The Third Pole: Mystery, Obsession, and Death on Mount Everest
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- Create Date：2021-06-28 08:51:19
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- Author：Mark Synnott
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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
Kat
，
Interestingly written account mixing action from 1924 and 2019。 It's frustrating that the film they made is only available in the US Disney+ though。 Interestingly written account mixing action from 1924 and 2019。 It's frustrating that the film they made is only available in the US Disney+ though。 。。。more
Sheila McCarthy
，
Well written 。。。 Synnott does a good job of weaving his Everest story together with that of Mallory and Irvine。 Make sure to finish as the most interesting part of the story is the information contained in the last ten pages。
Alisa
，
"。。。we had passed half a dozen corpses so far。 I had made a point to acknowledge each one as I climbed past， reminding myself that they had once been living， breathing people like me who somehow pushed themselves incrementally too far。"Mark Synnott tells the riveting tale of the doomed Mallory-Irvine ascent of Mount Everest in 1924 alongside his own 2019 climb， with the aim of finding Irvine's long-lost body。 I have a lot of respect and admiration for the people who work tirelessly to climb to t "。。。we had passed half a dozen corpses so far。 I had made a point to acknowledge each one as I climbed past， reminding myself that they had once been living， breathing people like me who somehow pushed themselves incrementally too far。"Mark Synnott tells the riveting tale of the doomed Mallory-Irvine ascent of Mount Everest in 1924 alongside his own 2019 climb， with the aim of finding Irvine's long-lost body。 I have a lot of respect and admiration for the people who work tirelessly to climb to the top of the world， knowing that they risk certain death in the process。 In fact， Synnott details the many ways Everest climbers have met their doom - hypothermia， heart attack， exhaustion， and simply sudden death - along with the moral conundrum concerning aiding the dead and dying。 Considering the many years of training and financial investment it takes to climb Everest， not to mention risk to their own safety， should climbers be expected to do their best to help those on the brink of death？ It seems that the author takes a neutral stance， although he does describe a few instances where people risked their own lives to help those in peril。On another note， I was angered to read about the piles of garbage on top of Mount Everest。 Though the author states that several guide companies have strict "leave no trace" policies， it seems that many others lack respect for the environment。 How arrogant and inconsiderate can humans get？All in all， this was an absorbing， informative， and often tense read。 Recommended for lovers of adventure stories， history， science， or anyone looking to （vicariously） stand at the top of the world。 。。。more
Brenna
，
I hate saying if you loved Into Thin Air， you’ll love this book - as if those are the only books ever written about Everest - but it’s true。 Part historical mystery， part climbing adventure， part geopolitical thriller。 I could’ve read it all in a day if I’d had the time。 And someone get me a Netflix series about British mountaineers of the 1920s stat。
Jim Becker
，
Some very good background material about the history， the geopolitical issues and some of the technology used in expeditions。 These were the best aspects of the book。 The last portion of the book reverts to a typical mountaineering adventure story， with hardships， danger， death and survival。 It is good stuff， but not any different than a dozen other books in this regard。
Victoria Wiedrich
，
I’ve read many books about Mt Everest and this one ranks almost as good as Into Thin Air。 The author provides detailed information regarding the political aspect of this iconic mountain。 I had no idea what lengths the Chinese would go to in order to claim they were the first to summit via the northern route。 I found the political information fascinating。 The stories of those who perished stayed with me after finishing the book。 This book is a must read for anyone interested in mountain climbing。
Debbie
，
SO well written。 It's engaging and informative。 I love when an informational text is a page turner！ SO well written。 It's engaging and informative。 I love when an informational text is a page turner！ 。。。more
Hen
，
Very detailed account of expedition to discover Mallory's companion Irving lost on their Everest attempt。 Use of drones was of particular interest。 Very detailed account of expedition to discover Mallory's companion Irving lost on their Everest attempt。 Use of drones was of particular interest。 。。。more
