The Third Pole: Mystery, Obsession, and Death on Mount Everest
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- Author：Mark Synnott
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Summary
"If you're only going to read one Everest book this decade， make it The Third Pole。。。 a riveting adventure。"--Outside
Shivering， exhausted， gasping for oxygen， beyond doubt 。 。 。
A hundred-year mystery lured veteran climber Mark Synnott into an unlikely expedition up Mount Everest during the spring 2019 season that came to be known as "the Year Everest Broke。" What he found was a gripping human story of impassioned characters from around the globe and a mountain that will consume your soul--and your life--if you let it。
The mystery？ 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 still "going strong" for the top。 Could they have succeeded decades before Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay？ Irvine is believed to have carried a Kodak camera with him to record their attempt， but it， along with his body， had never been found。 Did the frozen film in that camera have a photograph of Mallory and Irvine on the summit before they disappeared into the clouds， never to be seen again？ Kodak says the film might still be viable。 。 。 。
Mark Synnott made his own ascent up the infamous North Face along with his friend Renan Ozturk， a filmmaker using drones higher than any had previously flown。 Readers witness first-hand how 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 massive storm。 The infamous traffic jams of climbers at the very summit immediately resulted in tragic deaths。 Sherpas revolted。 Chinese officials turned on Synnott's team。 An Indian woman miraculously crawled her way to frostbitten survival。 Synnott himself went off the safety rope--one slip and no one would have been able to save him--committed to solving the mystery。
Eleven climbers died on Everest that season， all of them mesmerized by an irresistible magic。 The Third Pole is a rapidly accelerating ride to the limitless joy and horror of human obsession。
Shivering， exhausted， gasping for oxygen， beyond doubt 。 。 。
A hundred-year mystery lured veteran climber Mark Synnott into an unlikely expedition up Mount Everest during the spring 2019 season that came to be known as "the Year Everest Broke。" What he found was a gripping human story of impassioned characters from around the globe and a mountain that will consume your soul--and your life--if you let it。
The mystery？ 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 still "going strong" for the top。 Could they have succeeded decades before Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay？ Irvine is believed to have carried a Kodak camera with him to record their attempt， but it， along with his body， had never been found。 Did the frozen film in that camera have a photograph of Mallory and Irvine on the summit before they disappeared into the clouds， never to be seen again？ Kodak says the film might still be viable。 。 。 。
Mark Synnott made his own ascent up the infamous North Face along with his friend Renan Ozturk， a filmmaker using drones higher than any had previously flown。 Readers witness first-hand how 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 massive storm。 The infamous traffic jams of climbers at the very summit immediately resulted in tragic deaths。 Sherpas revolted。 Chinese officials turned on Synnott's team。 An Indian woman miraculously crawled her way to frostbitten survival。 Synnott himself went off the safety rope--one slip and no one would have been able to save him--committed to solving the mystery。
Eleven climbers died on Everest that season， all of them mesmerized by an irresistible magic。 The Third Pole is a rapidly accelerating ride to the limitless joy and horror of human obsession。
Reviews
Lani
，
This book made me angry from start to finish。 A hundred years of people traumatizing themselves， their families， and importantly their native guides for what？ This author showed little compassion for his guides when he not only insisted they continue despite expert opinions not to， but when they shared worries of being blacklisted for this expedition。 He put both their lives and their livelihoods at risk and for what？ They failed their mission and barely got out alive。 There was no great discove This book made me angry from start to finish。 A hundred years of people traumatizing themselves， their families， and importantly their native guides for what？ This author showed little compassion for his guides when he not only insisted they continue despite expert opinions not to， but when they shared worries of being blacklisted for this expedition。 He put both their lives and their livelihoods at risk and for what？ They failed their mission and barely got out alive。 There was no great discovery from this endeavor， just permanent injury， possible death， strain on multiple marriages， and a waste of seven figures investment。 No regard is shown for the guides， porters， and Sherpas exploited for the glory of rich people。 No regard for the corpses littering the mountainside。 At one point the author goes oh lol we can navigate by that dead guy over there。 Everest climbers lose their grip on reality and humanity in exchange for their own pride。 。。。more
