Mystery of a Missing Camera

Who really climbed Everest first? Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary did it in 1953, but George Mallory (right) and Andrew "Sandy" Irvine perished in an attempt in 1924. The key question is, did they die on the way up or the way down? Whether they summited before dying has long been one of the greatest mysteries in mountaineering.

It's been speculated that the answer could be contained in a missing camera they carried with them. It was one of various models called a Vest Pocket Kodak (VPK), a folding camera made from 1912 to 1926 that was among the first to use 127 film. If they reached the top, surely they would have commemorated it with triumphant photographs of themselves celebrating. Mallory's body was finally found in 1999, which caused a sensation. But Sandy Irvine's remains were not found—and neither was the VPK.

Mark Synnott is a mountaineer and author who participated in an expedition to search for Sandy Irvine in 2019...a search that failed. And there might be a reason why. He thinks there's evidence that Chinese climbers found and retrieved Irvine's body, and perhaps the VPK. The first ascent of Everest's North Face is a treasured national feat in China, and if the VPK showed that Mallory and Irvine did it first, it would rob their nation of that accomplishment. Synnott speculates that the Chinese could have found the VPK and that Chinese technicians either bungled the development of the film or that the Chinese government is suppressing the discovery to preserve national honor. Either way, if they did find Irvine, they're keeping it a secret. Mark Synnott has written a book about the mystery called The Third Pole. (Outside magazine said, "If you’re only going to read one Everest book this decade, make it The Third Pole...a riveting adventure."*)

Salon has Mark's short article giving the outlines of the mystery....

Mike

*I'm "scared of heights" and the highest mountain I've climbed is The Gonzen at 1,829m in the Appenzell Alps in Switzerland (Everest is 8,848m). Armchair adventure is enough for me now. The linked article is a good read. If you're not up for it, maybe have a listen to Tennessee comedian Nate Bargatze's take on his personal Mount Everest. Less than a minute of your time. (I'm a fan of clean standup. Nate's Dad was a clown for the first dozen years of his life, and his recent album has a great title: Yelled At by a Clown.)

Book of Interest:

Hank O'Neal, Ed., A Vision Shared: A Portrait of America 1935–1943 (Steidl, 2019). The reissue of the best overall survey of the work of the FSA photographers of the 1930s. Every public and school library should have a copy, for one thing. Thanks to Andy Moursund for turning me on to this book many years ago. Originally published in 1976 by St. Martin's Press.

The book link above is a portal to Amazon.

Link to B&H Photo

Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Mueller Alois: Dear all, I live for ten years at the base of Mount Gonzen (Sargans), and have yet to be at the peak and have a look down."

Nick Vincent: "It's precisely the (sub)plot of the French animated film (or anime, rather, as it was adapted from a manga by Jiro Taniguchi). It's called Le Sommet des Dieux (Summit Of The Gods) and was released last year. It should be available on Netflix by now. Here's the link to the Wikipedia article."

Comments

[John Camp]

You climbed a 1,829m peak? If you visited me in my living room, you'd be at 2,292m.

[If you Google "Gonzen mountain" and hit images, you'll see it's a respectable little rock. It makes a nice day hike, with some climbing involved, in particular a ledge across a cliff with a wire handhold to keep you from falling, and a ladder bolted into a sheer rock face. It's the only time I've seen the architect's rendering view of pine trees, i.e. from directly above them. --Mike]

[Yuan]

Is there any evidence of what the Chinese climbers, technicians, and government did or did not? Or it's pure speculation? Do you believe if some Chinese climbers indeed found the camera, or some Western climbers found it, they would have the tendency to behave the same, or differently? As a long subscriber of your rss feed, I find it unwise for a reputable blog to spread such pure speculations. Regardless of your intention, it reads like an insult to Chinese climbers and their colleagues.

[It looks like most of the testimony came *from* the Chinese climbers. But I'm just reporting; I don't know anything myself. I would suggest you read at least the article, if not the book, before jumping to conclusions. --Mike]

[Malcolm Myers]

Hillary and Norgay first summited Everest on 29th May 1953. The news broke on the day of Queen Elizabeth's coronation, 2nd June 1953.

[Robert Ardinger]

"Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary did it in 1956" The date I am familiar with is May 29, 1953.

[William A Lewis]

I tend to avoid conspiracy theories. OTOH, I also have worked hard to avoid having to deal with the government of the People's Republic. My son was adopted from Vietnam and in the process of choosing them over China I learned far more than I cared too about that government and the various levels of corruption (China = high, Vietnam = low) so I find the idea that they would destroy (not hide, if they got it, it's gone now) that camera and film very easy to believe. That is only my experience; trust yours over mine.

[Dave Stewart]

A VPK, or VPAK?
https://www.blipfoto.com/entry/2757730961159358461

[DavidB]

The Salon article is a good read. Thanks for the link.

At one point in my life I aspired to climb Everest. I have settled for knowing people that have done so.

[abacaxi]

Wow. What a story.

[Fred]

I may not be the first to mention this but the current first ascent was May 29, 1953.

[Mani Sitaraman]

Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary did it in 1956...

Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Everest on the 29th of May, 1953. The news reached Britain just in time for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, adding to the good cheer in the UK.

https://i.imgur.com/mYVzD4M.jpg

[Crabby Umbo]

I'm holding out hope! After all, the DID eventually find the Mexican Suitcase!

[Antony Shepherd]

There's a really good manga called "The Summit of the Gods" by Yumemakura Baku and Jiro Taniguichi where a Japanese photojournalist finds what may be Mallory & Irvine's Vest Pocket Kodak in a Kathmandu bazaar, which leads him into intrigue and his own attempt to conquer Everest.

There's also a (highly abridged) French animated movie based on it which is on Netflix and well worth a watch.

[Todd]

Did Donald Trump write the foreword, LOL.

[Zyni Moë]

There is a very good manga on this camera (not the Chinese thing): Summit of the Gods. It has been made into at least two films: the recent animated film (is in French) which is wonderful.

[Thomas Mc Cann]

Occams Razor

[JTK]

Mike said "I'm "scared of heights" and the highest mountain I've climbed is The Gonzen at 1,829m"
You did good Mike! Elevation is relative.
Point Imperial is at 2,683m, but you can drive there.

[JoeB]

Yes it would glorious- finding the VPK intact with film. The chance of that fades with each passing year.
I'v read that a climb is only successful if the climbers make it up and down. Down safely. So yes, if we ever find that climbers made it up before 1953 it is only half way.

[xf mj]

This is feeling a bit "academic" to me. Suppose I quickly swallow 77 hot dogs at Nathan's on a bright summer day, cheered on by an onlooking crowd of Coney Islanders. Suppose then I clutch my heart and suffer a coronary immediately after. Well I just happen to think maybe Joey Chestnut should be given that year's prize. I'm not saying that y'all shouldn't be astonished by my final performance. I'm just saying...

And, hey, my name *would* get in the papers that day, I would think. I stuffed too may franks down my throat, then died.

The limit in my analogy here is that Hillary and Norgay very likely could have died, with any other attempt, as well. Whereas Joey C can just keep climbing his Nathan's Everest year after year after year. Amazing.

[Ken]

The article reminds me of the early 1980s song that begins, "Heard it from a friend, who heard it from a friend, who heard it from another..." The article contains so much conjecture and speculation that it reads like the kind of tall tale one might hear around a campfire after a few beers. Color me skeptical.