The Third Pole: Mystery, Obsession, and Death on Mount Everest
- Downloads：6093
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-17 06:16:04
- Update Date：2025-09-24
- Status：finish
- Author：Mark Synnott
- ISBN：1472273664
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Veteran climber Mark Synnott never planned on climbing Mount Everest， but a hundred-year mystery lured him into an expedition--and an awesome history of passionate adventure， chilling tragedy， and human aspiration unfolded。
On June 8， 1924， George Mallory and "Sandy" Irvine set out to stand on the roof of the world， where no one had stood before。 They were last seen eight hundred feet shy of Everest's summit。 A century later， we still don't know whether they achieved their goal， decades before Sir Edmund Hillary and Tensing Norgay did， in 1953。 Irvine carried a Kodak camera with him to record their attempt， but it， along with his body， had never been found。 Did Mallory and Irvine reach the summit and take a photograph before they fell to their deaths？
Mark Synnott made his own ascent up the infamous North Face along with a filmmaker using drone technology higher than any had previously flown。 His goal: to find Irvine's body and the camera he carried that might have held a summit photo on its still-viable film。 Synnott's quest led him from oxygen-deprivation training to archives and museums in England， to Kathmandu， the Tibetan High Plateau， and up the North Face into a storm during a season described as the one that broke Everest。 An awful traffic jam of climbers at the very summit resulted in tragic deaths。 Sherpas revolted。 Chinese government agents turned adversarial。 An Indian woman crawled her way to safety and survival。 Synnott himself went off the safety rope--if he had slipped， no one would have been able to save him--desperate to solve the mystery。
A magnificent story a la The Lost City of Z， The Third Pole conveys the miracle of a mountain the world wants to own， and the first explorers who may have done so。
On June 8， 1924， George Mallory and "Sandy" Irvine set out to stand on the roof of the world， where no one had stood before。 They were last seen eight hundred feet shy of Everest's summit。 A century later， we still don't know whether they achieved their goal， decades before Sir Edmund Hillary and Tensing Norgay did， in 1953。 Irvine carried a Kodak camera with him to record their attempt， but it， along with his body， had never been found。 Did Mallory and Irvine reach the summit and take a photograph before they fell to their deaths？
Mark Synnott made his own ascent up the infamous North Face along with a filmmaker using drone technology higher than any had previously flown。 His goal: to find Irvine's body and the camera he carried that might have held a summit photo on its still-viable film。 Synnott's quest led him from oxygen-deprivation training to archives and museums in England， to Kathmandu， the Tibetan High Plateau， and up the North Face into a storm during a season described as the one that broke Everest。 An awful traffic jam of climbers at the very summit resulted in tragic deaths。 Sherpas revolted。 Chinese government agents turned adversarial。 An Indian woman crawled her way to safety and survival。 Synnott himself went off the safety rope--if he had slipped， no one would have been able to save him--desperate to solve the mystery。
A magnificent story a la The Lost City of Z， The Third Pole conveys the miracle of a mountain the world wants to own， and the first explorers who may have done so。
Reviews
Leah
，
The Third Pole is an absolutely captivating story of mystery， intrigue， and danger that offers a fresh perspective on one of the 20th century's biggest obsessions。 There has been a lot of high-quality reporting of the extent of commercialization and packaging that has constrained exploratory potential and substantially reduced the technical rigor needed to climb the world's tallest peak， but Synnott's work here stands out in its thorough discussion of the political and social context of this com The Third Pole is an absolutely captivating story of mystery， intrigue， and danger that offers a fresh perspective on one of the 20th century's biggest obsessions。 There has been a lot of high-quality reporting of the extent of commercialization and packaging that has constrained exploratory potential and substantially reduced the technical rigor needed to climb the world's tallest peak， but Synnott's work here stands out in its thorough discussion of the political and social context of this commercialization， the deep ties to colonialism， the ethical dilemmas of environmental conservation and the use of aids like supplemental oxygen， and the pinnacle of moral conundrums involved in the seemingly unavoidable question of whether to rescue another summiteer in distress or complete your own quest。 I came for the mystery and stayed for the exceptional exposition on some of the biggest questions surrounding Mt。 Everest expeditions today。