Customer Reviews

Detectives on Everest: The 2001 Mallory & Irvine Research Expedition

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This is a most significant book which fills in much of the detail about the early British expeditions to the North Face of Mount Everest. Yes, the 2001 climb failed to locate Irving's body and with it the missing cameras which may determine for once and all whether or not Mallory and Irvine did reach the summit in June of 1924. But the 2001 Expedition did uncover the several of the camps used by these early climbs and Hemmleb recounts how this makes our understanding of these early expeditions much more complete than it previously was. For instance, Hemmleb describes how it can now be determined that Mallory did not relocate his high camp, a point of great interest to and debate among Everest scholars for decades. And, what is most crucial in this book is Hemmleb's description of the patient and persistent work with veterans of the earlier Chinese climbs which has made the future location of Irvine's remains much more likely -- including a revelation that the Chinese had located Irvine's body not just in 1975 but also in 1960. Jochen Hemmleb is to be congratulated for his clear and concise writing, his brilliant scholarship, and the dogged devotion which keeps bringing him back to uncover ever more secrets, however reluctantly surrendered, on the 1921, 1922, and 1924 British expeditons. And this book, in short, is a necessary read for all with even a peripheral interest in the history of Mount Everest and of these early expeditions. Bravo, Jochen!

This is a great follow-up to Ghosts of Everest. A similar format with outstanding photographs, the book tells the whole story of the 2001 expedition. The story of the high-altitude rescue is amazing, and the new information - uncovered by Simonson & Hemmleb while speaking with members of the 1960 Chinese expedition in Beijing - is astonishing.

A must read for the Everest buff and adventure lover!

For over 50 years I have been fascinated by the story of Mallory and Irvine on Everest. During that time, I have compiled and studied a large collection of books, videos, and pictures related to climbs on Everest from Tibet. In my opinion, "Detectives on Everest" is a `must-have' book for anyone caught up in the history of the mountain. It should also appeal to the general reader as well.

The text is well-written and provides a good review of the British and Chinese climbs that took place on the north side of the mountain during the last century. The pictures that trace the routes of these expeditions are the clearest I've seen. The many photos included in the book allow the armchair explorer to see the traditional north-side routes from new perspectives. I especially appreciated the pictures taken at various points along the north ridge.

Jochem Hemmleb and Eric Simonson are to be commended for their efforts to shed new light on the story of Everest's pioneers. Their respect for and emotional connection to the British and Chinese climbers and their commitment to accurately document what happened is very much in evidence. I hope Hemmleb and Simonson will be able to return to Everest in the near future to investigate the new search area defined in the book.

Giancarlo Passarini's review (see below) shows an undercurrent problem certain readers seem to have with the research Hemmleb et al. have done. Passarini doesn't like the possibility that the Chinese climbed Everest in 1960, so he attacks the author and suspects that statements approving of the Chinese claim were a "trade-off" for the information Hemmleb and Simonson received about Irvine. Nonsense! Passarini ignores that "Detectives" is very careful in its analysis of the 1960 Chinese expedition, including qualifying comments such as "Here is the story as the three (Chinese) later put it on record" (p. 156) or "Of the terrain (between the Second Step and the summit) the Chinese could provide only verbal descriptions" (p. 157) - all a far cry from flatly stating "the Chinese did it", as Passarini thinks the book has done. If careful, distinguished research is treated this way, the fault doesn't lie with the author but with the reader. (As for the issue of "South Tyrol", a more impartial view of its history and semi-autonomous status is advisable, but is beyond the scope of this review)

"Detectives on Everest" is unusual in the mountaineering literature associated with Everest in that it is not about pioneering some new route up the world's highest mountain. Instead, it is the expedition account of the 2001 return to Mount Everest by the team of historical detectives that found George Mallory's body in 1999.

The expedition did not succeed in its primary purpose, to locate the remains of Andrew Irvine, perhaps with a camera and recoverable images that might settle the question of whether Mallory and Irvine reached the summit of Everest in 1924. The expedition did search the Northeast Ridge of Everest, in the process locating many of the old high camps from British and Chinese expeditions and thereby clarifying some history. Sections on Mallory's climbing history in Britain and a superb collection of photographs, descriptions of artifacts, and a history of attempts on Everest via the Northeast Ridge provide some valuable context for the discussion of whether or not Mallory and Irvine were technically capable of reaching the summit of Everest in 1924. The bottom line here remains a question mark.

The most significant relevation may be an interview with the survivors of the 1960 Chinese Expedition, who used the Northeast Ridge and who may have found Irvine's body near one of their high camps. This interview leaves open the possibility that a future search might again locate Irvine's body.

A final section, in which expedition members diverted from a summit attempt to rescue several climbers in trouble on the Northeast Ridge, talks to both the ruthless ethics of climbing in the "death zone" at and above 28,000 feet and the wonder that earlier expeditions with far less equipment and technical expertise got as high as they did.

This book is recommended to fans of the continuing mystery of Mallory and Irvine, and to readers interested in the history of expeditions on Mount Everest.

I knew very little about the story of Mallory and Irvine and thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel. When I finished reading, I was instantly hungry for more and embarked on a journey to learn more about the fascinating history of Everest and explorers from past eras. In today's commercial society it's hard to imagine explorers like Mallory and Irvine entering uncharted territory. Their story really sparks your imagination!

The photographs of artifacts and history of past expeditions were captivating and the book was well written in an easy engaging style.

The side story of a dramatic rescue was also very interesting considering today's controversial commercial climate on the mountain. A wonderful read!

After reading "Into Thin Air" I wanted more.....but this book was nothing but a "he said, she said". Very poor writing style and the facts were not even correct. 12 people perished in 1996...wonder about the other facts....a historian?

Dear reader,
Could you really believe that mountaineers climbing at 29000 fts. during nightime and on unknown terrain without torchlighs are able to reach the summitt of Everest? The point is this and, please, don't try to make me believe that Chineses' accurate report of terrain is genuine, because aerial surveys and photos were made in 1960 too and, moreover, mountaineers could have reached a point between the second step and the summit, but to summit in pitch dark seems too much even for the more optimistic.I'm astounded by the accuracy and by the affection that you, reader, seem to feel for Hemmleb's account: have I reached someone near Jochen or Eric? Maybe I'm not expert in history, but geography tells that South Tirol, that is Alto Adige is within the boundary of Italy, keep an atlas at hand and you'll see that this is not a nation represented at the United Nations Organization and that on Messner's passport it's stamped "Italy"... There are many people in Italy who wants the entire northern part of the Country separated from the rest of us: Would you call an Everest ascent from a Milanese an ascent of Padanian Country? Let me tell you that these particularisms in a time of a united Europe sounds a little parochially-minded and anti-historic. But, I was forgetting... Hemmleb is from Germany, so he is sensible to other German speaking people...