Kara Lee
，
Interesting but not thrillingI enjoyed this book but it was not the most exciting book I’ve read about Everest。 I liked how the author contrasted the Mallory expedition with his own search for Irvine。 To me， the book contained too many detailed explanations about topics like oxygen levels， drone development & capabilities。 I skipped whole paragraphs to get past the minutiae & back to the heart of the story。 Kudos to the author for the lessons he learned as well as his philosophical attitude abou Interesting but not thrillingI enjoyed this book but it was not the most exciting book I’ve read about Everest。 I liked how the author contrasted the Mallory expedition with his own search for Irvine。 To me， the book contained too many detailed explanations about topics like oxygen levels， drone development & capabilities。 I skipped whole paragraphs to get past the minutiae & back to the heart of the story。 Kudos to the author for the lessons he learned as well as his philosophical attitude about how the search ended。 。。。more
Dave P
，
Wow， climbing Everest sounds shit。
Rachel
，
3。5
Christine
，
The Day that Broke Everest is something you have undoubtedly seen a picture of – you know that photo of the line for the Summit。 tSee， you know it。tSynnott was there。 He summitted the next day。 This book is part story of those events and part a glimpse at the conjunction surrounding Malory and Irvine （who may or may not have submitted but most assuredly died on Everest。 Malory’s body was found in 1999）。 tIn most cases， this would lead to a book that cannot decide what it what wants to be – conqu The Day that Broke Everest is something you have undoubtedly seen a picture of – you know that photo of the line for the Summit。 tSee， you know it。tSynnott was there。 He summitted the next day。 This book is part story of those events and part a glimpse at the conjunction surrounding Malory and Irvine （who may or may not have submitted but most assuredly died on Everest。 Malory’s body was found in 1999）。 tIn most cases， this would lead to a book that cannot decide what it what wants to be – conquering the mountain story or mystery quest， and usually that is a bad thing。 Yet， here， it works。 tIn part this is because of Synnott’s writing。 He has a grab you style。 You want to keep reading。 His history lectures are not boring。 When he discusses the complication and complexities of morality in the death zone， he does it in such way that does more than lip service。 The vim and vigor of the prose is more than enough to grab and hold the attention of the reader。 You can feel and hear the wind。 tBut it isn’t just Synnott’s writing style that balances out and makes up for a book that it doesn’t know quite what it wants to be。 It’s the captivation of Everest and the desire for the Summit。 Synnott starts out on his quest for Everest because he is captivated by the story of Malory and Irvine （and the book goes into the possible answers to the various questions about the fate of the men）。 Yet， slowly， the reader can see the idea of Everest itself take over。 In some ways， the book is an almost brutal and yet somewhat unwittingly look at how an obsession can take over。 tHow Synnott’s original quest plays out as the obsession goes is an integral part of the story。 As are the other more complex moral questions – climbing permits， treatment of Sherpas for instance as well as the question of morality in the death zone – that Synnott leaves with the reader to examine because he is also part of those larger questions。 。。。more
Stephen
，
Fascinating！ I never knew much about Mount Everest other than it's the tallest mountain in the world and that Sir Edmund Hillary was the first to climb it， but was he？ This book takes a look at the possibility that two people， decades before Hillary， reached the summit only to be lost on their way back down。 Did George Mallory and Sandy Irvine reach the summit first？ Their climbing partner （Odell） always believed that they did。 This book is in part the authors quest to climb Mt。 Everest and his Fascinating！ I never knew much about Mount Everest other than it's the tallest mountain in the world and that Sir Edmund Hillary was the first to climb it， but was he？ This book takes a look at the possibility that two people， decades before Hillary， reached the summit only to be lost on their way back down。 Did George Mallory and Sandy Irvine reach the summit first？ Their climbing partner （Odell） always believed that they did。 This book is in part the authors quest to climb Mt。 Everest and his quest to find evidence of what happened to Mallory and Irvine。 Could they find evidence to support Odell's thinking that in the 1920's Mallory and Irvine reached the summit。 When Mallory's body was found what did it reveal？ What did it not say？ What happened to Irvine's body and where is his camera？ If they can find them what will they reveal？ One of the most fascinating books I've read all year。 。。。more