Beginning as a mission with a whole host of moral superiority， Synnott and his team set out specifically not to summit （indeed， even pitching their expedition as "anti-Everest"）， but strictly to locate the body of Sandy Irvine， one of two men widely believed to have summited Mt。 Everest from the north in 1924， decades before the much better-documented success of the Chinese in 1960。 While the body of Irvine's partner， George Mallory， was discovered in 1999， Irvine's had yet to be definitively located， although there was wide speculation about where it was likely to be found。 Armed with a drone to scope out the area before they made the climb--getting the drone to fly at that altitude was itself a magnificent achievement--the team set out on a journey that was bound to significantly bend quite a few rules， if not outright break them。On their quest to the top， Synnott and his team encountered all of the usual hazards faced by the average summiteer: unfavorable weather， struggles with acclimatization， health effects from embolisms to sudden-onset neurological issues， and gear issues， aside from just pure exhaustion。 But they also faced tremendous barriers specific to their unique goal， including Chinese spies embedded in their sherpa crew， political barriers to getting the drone into the country and operating it， and a full-blown disinformation campaign from the Chinese government resulting in a sherpa mutiny。 What they did not have to contend with was the absolutely insane queueing that took place on Mt。 Everest in the spring 2019 season and jeopardized dozens of lives from overcrowding alone。 All because they gambled on the weather。The story of Mallory and Irvine is quite an interesting one itself， although it gets a bit lost in everything else going on in this book。 Even though the team did not end up turning up Irvine's body， I felt a surprising lack of disappointment。 The search was no longer the main feature， and there was so much other knowledge to be gained。 In particular， I became incredibly invested in the story of Kam， an Indian woman who managed to summit， but was so slow that her team （including her climbing sherpa） left her behind for dead， and placed her descent in considerable jeopardy。 Her story brought up all of the moral questions around the marketing of Everest expeditions that make all of the danger seem surmountable， the question of when it is right to stop and assist another climber and when all you are doing is putting yourself in jeopardy， and all of the trauma that comes with watching others die and coming so close to death yourself。 And yet her story was just one of many that brought up all of these issues。 I also did very much appreciate the consideration Synnott gave to descriptions of the pay disparities in American and local guides， the evolution of local outfitters and the socioeconomic context of how dramatically the balance has changed in the last ten years， and the true outsourcing of significant levels of risk to sherpas （that has been well-covered elsewhere in recent years as well）。 I also appreciated the level of mostly honest dialogue about how some of the decisions his team made had much greater repercussions for their sherpas than themselves。 Overall， he's definitely still an American who thinks he should be able to do what he wants when he wants （and even overtly states that toward the end）， but the weight given to the impact of these highly commercialized expeditions on the sherpas did surpass my expectations。In sum， The Third Pole is an engrossing read that I consumed in almost a single sitting， and I highly recommend it to anyone with a penchant for outdoor adventuring。 Much thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for the eARC in exchange for the review。 。。。more
Allison Thurman
，
I have a weird fascination with Everest。 I've never wanted to climb it myself。 I have a visceral fear of heights， cold， and suffocating to death。 I often find individual climber's obsessions with summiting selfish and stupid。Having said that， stories of people pushing themselves to the limits in extreme environments fascinate me， and I love a good historical mystery。 The biggest Everest mystery of all is what became of George Mallory and Sandy Irvine in 1924: did they reach the top or not？ And w I have a weird fascination with Everest。 I've never wanted to climb it myself。 I have a visceral fear of heights， cold， and suffocating to death。 I often find individual climber's obsessions with summiting selfish and stupid。Having said that， stories of people pushing themselves to the limits in extreme environments fascinate me， and I love a good historical mystery。 The biggest Everest mystery of all is what became of George Mallory and Sandy Irvine in 1924: did they reach the top or not？ And what happened to their bodies？Mallory was found in 1999， but not the camera that might contain film that could prove whether they truly were the first to reach the top。 The leader of that expedition， Thom Pollard， put together this 2019 expedition to find Irvine， and hopefully， the camera。 