The Lost Explorer

In 1999, Conrad Anker found the body of George Mallory on Mount Everest, casting an entirely new light on the mystery of the lost explorer. On 8 June 1924, George Leigh Mallory and Andrew ''Sandy'' Irvine were last seen climbing towards the summit of Everest. The clouds closed around them and they were lost to history, leaving the world to wonder whether or not they actually reached the summit - some 29 years before Edmund Hillary and Tensing Norgay. On 1 May 1999, Conrad Anker, one of the world''s foremost mountaineers, made the momentous discovery - Mallory''s body, lying frozen into the scree at 27,000 feet on Everest''s north face. Recounting this day, the authors go on to assess the clues provided by the body, its position, and the possibility that Mallory had successfully climbed the Second Step, a 90-foot sheer cliff that is the single hardest obstacle on the north face. This is a remarkable story of a charming and immensely able man, told by an equally talented modern climber.

Conrad Anker is a professional mountaineer who has made breakthrough first ascents around the world, from the Himalayas to Antarctica and Patagonia. Conrad Anker is a professional mountaineer who has made breakthrough first ascents around the world, from the Himalayas to Antarctica and Patagonia. David Roberts, a mountaineer with extensive Alaskan experience, is the author of many books. David Roberts worked in publishing for over thirty years, most recently as a director, before devoting his energies to writing full time. He is married and divides his time between London and Wiltshire.