery of Mallory's disappearance.Customer Reviews:
As Close to the Real Truth as One Could Imagine.......2006-06-14
Concise and fascinating.......2006-02-25
Even better to HEAR Anker tell it..........2003-06-04
The Lost Explorer.......2002-03-23
While "Lost Explorer" may not have all of the details about the 1924 expedition, or lengthy lists of sponsors for the expeditions, it has something that I found lacking in "Ghosts of Everest." Anker, while maybe not the most eloquent of writers, provides readers with an intensely personal view of his experiences. His version of the story seems altogether more truthful and honest than "Ghosts of Everest" which takes a more picturesque view of the events. Anker goes on to tell about a harrowing, high-altitude rescue and his own summit of Everest. Also, "Lost Explorer", though David Roberts's writing, provides the reader with a more intimate view of Mallory's life.
"Lost Explorer" is a passionate, fascinating, and, most importantly, personal story about extraordinary men (both past and present) and their journey on the same mountain.
Grave Robbers In Thin Air.......2002-03-16
Conrad Anker's story of the discovery of Mallory's body is appalling. You soon realize that these people had no idea what they were going to do if they did find Mallory or Irvine's body. When they found Mallory's body (they were looking for Irvine's) they immediately took to removing anything of even the remotest value they could from the corpse. I can understand taking some tissue samples and a few personal items (perhaps the letters and scarf), but why a knife? Why beef lozenges or a safety pin or pieces of twine? There were very few items that could show if the duo summited or lend a clue as to when they died (camera, altimeter, watch), so why steal the other items to put on display in a museum in Washington state? At least they had the decency to cover up the corpse. But they came back a few days later, unearthed the corpse, used a metal detector to find more items, then pried Mallory's face out of the ground for no reason other than that they could. Then Anker has the gall to complain endlessly about who had the rights to broadcast news of the discovery. If Irvine's body is ever found, we can only hope it will be treated with more respect than what these grave robbers showed to Mallory.
Anker goes on to talk of his summit attempt and other expeditions on the mountain. This is typical Everest fare with people doing stupid things and needing rescued. Conrad makes the summit and since he wasn't able to free climb the 2nd step assumes that Mallory couldn't either.
If there's anything to learn from this book, it's to fall all the way off the mountain or into a deep crevasse. Anything less risks being found by buffoons and picked clean.
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The Lost Explorer Finding Mallory on Mount Everest
Conrad Anker Manufacturer: Simon and Schuster ProductGroup: Book Binding: Hardcover Similar Items:
ASIN: B000J1429K |
Customer Reviews:
Firstbrook and the BBC.......2007-01-20
A Partially Successful Expedition.......2004-03-30
A Mystery Yet Unsolved.......2002-01-06
For background, the book provides biographical details about Mallory and a history of Western exploration of Everest. (Apparently, Mallory was a great natural climber, but extraordinarily forgetful about critical details and sometimes suffering from poor judgement.) It also details the events of the 1921, 1922, and 1924 British expeditions, the first organized attempts by Europeans to explore the mountain. Excellent maps are included, along with two sections of black and white photos, primarily from the original expeditions, with some supplements from the 1999 search for Mallory and Irvine's bodies. (For those of a more morbid mindset, note that the photos from 1999 feature only one discreet shot of Mallory's frozen body, and otherwise mostly are concerned with the artifacts found upon him.)
The last two brief chapters relate the efforts of a 1999 British/American expedition (funded in part by German interests) to find the missing climbers and hopefully to salvage preserved film from the camera they were known to have been carrying. Should the camera be found, it's possible that photos might still be developed from it and that the question of whether or not Mallory and Irvine reached the summit could be conclusively answered at last. To date, neither the camera nor the body of Irvine have been found (apparently a subsequent 2001 expedition by some of the team members from 1999 uncovered only questionable further evidence from the 1924 climbers), so the mystery endures. However, this book speculates that it's possible, however unlikely, that Mallory and Irvine might indeed have reached the top, albeit at so late and dangerous an hour and with such primitive protection and gear that their doom would have been assured in any case.
The last few chapters are mildly repetitious in certain parts, but other than that minor flaw, this is a very readable and fascinating account of one of the greatest tragedies and enigmas of mountaineering.
Great Book!.......2001-07-15
Excellent and then America gets involved.......2000-09-26
The book begins with the early life of George Mallory from a child in rural Manchester to his life as a teacher. It charters the early days of his climbing as well as his marriage to Ruth and other such milestones in Mallory's life. Interwoven with the story of Mallory is the story of Everest itself. From its humble beginnings as Peak XV to its now more recognised name, the history of the mountain is charted from the late 16th Century onwards. It is this that appeals to me the most. British Empirical history is a great love of mine and this book provides a very interesting viewpoint on a world we will never see again. It maintains throughout a romanticism that is constantly hit hard by the tragedies and the politics of the time . This theme is continued throughout the book, until its final chapters, and it is there that we hit the only problem in the book.
The difference between the recounting of the 1999 expedition and the rest of the book is marked. For me, too marked. Almost all of the book is swathed in the rich history only for the ugly face of today to rear up. The writing of the "then and now" has proved a problem to the author who has managed to ruin the sense of the book at its end. The recounting of the body search is very much at odds with the rest of the book and does not sit well. It maybe that the historical aspect has been put across in an almost unreal way whilst the 1999 expedition comes across brutally and with little hint of the awe in which the climbers claim to feel as they look upon the body of Mallory.
A pity, for this book was for the most part spellbinding. It is a great shame that the modern writing had to be at the end. At the beginning and it would have been forgotten about as soon as we got into the interesting stuff. Unfortunately this is not the case, and we have a somewhat spoilt feel to the whole read. I would definitely advise anyone to read it and many may not agree with my opinions. This fascinating world of mountaineering and the story of Mallory and Irvine have combined to produce a piece of the greatest interest.
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