Andrew
，
I enjoyed reading The Impossible Climb （2018。） But when I saw that Synnott wrote about an expedition to Mount Everest， I worried that he sold out; Everest is for wanna-be mountaineers， not genuine off-grid climbers like Mark， right？Synnott’s new book， The Third Pole: Mystery， Obsession， and Death on Mount Everest （2021） was released by Dutton on April 14， 2021。 It’s title has the feeling of having been used before and bordering on cliche， the subject of Everest is overdone， and yet， having read I enjoyed reading The Impossible Climb （2018。） But when I saw that Synnott wrote about an expedition to Mount Everest， I worried that he sold out; Everest is for wanna-be mountaineers， not genuine off-grid climbers like Mark， right？Synnott’s new book， The Third Pole: Mystery， Obsession， and Death on Mount Everest （2021） was released by Dutton on April 14， 2021。 It’s title has the feeling of having been used before and bordering on cliche， the subject of Everest is overdone， and yet， having read it， does add something valuable to the conversation about climbing today。Until The Third Pole， Synnott had embraced mountain adventures that are not in the mainstream and tourist destinations。 They were off the beaten path and sometimes truly exploratory in nature。 Synnott explored the remote wilds of Baffin Island and wrote a beautiful guidebook about it in 2008。 He lead expeditions for The North Face Global Team and National Geographic to remote island peaks and big walls climbers never considered before because they were barricaded by thick jungle。 If it had been done， and there wasn’t a compelling new challenge， then it wasn’t worth pursuing。 I would not expect Synnott to go to well-trafficked Denali， Mont Blanc， or Everest。Read the whole review at my blog here: http://suburbanmountaineer。com/2021/0。。。 。。。more
Marshall Snyder
，
The author was part of an expedition to try and find the body of Sandy Irvine， who died in the ill-fated 1924 attempt to climb Everest - it was though he might have had a camera on him that could prove that he and George Mallory did summit the mountain。 They did not find his body， but Synott documents the many deaths that occurred in 2019。
Laura Floyd
，
A really good Everest read， easily up there with Krakauer。 This tale does not focus on a disaster， so you'd think maybe there'd be less of an edge， but I found Synnott's recounting of the quest to discover and recover the body of Sandy Irvine every bit as titillating's as reading about all the ways the 1996 season went disastrously wrong。 And let's be honest - Synnott covers plenty of disasters， going into details on the many and horrible ways people have been led to disaster on Everest， the nea A really good Everest read， easily up there with Krakauer。 This tale does not focus on a disaster， so you'd think maybe there'd be less of an edge， but I found Synnott's recounting of the quest to discover and recover the body of Sandy Irvine every bit as titillating's as reading about all the ways the 1996 season went disastrously wrong。 And let's be honest - Synnott covers plenty of disasters， going into details on the many and horrible ways people have been led to disaster on Everest， the near misses， and the troubling moral dilemma left to those who want to survive。 What is ultimately revealed about the mystery of Irvine （and the fate of Mallory as well） is troubling on several levels that I will continue contemplating as I continue my adventures out in our natural world， seeking not to set any new records （unless one wants to string seven adjectives in front of one's name [the first vegan， half-blind， one-legged woman over the age of 55 to summit in less than 2 days without oxygen] there are no famous firsts left to be hand in this world） but just to feel as much of this world I can in the purest ways possible。 。。。more
Sarah Wagner
，