Russell
，
Interesting tale of the author's expedition to Everest ostensibly to search for the body of Sandy Irvine， climbing partner of George Mallory on their ill-fated 1924 ascent attempt。 Presumed lost shortly after they had been seen not far from the summit， Mallory's body was discovered in 1999， but Irvine's remains were never seen again。 The hope was that if Irvine were found， he might have exposed film in an old Kodak camera providing evidence that the team had， indeed， stood on Everest's summit。 M Interesting tale of the author's expedition to Everest ostensibly to search for the body of Sandy Irvine， climbing partner of George Mallory on their ill-fated 1924 ascent attempt。 Presumed lost shortly after they had been seen not far from the summit， Mallory's body was discovered in 1999， but Irvine's remains were never seen again。 The hope was that if Irvine were found， he might have exposed film in an old Kodak camera providing evidence that the team had， indeed， stood on Everest's summit。 Most of the book is about the history of Mallory & Irvine's attempts， and the planning for the search attempt， but quickly moves into a summit attempt by the search team， which nearly ends in disaster。 Along the way， Synnott reveals the awful truth about climbing Everest， that while over 5，000 people have succeeded in reaching the summit and returning， the most dangerous part of the climb is the return from the peak， where about 5% of climbers in a good year die on the way down。 Synnott provides a riveting first-hand account of what it's like to be one of those who return to tell their story。 。。。more
Mark Griffith
，
Death and discovery at the earths pinnacle Mark covers the mystery and search of finding Irvine on the north face of Mount Everest。 Along the way he traverses the history of Mallory and Irvine’s lives and climbs abs covers what drives men and women to climb。 Tragically he documents the many of the deaths that occurred during their season of searching。
Peter McGinn
，
I have read many books on mountaineering in the Himalayas， especially Everest， and this newer book is a good addition to the genre。 I wouldn’t include it in a short list of my favorites， however， books I have either read a second time or plan to reread。 It is interesting， well-written and — most important to me— an honest account， by which I mean when an author/climber admits to difficulties and weakness or even lapses in judgement during their ascent。 But I did not find it to be compelling read I have read many books on mountaineering in the Himalayas， especially Everest， and this newer book is a good addition to the genre。 I wouldn’t include it in a short list of my favorites， however， books I have either read a second time or plan to reread。 It is interesting， well-written and — most important to me— an honest account， by which I mean when an author/climber admits to difficulties and weakness or even lapses in judgement during their ascent。 But I did not find it to be compelling reading。Elle magazine describes it as one of the 57 most anticipated books of the year （why 57？）， and I wonder why that is。 I don’t mean that as a slam to the book， but rather that I am curious if it was because of the controversial climbing season that took place or maybe due to advance teasers they might have released， or what。 For example， I can’t tell after the fact if they may have foreshadowed a possible solution to the Mallory/Irving summit mystery through the search for Sandy Irving’s camera without saying what they found， like film reviewers not telling the plot twist in The Sixth Sense or other thrillers。Having read a lot of Mt。Everest books， some of the details and stories told here are familiar to me。 But moving back and forth between expeditions old and new works okay and only occasionally feels like filler。 Most of the new stories are drawn from the climbing season the book is based on， but not so much on the search for Irvine’s body。 Turns out the mountain is strictly regulated on the China north side by its authoritarian government， which nearly scuttled the project more than once， and which to some extent drives that plot to the background， while also eventually giving birth to a juicy conspiracy theory。 There， is that enough to entice you to read yet one more book about climbing Mt。 Everest？ 。。。more
Bmorrison
，
I did enjoy this book but， since I am not a climber， there was a lot of technical jargon which made me mark it down a star。 This book is highly recommended for avid climbers。 A lot of historical data re climbing and the mystery of Mallory and the lost camera was intriguing indeed。
Nana
，