I enjoyed the first half the most because it provides the historical context of the 1924 summit attempt and Synnot's research process。 The most intriguing was an interview with Tom Holzel， a long-time Everest researcher who suggested he'd found the location of Irvine's body。 This location was the focus of the expedition。 Drones were used extensively for reconnaissance for the first time， and Synnott documents the problems and successes of this approach。The most provocative claim Synnott discovered in his research was （view spoiler）[the possibility that the Chinese retrieved Irvine's body and camera years ago and buried/destroyed the documentation because it proves the Chinese were not the first to summit from the North side。 （hide spoiler）] Given the politicization of Everest climbing， we'll probably never know。 So this book still compounds the mystery in a tantalizing way。 。。。more
Tim Chapman
，
A great all round view of EverestI find marks writing really easy to read。 I really enjoyed the way he gives such a detailed history of the mountain while weaving it into his own experience。 I shared most of the author view on Everest while I'm not sure my views have fully changed I understand people's reasons for climbing it better。 A great book and one I highly recommend。 A great all round view of EverestI find marks writing really easy to read。 I really enjoyed the way he gives such a detailed history of the mountain while weaving it into his own experience。 I shared most of the author view on Everest while I'm not sure my views have fully changed I understand people's reasons for climbing it better。 A great book and one I highly recommend。 。。。more
Scott
，
Interesting and informativeNot really on the same level as "Into Thin Air" but still a well written and interesting account about Everest's North Side routes， camps and history。 Interesting and informativeNot really on the same level as "Into Thin Air" but still a well written and interesting account about Everest's North Side routes， camps and history。 。。。more
Marsha Valance
，
In 1924， were 37-year-old George Mallory and 22-year-old Andrew "Sandy" Irvine the first to summit Mt。 Everest？ Journalist/professional climber Mark Synnott joined National Geographic's 2019 Sandy Irvine documentary expedition to search for Irvine's body on Everest's uppermost slopes， and more importantly to find Mallory's camera， which possibly could help to solve this mystery。 Synnott enlisted the help of experts who specialize in the history of the 1924 expedition to aid in locating Irvine's In 1924， were 37-year-old George Mallory and 22-year-old Andrew "Sandy" Irvine the first to summit Mt。 Everest？ Journalist/professional climber Mark Synnott joined National Geographic's 2019 Sandy Irvine documentary expedition to search for Irvine's body on Everest's uppermost slopes， and more importantly to find Mallory's camera， which possibly could help to solve this mystery。 Synnott enlisted the help of experts who specialize in the history of the 1924 expedition to aid in locating Irvine's body。 （Mallory's body， complete with a broken ankle， was found by an earlier expedition in 1999。） Synnott skillfully interweaves the story of these 2 brave men with his own expedition's progress， while illuminating some of his fellow documentarians' varied backgrounds。 He also discusses the physiological effects of altitude， the development and use of supplemental oxygen， the environmental impacts of Everest tourism， the fraught politics surrounding the Tibetan plateau， and the challenges of filming at an elevation where altitude plays havoc on bodies and equipment。 This book is a must-read for those who appreciate tales of men and women digging deep within themselves to survive challenges， as well as depictions of researchers and problem-solvers at work。 。。。more
Cathy Bainbridge
，
Couldn’t put it down！ Had to tell myself to stop reading so fast so I could savor it。 All the respect for those choose to climb Everest。 An interesting perspective about the moral dilemma people face in their summit attempt。 Very thought provoking！
Tammy Bulcao
，
Fascinating！💜While this isn’t my preferred genre it certainly opened my eyes to some historical events surrounding Mt。 Everest。 I tend to get a little lost when a story contains a lot of facts， dates & names， however I did become fascinated with the story and the journey that was told。 The narration was really good！ Especially for a story like this where there’s not a ton of dialogue。 Steve’s got a smooth pleasant voice and did an excellent job in the telling of this story。 I promise you this， I Fascinating！💜While this isn’t my preferred genre it certainly opened my eyes to some historical events surrounding Mt。 Everest。 I tend to get a little lost when a story contains a lot of facts， dates & names， however I did become fascinated with the story and the journey that was told。 The narration was really good！ Especially for a story like this where there’s not a ton of dialogue。 Steve’s got a smooth pleasant voice and did an excellent job in the telling of this story。 I promise you this， I will never forget the terrible things that have happened or may continue to happen on Mt。 Everest as well as the journey itself。 I recommend this book！Sisters Spotlight 💜 。。。more