I have a mild obsession with Mount Everest history and the 1924 expedition in particular， so I was excited to read this book。 The author clearly has plenty of interest in this subject as well， with his narrative of preparing for and then climbing Everest in 2019 interspersed with historical details about early Everest expeditions and the science of mountaineering。 Of course， the later half of the book deals with the now-famous 2019 Everest season when crowding possibly contributed to multiple de I have a mild obsession with Mount Everest history and the 1924 expedition in particular， so I was excited to read this book。 The author clearly has plenty of interest in this subject as well， with his narrative of preparing for and then climbing Everest in 2019 interspersed with historical details about early Everest expeditions and the science of mountaineering。 Of course， the later half of the book deals with the now-famous 2019 Everest season when crowding possibly contributed to multiple deaths on the mountain。 I appreciated the author's attempt to place these more recent events in the context of Mount Everest history and climbing - important context I often feel is missing from news coverage。 I also found the author's thoughts and insights into the long-standing Mallory and Irvine mystery interesting， but by no means is this mystery laid to rest。 。。。more
Dax
，
This book doesn't quite know what it wants to be。 Initially the author seems to want to bill it as a quest to solve the Mallory/Irvine summit mystery， but that quickly falls by the wayside once the climbers succumb to summit fever。 In reality， 'The Third Pole' gives the reader an idea of what it is like to attempt to climb Everest today。 The most interesting part covers "the day that Everest broke" which took place in 2018 when a traffic jam of climbers， coupled with deteriorating weather， lead This book doesn't quite know what it wants to be。 Initially the author seems to want to bill it as a quest to solve the Mallory/Irvine summit mystery， but that quickly falls by the wayside once the climbers succumb to summit fever。 In reality， 'The Third Pole' gives the reader an idea of what it is like to attempt to climb Everest today。 The most interesting part covers "the day that Everest broke" which took place in 2018 when a traffic jam of climbers， coupled with deteriorating weather， lead to a number of deaths。 Synnott and his team were not attempting their summit that day， but he has gathered details of several climbing experiences that day that make for a harrowing read。 The chapters on Mallory and Irvine's expedition are entertaining as well， but I am not sure it adds much from the well regarded 'Into the Silence'。 I did enjoy the chapters covering the 1999 expedition that discovered Mallory's body though。 As well as being an excellent climber， Synnott is a solid writer and the enjoyment factor with this book is high enough to warrant four stars。 。。。more
Eric
，
A pretty good story of man against the elements， but not quite the thriller I was half expecting。
Payel Kundu
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book was kind of a flop for me for a couple of reasons。 I typically like mountaineering adventure books， my favorite one is Buried in the Sky。 But unlike that book， this book contributed very little new insight or perspective。 There was the cool central story of Mallory and Irvine perhaps being the first to summit Everest， instead of Hillary and Norgay as is currently believed， but the resolution of that narrative line was so anticlimactic。 Synnott gets to the spot where they previously det This book was kind of a flop for me for a couple of reasons。 I typically like mountaineering adventure books， my favorite one is Buried in the Sky。 But unlike that book， this book contributed very little new insight or perspective。 There was the cool central story of Mallory and Irvine perhaps being the first to summit Everest， instead of Hillary and Norgay as is currently believed， but the resolution of that narrative line was so anticlimactic。 Synnott gets to the spot where they previously determined Irvine’s body might lie and finds that it’s just a natural feature that sort of looks like a crevice with a body in it if you squint hard with lots of optimism at a low resolution photo taken from far away。 He then becomes aware of rumors that Chinese climbers found the body ages ago and are covering it up to protect their first ascent up the North Face status。 But it’s unclear from the writing why Synnott wasn’t aware of these rumors before。 If they’re so compelling， why did he do the climb at all？ Maybe if I had never read an Everest adventure book before this would be a fine book， but I didn’t find enough unique material to warrant a higher review。 Additionally， Synnott’s writing is a bit clunky and amateurish。 He describes a climber on Everest as “lost in her revelry” for example。 He describes an imagined situation of Irvine hanging upside down near death contemplating his lost “wonderful human potential。” Also， Synnott goes to great pains to champion Sherpa climbers， in leading and in supporting capacities， but then says that a famous early explorer summitted alone， with only his Sherpas for company。 Also， Synnott goes off rope to explore the potential Irvine body area in the face of vehement opposition from his guides。 I understand why he did that， but the casually playful tone he uses to refer to the incident like “My support climber was real mad， but he’s cool， right bro？ He’s totally over it” seemed dubious to me。 In short， not my favorite mountaineering adventure book。 There are better books on the topic available， unless you’re specifically interested in the potential Mallory and Irvine first ascent。 。。。more
