I've developed a random fascination for Mount Everest lately. I think it was after I had fallen into a wikipedia rabbit hole and was reading about 'The Rainbow Valley,' (some kind of canyon filled with frozen dead bodies. Their snow suits and boots are various bright colors, thus the nickname. Climbers attempting the summit of Mount Everest have to pass this 'cemetery.')
In 1921, there was a reconaissance mission to determine routes to the mountain. Nepal did not allow westerners into their country, so the group of mountaineers had to go to Darjeeling and then trek 200 miles around the north to Tibet.
In 1922, the expedition began, lead by Charles Granville Bruce and included George Mallory among others. It was the first time bottled oxygen was used. The group took the same route as before and made 3 attempts for the summit, but they were all unsuccessful. 7 porters were lost in the final attempt when they triggered an avalanche.
In 1924, there was another expedition with the goal of being the first to reach the summit. Edward Felix Norton, British army officer and mountaineer, set an altitude record of 28,126 feet, in one of the first two attempts for the summit. George Mallory and fellow mountaineer, Andrew Irvine, made a third try for the summit, but disappeared. It's still disputed whether they met their goal or not.
The most interesting thing is they had Captain John Noel with them. He was also a mountaineer and in the military, but his main objective was to be a photographer / videographer. He brought a bunch of different cameras with him and set them up all over the mountain. With his photos, footage, and collected writings of the group, The Epic of Everest was made, becoming one of the first documentaries. It's silent and black and white, but it depicts the 1924 expedition. It's pretty insane watching humans do such extraordinary things from 100 years ago.
That said, I don't think many people would ever reach the the roof of the world without the help of the Sherpas, who are genetically almost like super-heroes. They are physically well-adapted to living in high altitudes, possess the super-athlete gene, and their bodies process oxygen more efficiently.
There is a documentary from a 1953 expedition I believe which follows New Zealand mountaineer, Edmund Hillary.
The Hillary Step, the final challenge before reaching the summit (the most difficult part of the climb apparently) is named for him.
There is even still another documentary about a Mount Everest expedition from the late 90s where a group of climbers are followed on their trek. In the film, the mountaineers happen upon a dead body. Upon examination of the body, it was discovered that the deceased was none other than George Mallory. Unfortunately, there was no evidence to suggest if Mallory had reached the summit or not. They did give him something of a funeral and placed him under a cairn.
If you want to watch some of these documentaries:
The Epic of Everest I couldn't find anywhere for free, but it's on Amazon Prime for $4 and YouTube for $5.
The Conquest of Everest is available for free on dailymotion.
The Wildest Dream is also on dailymotion :
Part 1
Part 2