Carol
，
I so wanted to enjoy this Everest account。 I love Everest stories。。。for some reason it took me a while to get into it。。。maybe a third of the book。 It picked up but the back and forth between the two time periods didn't work for me。 This is the first hardcover book I've purchased in forever and I'm kind of bummed that I actually paid for it instead of getting it through the library like I usually do。 Definitely some interesting parts。。。I cannot fathom why anyone would want to climb Everest。。。espe I so wanted to enjoy this Everest account。 I love Everest stories。。。for some reason it took me a while to get into it。。。maybe a third of the book。 It picked up but the back and forth between the two time periods didn't work for me。 This is the first hardcover book I've purchased in forever and I'm kind of bummed that I actually paid for it instead of getting it through the library like I usually do。 Definitely some interesting parts。。。I cannot fathom why anyone would want to climb Everest。。。especially now。 。。。more
Chrissie
，
Solid book about Everest and Himalayan climbing。I found the search for information about Mallory and Irvine to be kind of contrived and boring。 I know that was meant to be the "hook" that made this book not just another Everest book， but I think the main drive of this book--describing what modern Everest climbing looks like and the problems it has caused， contrasted with what it was like in the past--was great， and would have been even better if the solely search-focused parts Solid book about Everest and Himalayan climbing。I found the search for information about Mallory and Irvine to be kind of contrived and boring。 I know that was meant to be the "hook" that made this book not just another Everest book， but I think the main drive of this book--describing what modern Everest climbing looks like and the problems it has caused， contrasted with what it was like in the past--was great， and would have been even better if the solely search-focused parts 。。。more
Stacy
，
Really fascinating and well written and well edited。 Good flow between present day story and historical background。 The vivid descriptions of the beauty and the horror make you feel like you are there with the author。 Hard to put down！ I’m interested in reading some of the author’s source materials。
Vanessa
，
I heard about this book from an interview on the Enormocast。 As far as Everest books go， I had only read "Into Thin Air" （which had made it seem like money = summit。。 It's only party true。） This was an entertaining listen， very well-written， and researched。 It's heavy at times， but I definitely recommend it。 I heard about this book from an interview on the Enormocast。 As far as Everest books go， I had only read "Into Thin Air" （which had made it seem like money = summit。。 It's only party true。） This was an entertaining listen， very well-written， and researched。 It's heavy at times， but I definitely recommend it。 。。。more
Misti
，
I don’t know why books about climbing the 8000 meter peaks fascinate me。 It’s not just Everest， but all of those crazy high mountains。 I certainly don’t want to do it myself。 I thought this book was so interesting， especially for anyone who has read Into Thin Air or Dark Summit as this expedition is from the north side of Everest starting in Tibet。 They were looking for Sandy Irving’s remains in addition to trying to summit。 I didn’t realize until after I started reading， but I already knew how I don’t know why books about climbing the 8000 meter peaks fascinate me。 It’s not just Everest， but all of those crazy high mountains。 I certainly don’t want to do it myself。 I thought this book was so interesting， especially for anyone who has read Into Thin Air or Dark Summit as this expedition is from the north side of Everest starting in Tibet。 They were looking for Sandy Irving’s remains in addition to trying to summit。 I didn’t realize until after I started reading， but I already knew how their expedition turned out because I had watched the National Geographic program on Disney+ a while back。 Still， there is so much more in the book: history， politics， ethics， to name a few。 I loved it。 。。。more
Keith Hollingsworth
，
So good that I couldn’t put it down！
Cheryl
，
I very much enjoyed a lot of the history and the narrative on this climb itself。 There were many facts about the discovery of George Mallory's body that I did not know in spite of having read many books and articles on it。 I also watched the various documentaries on this climb which focused on finding Sandy Irvine's body。 Best book I have read on Everest in a long time。 4。5* I very much enjoyed a lot of the history and the narrative on this climb itself。 There were many facts about the discovery of George Mallory's body that I did not know in spite of having read many books and articles on it。 I also watched the various documentaries on this climb which focused on finding Sandy Irvine's body。 Best book I have read on Everest in a long time。 4。5* 。。。more