Sarah Carlson
，
I went for this on the Giveaways mostly on a whim。 Mt。 Everest and mountain climbing in general is a topic I know very little about。 However， I feel like the Giveaways is the perfect opportunity to books I might not otherwise pay to read。I'm so glad I did go for it。 I enjoyed it immensely。 It was both educational as well as entertaining。 I found the mystery surrounding the fates of Sandy Irvine and George Mallory incredibly engaging。 It made me want to look more into the topic and I was pleased I went for this on the Giveaways mostly on a whim。 Mt。 Everest and mountain climbing in general is a topic I know very little about。 However， I feel like the Giveaways is the perfect opportunity to books I might not otherwise pay to read。I'm so glad I did go for it。 I enjoyed it immensely。 It was both educational as well as entertaining。 I found the mystery surrounding the fates of Sandy Irvine and George Mallory incredibly engaging。 It made me want to look more into the topic and I was pleased to find out that there is a documentary on the subject。 I would certainly recommend it。 。。。more
Brittany
，
You don’t read very many nonfiction books that keep you so riveted you just have to read on， sleep be damned！ This is one of those few nonfiction books that you won’t be able to put down！ Mark Synnott does a great job of telling the story of his expedition， the Mallory/Irvine story， as well as paying a tribute to many of those whose bodies remain on the mountain。 This book was full of climbing tales， fascinating historical and political context， and stories of other past climbers whose names are You don’t read very many nonfiction books that keep you so riveted you just have to read on， sleep be damned！ This is one of those few nonfiction books that you won’t be able to put down！ Mark Synnott does a great job of telling the story of his expedition， the Mallory/Irvine story， as well as paying a tribute to many of those whose bodies remain on the mountain。 This book was full of climbing tales， fascinating historical and political context， and stories of other past climbers whose names aren’t quite as ubiquitous as Mallory/Irvine and Hillary/Norgay。 Highly recommend！ 。。。more
Miguel
，
Would be recommended to mountaineers and climbing enthusiasts as this mainly covers the trials and travails of yet another perilous climb atop the world’s tallest mountain。 Of note here is that the author was part of and describes within the infamous photo taken a few years back showing a veritable rush hour like traffic jam at the world's highest peak。 It felt like it went down some threads that weren't fully hashed out， but again would be a great read for a mountain junkie。 Would be recommended to mountaineers and climbing enthusiasts as this mainly covers the trials and travails of yet another perilous climb atop the world’s tallest mountain。 Of note here is that the author was part of and describes within the infamous photo taken a few years back showing a veritable rush hour like traffic jam at the world's highest peak。 It felt like it went down some threads that weren't fully hashed out， but again would be a great read for a mountain junkie。 。。。more
Barb in Maryland
，
I finished this several days ago and cannot get it out of my mind。 I found the history parts of the story to be fascinating and the modern parts to be very thought-provoking。Read the blurb--it is excellent。 I picked this up because I am an armchair traveler; I really enjoy a well-written account that blends history in with explorations。 The author's look at the modern business of climbing Mt Everest was a real eye-opener for me。A warning: a few of the photos are rather graphic （dead bodies）。 The I finished this several days ago and cannot get it out of my mind。 I found the history parts of the story to be fascinating and the modern parts to be very thought-provoking。Read the blurb--it is excellent。 I picked this up because I am an armchair traveler; I really enjoy a well-written account that blends history in with explorations。 The author's look at the modern business of climbing Mt Everest was a real eye-opener for me。A warning: a few of the photos are rather graphic （dead bodies）。 There is also a very frank discussion on why the dead were left where they fell; as well as an examination of the dilemmas of aiding climbers in distress。 A lot of food for thought; I certainly came away with several preconceptions destroyed。 。。。more
Miriam Wilcox
，
As someone who has never aspired to climb Everest， I still have no desire to climb it。 But I absolutely loved this book。 It’s part history book part modern day expedition history。 Written incredibly well by the formidable Mark Synott。