Absolutely fascinating！！ Think of this book as a suitable， 21st century follow up to Into Thin Air - much has changed on Everest since the 90s and this book lays out a lot of that in a really interesting way。 So many cool tidbits。 It’s the story of the author’s own expedition， focusing on finding the body of a famous lost would be summiter， Andrew Irvine， who disappeared with his partner， George Mallory， way up near the summit， 16 years before Hillary and Norgay finally did it first。 The stories Absolutely fascinating！！ Think of this book as a suitable， 21st century follow up to Into Thin Air - much has changed on Everest since the 90s and this book lays out a lot of that in a really interesting way。 So many cool tidbits。 It’s the story of the author’s own expedition， focusing on finding the body of a famous lost would be summiter， Andrew Irvine， who disappeared with his partner， George Mallory， way up near the summit， 16 years before Hillary and Norgay finally did it first。 The stories/mystery of Irvine and Mallory are marvelously woven in with the expedition story and that of other climbers on the mountain at the time， who the author profiles movingly。 Don’t let the page count intimidate you， this one flew by！ 。。。more
Erin
，
Fascinating， but overly long。 Lots of detail that would derail the main purpose of the book， which is purportedly to tell the story of Mallory and Irvine。 Be forewarned that there’s a very long section about 2/3 of the way through the book which details all the deaths that happened on Everest during this particular season in the modern day， and during Malory and Irvine‘s ascent。 It’s a little much during a pandemic to read about a whole lot of people throwing their lives away。 There’s also a gra Fascinating， but overly long。 Lots of detail that would derail the main purpose of the book， which is purportedly to tell the story of Mallory and Irvine。 Be forewarned that there’s a very long section about 2/3 of the way through the book which details all the deaths that happened on Everest during this particular season in the modern day， and during Malory and Irvine‘s ascent。 It’s a little much during a pandemic to read about a whole lot of people throwing their lives away。 There’s also a graphic description of a young woman’s sexual assault， which was surprising to see just dropped in to the midst of this story。 。。。more
Linda
，
Synnott was part of a group of six who ventured to the north （Tibetan） side of Mt。 Everest in 2019 to follow up on a historian's long research that Sandy Irvine's body from 1924 could still be found， and had actually been spotted by a member of the 1960 Chinese team that had climbed the mountain。 Fortified with a photography drone that was hacked to fly in thin air and a film contract with National Geographic， their first goal was to climb to the spot that researcher Tom Holzel was convinced was Synnott was part of a group of six who ventured to the north （Tibetan） side of Mt。 Everest in 2019 to follow up on a historian's long research that Sandy Irvine's body from 1924 could still be found， and had actually been spotted by a member of the 1960 Chinese team that had climbed the mountain。 Fortified with a photography drone that was hacked to fly in thin air and a film contract with National Geographic， their first goal was to climb to the spot that researcher Tom Holzel was convinced was the most likely place。 Much more than a personal or even team story， Synnott recounts some of the history of the Mallory-Irvine climb， and the backgrounds of other expedition participants in the history of that tragedy。 Politics has its role， as China offered little evidence they had actually made it to the summit in 1960 and their pride might well be undermining efforts to find a body and a camera that could still have recoverable film from 1924。 There is some very slim chance that it could be proved that Mallory and Irvine had actually made it to the summit， which China feels would detract from its own rightful achievement。 And China controls Tibet and authorizes climbing groups and places their own sherpa teams with them。 The misery and effort of climbing at high altitude are well described， and Synnott devotes a chapter to several climbers who perished just days before their own attempt， which was delayed in the hope of avoiding the enormous crowd that was climbing in late May。 Very good details and aspects of climbing on Mt。 Everest that were not covered in the 1 hour documentary I watched or in any other book。 I can understand better the motive that drives so many to attempt such an effort and how the glory of success has put young， inexperienced climbers in harm's way because of national fervor， especially in India。 。。。more
MS
，
My favorite book of 2020s so far。
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
，