Alec Manougian
，
Adventure on paper， an honest account of one's ascent and search for the conclusion of a mystery 100yrs in the making。 Adventure on paper， an honest account of one's ascent and search for the conclusion of a mystery 100yrs in the making。 。。。more
Susan Dunker
，
Truly amazing and horrifying。 I was fascinated and caught up in the excitement the whole time。
Onceinabluemoon
，
4。5， I have read numerous climbing books over my lifetime， always baffled how recreation can be so deadly but hotly pursued！
Linda
，
4。5 stars- very good book！！
Audra Falk
，
You won't find me climbing mountains， but I can't get enough of high-altitude adventure accounts。 This book is an excellent overview of all things Everest。 It is definitely not just about attempting to solve the mystery of Mallory and Irvine。 There's lots of near-and-far history， along with more than a little political intrigue。 The author raises all the usual questions of ethics and moral dilemma that go along with the commercialization of Everest， but he does so in a very balanced way that giv You won't find me climbing mountains， but I can't get enough of high-altitude adventure accounts。 This book is an excellent overview of all things Everest。 It is definitely not just about attempting to solve the mystery of Mallory and Irvine。 There's lots of near-and-far history， along with more than a little political intrigue。 The author raises all the usual questions of ethics and moral dilemma that go along with the commercialization of Everest， but he does so in a very balanced way that gives the reader multiple viewpoints to consider。 Definitely not a fast read， but I still got through this book quickly because it was just so fascinating。 This is the perfect book for someone who is interested in Everest but doesn't want to read 10 different books about the mountain。 You get such a great overview here， and then an appendix that can easily lead you on to other books， depending on your specific interests。 。。。more
Jenna
，
3。5 starsOne of the great mysteries in the climbing world is whether or not Mallory & Irvine died on the way up or down Everest。 In 1999， Mallory's body was found but no evidence could substantiate whether he'd made it to the top。 Irvine still hasn't been found nor has the Kodak VPK camera which may have photographic proof。 And having already read on the subject， I too am fascinated by the mystery。The writer （Synnott） joins an expedition to search the mountain to solve the mystery。 And as they'r 3。5 starsOne of the great mysteries in the climbing world is whether or not Mallory & Irvine died on the way up or down Everest。 In 1999， Mallory's body was found but no evidence could substantiate whether he'd made it to the top。 Irvine still hasn't been found nor has the Kodak VPK camera which may have photographic proof。 And having already read on the subject， I too am fascinated by the mystery。The writer （Synnott） joins an expedition to search the mountain to solve the mystery。 And as they're climbing the North Side （which is Tibet not Nepal） it means dealing w/China。 I didn't know much about that so that was interesting。 This book gives the history of the area， the early explorers， background on the team and the description of that expedition。 They're also aiming to use drones for filming of images so as to help with the search。 I thought it was an interesting use of technology。 It was easy to tell that the writer had done extensive research and I thought he did a good job of reiterating concise details。 （ie。 thru other books cited， interviews， etc。）Once the team is on the mountain， you get caught up on the stories of the other climbers。 I thought the writer did a great job of summing up the details/experiences of the people who either died or were injured during the climbing season。I'll have to admit with as much reading as I've done on the subject of various mountain climbs， I didn't know that area was referred to as "the third pole"。 （which is the reason for the title） So I learned about that。The only negative is that it was a long book which meant it's not easily read in one sitting。 But it was still a fascinating subject & I've learned things I didn't know。 。。。more
Franziska
，