Brenda Richardson
，
The third pole （Everest） reminds us that life is unfair。 Mark Sinnott is both a world class mountaineer and a great writer。 On its face， this is the story of one climb with 1-2 goals。 Interwoven is the history of many climbs， some quite pure， others having to reckon with politics， personalities and greed。A book of contrasts - pastel colors of dawn revealing dead bodies bordering trails and offering support （as a rigid chair would） to tired climbers who accept said support。There are the Lord of t The third pole （Everest） reminds us that life is unfair。 Mark Sinnott is both a world class mountaineer and a great writer。 On its face， this is the story of one climb with 1-2 goals。 Interwoven is the history of many climbs， some quite pure， others having to reckon with politics， personalities and greed。A book of contrasts - pastel colors of dawn revealing dead bodies bordering trails and offering support （as a rigid chair would） to tired climbers who accept said support。There are the Lord of the Flies climbers and the heroic climbers。 Wonderfully engaging， intelligent book。 。。。more
Jenny Belardi
，
I watched Mark Synnott's fantastic documentary Lost on Everest， so I wasn't sure if the book would be more of the same。 But there is a lot more story here， and I'd highly recommend both。 More science， more history， more anxiety-inducing descriptions of hanging off six-inches ledges at the the top of the world！ It's also sad， especially the parts about how Everest is being semi-destroyed by tourism， and I had a really hard time with all these climbers just walking by dying and dead people in sing I watched Mark Synnott's fantastic documentary Lost on Everest， so I wasn't sure if the book would be more of the same。 But there is a lot more story here， and I'd highly recommend both。 More science， more history， more anxiety-inducing descriptions of hanging off six-inches ledges at the the top of the world！ It's also sad， especially the parts about how Everest is being semi-destroyed by tourism， and I had a really hard time with all these climbers just walking by dying and dead people in single-minded pursuit of their dream （there are well over 100 bodies on Everest that climbers regularly pass）。 。。。more
Lauren
，
I couldn’t put this book down - so riveting。 The author alternates between the historic account of Mallory and Irvine’s ascent， their own recent ascent to search for Irvine’s body and sections covering the history of climbing Everest， political factors involved， ethical and environmental dilemmas on the mountain and a look into training methods and lack there of many climbers。 The authors accounts of the different camps and climbs almost make me feel like I was there。 Highly recommend。
Cindy H。
，
Absolutely RIVETING 🙌🏻🎧 My heart was pounding the final 1 1/2 hours of this audio。 Because this expedition was so recent（2019） and there were two quests， I was completely absorbed in both Mark’s personal story & the 1924 story of Sandy Irvine & George Mallory。 Throughout this book， Mark shares other climbers fates which were equally compelling。 Mark raises many moral questions & ethics about climbers， their sherpas， the government who issue permits and hold the “rights” to Everest， the expeditio Absolutely RIVETING 🙌🏻🎧 My heart was pounding the final 1 1/2 hours of this audio。 Because this expedition was so recent（2019） and there were two quests， I was completely absorbed in both Mark’s personal story & the 1924 story of Sandy Irvine & George Mallory。 Throughout this book， Mark shares other climbers fates which were equally compelling。 Mark raises many moral questions & ethics about climbers， their sherpas， the government who issue permits and hold the “rights” to Everest， the expedition companies and their guides who profit greatly from these thrill seeking offerings and the new crop of inexperienced moneyed individuals looking at Everest as a bucket-list experience。 。。。more
Reading For Sanity
，
Read this review and others at https://www。readingforsanity。com/2021。。。 Read this review and others at https://www。readingforsanity。com/2021。。。 。。。more
Gary Detrick
，
4。5 Stars。 Lately， I been a little put out by recent Everest books due to the over commercialization， making it possible for even the average person with a bit of money can be successful。 It also presents more dangerous possibilities。 This is addressed in this book justifiably。What grabbed my interest was the team Mark was a part of were seeking history， more so than the success of the climb。 He presents here an interesting， well researched， history of George Mallory's and Sandy Irvine's summit 4。5 Stars。 Lately， I been a little put out by recent Everest books due to the over commercialization， making it possible for even the average person with a bit of money can be successful。 It also presents more dangerous possibilities。 This is addressed in this book justifiably。What grabbed my interest was the team Mark was a part of were seeking history， more so than the success of the climb。 He presents here an interesting， well researched， history of George Mallory's and Sandy Irvine's summit attempt in 1924。 An attempt that I believe they possibly achieved before anyone else。 We will never really know for sure。Interesting to the end， I found this an enjoyable read。 。。。more
