Ahead of the one-hundredth anniversary of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine's disappearance on Everest on 8 June, author Mick Conefrey reflects on Mallory's life and mysterious death and shares an extract from his newly-published book, Fallen.
I've always wondered if the snow conditions in 1924 were such that the second step was banked out, possibly on the unseen side, which would have enabled them to by-pass the steep rock pitch. It fits with the description of them disappearing behind the step and re-appearing shortly after above it. Modern Everest must be a very different mountain due to climate change than it was in 1924.