I’ve read many books about people who climbed/ wanted to climb Everest。 But this book definitely stands out。 Why？Mark Synnott is not your typical mountaineer who’s looking to stand on top of the world。 Actually， climbing Everest has never been on his list。 Instead， he was busy climbing big walls （Yosemite is his favorite playground）。 But then he heard about this project to go and look for Sandy Irvine’s body。 You know， this Irvine who attempted to climb Everest in 1924 together with Mallory。 Mal I’ve read many books about people who climbed/ wanted to climb Everest。 But this book definitely stands out。 Why？Mark Synnott is not your typical mountaineer who’s looking to stand on top of the world。 Actually， climbing Everest has never been on his list。 Instead， he was busy climbing big walls （Yosemite is his favorite playground）。 But then he heard about this project to go and look for Sandy Irvine’s body。 You know， this Irvine who attempted to climb Everest in 1924 together with Mallory。 Mallory’s body has been found a couple of years ago but it didn’t provide any answer to the big question: did they summit？ It’s really a big question because it would mean that not Hillary and Norgay were the first who stood on top of the world （that was in 1953） but Mallory and Irvine who attempted to summit about 30 years earlier。。。 Synnott knows how to tell a story。 I’ve learnt many new things about climbing Everest in general （especially about how the Chinese government controls any movement on the north side of the mountain）， about people who have lost their lives on the mountain and also about people who （some miraculously） survived their adventure。 I’ve also learnt many new things about how the British tried to measure the world almost a 100 years ago， what their challenges were， which tools and clothes they used。。。It might sound a bit like a nerd story but I think the book tells about one of the great adventures and unsolved mysteries of recent history。 Mark Synnott has done his research very well。 He also spoke to many people who dedicate（d） a large part of their life to climbing the mountain or researching the history of the early climbs。 Nevertheless， it’s a well written book， almost a page turner。 Go， read it！ 。。。more
Cecil
，
I was up WAY past my bedtime finishing this deftly-told account of the 2019 expedition to solve an almost-100-year-old mystery at the Top of the World。
Jennifer Bashford
，
Absolutely loved this！ What a surprise - it covered everything from WWI to Chinese history。 I can't wait to read other books by the author。 Absolutely loved this！ What a surprise - it covered everything from WWI to Chinese history。 I can't wait to read other books by the author。 。。。more
Ryan
，
Well doneHard to imagine writing a book like this any better。 Kept me interested the whole way and added all of the details that I wanted to know after watching the movie about the same expedition。 If you saw the movie and were intrigued， you will definitely want to read the book and you will find it far more gripping and fascinating。 Once you read this book， if you haven’t seen the movie， you will definitely want to go watch the movie because there’s actual footage of Mark going after his chief Well doneHard to imagine writing a book like this any better。 Kept me interested the whole way and added all of the details that I wanted to know after watching the movie about the same expedition。 If you saw the movie and were intrigued， you will definitely want to read the book and you will find it far more gripping and fascinating。 Once you read this book， if you haven’t seen the movie， you will definitely want to go watch the movie because there’s actual footage of Mark going after his chief objective。 My son had nightmares after watching it， that’s how intense it is。 A kid might get nightmares after reading this book， too。 。。。more
Katharine Rudzitis
，
I love a good Everest book， and this certainly did not disappoint。 It was fascinating to read about the multiple adventures taking place during this narrative。
Steve Earl
，
Audio-book listen。 Solid historical novel about George Mallory and Sandy Irvine's unsuccessful （most likely） 1924 Mt Everest ascent attempt interwoven with the author's 2019 attempt to find Irving's body （and camera） to finally determine if they actually summitted。 The climbing detail narrative of both trips is very good。 He portrays the journey as excoriatingly grueling with a high danger/death risk and plenty of drama; these are the best parts of the book。 The use of drones to scope potential Audio-book listen。 Solid historical novel about George Mallory and Sandy Irvine's unsuccessful （most likely） 1924 Mt Everest ascent attempt interwoven with the author's 2019 attempt to find Irving's body （and camera） to finally determine if they actually summitted。 The climbing detail narrative of both trips is very good。 He portrays the journey as excoriatingly grueling with a high danger/death risk and plenty of drama; these are the best parts of the book。 The use of drones to scope potential areas where his remains might be was also very interesting。 Ascent from the Chinese side also presented interesting political challenges that were unique from other mountaineering books I've read。 I was particularly struck by his discussion of the ethics （or lack of） regarding potential rescue of troubled climbers by other climbers and his conclusion that the reality is almost no one feels a duty to help others above 8000 meters。 However， like many historical novels， parts of this book were just too detailed and barely relevant， which really bogged down progress through it。 。。。more
Bob Peru
，
outstanding mountaineering writing。
Jason
，
4。5 stars。 Absolutely riveting。
Tushar
，