RMazin
，
Mount Everest is the third pole。 It’s allure is its beauty and challenge to those who wish to climb it。 Mark Synnott， an accomplished climber and writer， did not have a driving ambition to add this peak to the many he had already summitted。 But…。then came the mystery。 What if it were possible to locate Sandy Irvine （who was lost on Everest with Mallory in the 1920s） and locate a specific camera that might yield photos proving their ascent？ What if someone had a feasible idea on how to search thi Mount Everest is the third pole。 It’s allure is its beauty and challenge to those who wish to climb it。 Mark Synnott， an accomplished climber and writer， did not have a driving ambition to add this peak to the many he had already summitted。 But…。then came the mystery。 What if it were possible to locate Sandy Irvine （who was lost on Everest with Mallory in the 1920s） and locate a specific camera that might yield photos proving their ascent？ What if someone had a feasible idea on how to search this vast icy terrain？ What if the technology of today （drones， plus improvements in mountain gear， weather forecasting， etc。） would improve their chances？ What if Synnott could assemble a superior team that would buy into this idea with enthusiasm and help lead with their expertise？ What if the Communist Chinese government would greenlight this project since the preferred route was from the Tibetan side？Many “what ifs” needed to come together as Synnott uses his research skills， contacts and own expertise to solve the mystery。 Any one thing can go wrong and derail the whole endeavor and many factors are beyond Synnott’s control。 The prime objective， besides solving the mystery of the 1920s， is to get back alive。 Everest is not forgiving of poor judgments and decisions – there is a reason it has a Death Zone。 Synnott is not only cognizant of his team’s ambitions but he realizes that the accompanying and vital Sherpas also have goals of their own。 Holding them all together becomes a lesson in life skills for the mountain and beyond。There were also moments of surprising historical background and scientific developments that made their quest even more meaningful and incredible。 Synnott never loses sight of the humanity of those who came before him; whether building upon knowledge gained， trying to summit the peak or eking out a living as a Sherpa mountain guide。 Thrills abound in this book…。。could not wait to get back into whenever daily life intruded。 This book takes you on an exciting journey with the best。 Highly recommended。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this title to review。 。。。more
Colleen
，
Held my interest throughout， even though mountain climbing is not really an interest。 The “mystery “ at the center， with the frequent references back to earlier climbing days were interspersed with the author’s current climb。 The imperialistic underpinning of Everest climbs taints his narrative as well， somehow I didn’t believe his protestations about caring wether or not he ruined the sherpas livelihoods。
Marsha Altman
，
This book covers what is known about Mallory's summit attempt in 1924 and the 2019 summit attempt （on the Tibetan side） by a couple of mountaineers to try to find Irvine's body。 There's a lot of interesting things here about Chines and Nepalese politics， what went wrong on the Nepalese side in that climbing season （surprise， a whole bunch of people died）， and how people trying to climb Everest is just terrible。 It's always a bit amusing to me how someone who has already climbed Everest and profi This book covers what is known about Mallory's summit attempt in 1924 and the 2019 summit attempt （on the Tibetan side） by a couple of mountaineers to try to find Irvine's body。 There's a lot of interesting things here about Chines and Nepalese politics， what went wrong on the Nepalese side in that climbing season （surprise， a whole bunch of people died）， and how people trying to climb Everest is just terrible。 It's always a bit amusing to me how someone who has already climbed Everest and profited from it will complain that other people shouldn't go up because it "commercializes the mountain" even though he （it's always a he） has already done it。 A good gossip book but probably shouldn't be your first book about Everest。 。。。more
Leah
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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
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