00:00 This podcast episode discusses the famous mountaineer George Mallory and the mystery surrounding whether or not he made it to the top of Mount Everest.

05:52 The English settled on Mount Everest as the tallest mountain in the world in the mid-19th century, but it would be decades before anyone thought they could climb it due to the difficulty of reaching the mountain and the challenges of climbing at high altitudes.

10:57 The first expeditions to Mount Everest took place in 1920, with Mallory being one of the pioneers, and the English team successfully mapped the North Call route, which is still used today.

16:26 To reach Mount Everest, climbers must navigate treacherous obstacles such as glaciers, crevasses, ice slides, and sea cores, making the feat near impossible in 1921 without any equipment.

21:55 Establishing camps on Mount Everest is crucial for climbers to survive and gather valuable information about low oxygen concentrations, weather conditions, and the best time to hike, with some considering a successful ascent only if the climber is able to come back down.

26:55 In 1922, Mallory and other climbers reached 26,800 feet on Mount Everest without using oxygen, but decided to turn back; an avalanche in 1922 killed seven Sherpas, and Mallory considered himself partially responsible; Mallory was known for being flighty and unfit to be in charge of anything, according to a doctor on the expedition; in 1924, Mallory almost didn't go on the expedition, but ended up going under the name George Hallory, and Sandy Irvine, a student, was also brought along.

32:02 During the 1924 expedition, Sandy Irvine was brought along because of his engineering skills and ability to improve the efficiency of the oxygen apparatus, and Edward Norton made it within a thousand feet of the summit of Everest, setting a record that stood until 1953.

37:29 This is Mallory's last attempt to summit Everest, and he is seen by Noel Odell on the northeast ridge, but they are a few hours behind schedule.

42:59 Noel Odell, a geologist with good eyesight, saw what he believed to be Irvine and Mallory moving on the second step of the climb, but their exact location is still debated.

47:59 If Mallory and Irvine made it to the second step of the climb, nothing would have stopped Mallory from reaching the summit, even though they knew it was a suicide mission, and evidence such as Odell's eyewitness statements, the recovery of Irvine's ice axe, and the discovery of Mallory's body with a severe head injury support the theory that they may have reached the summit of Everest.

53:10 Mallory's missing picture of his wife and the missing camera suggest that he may have made it to the summit of Everest, but the truth will likely never be known.

58:04 The hosts mention that they received an email from a listener named Dave and invite others to get in touch with them, but the mystery of Chuck's rope incident remains unsolved.