Lonely at the top: Everest climber's last letter narrates the dark side of mountaineering

In an era where summiting Mount Everest has become a frequent feat, it's easy to overlook the extraordinary challenges it poses. In the 1920s, Britisher George Mallory dared to challenge the towering might of Mount Everest. Facing extreme altitude, unpredictable weather, and treacherous terrain, Mallory's quest ended in a mysterious disappearance, leaving behind an enduring enigma.

Now, newly digitized letters offer a glimpse into Mallory¡¯s thoughts, illuminating his hopes and fears as he embarked on his historic ascent. These letters may serve as a guiding light for present-day climbers navigating their own Everest-sized dreams.

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A century later, letters to look back on

2024 marks a century since Mallory's disappearance.

British mountaineer George Mallory

In preparation for this centennial, archivists spent the past 18 months scanning documents related to him.

Magdalene College, Cambridge, where Mallory studied from 1905 to 1908, has now digitized hundreds of pages of his correspondence and other documents.

A selection of Mallory¡¯s letters and possessions will be displayed in the exhibit "George Mallory: Magdalene to the Mountain," opening June 20.

The dark side of Mount Everest

"It has been a very trying time with everything against us," wrote George Mallory in a letter dated May 11, 1924, just days before his disappearance on Everest.

Mallory's letter to his wife Ruth on 11 May 1924/ Magdalene College AP

The Everest letters outline Mallory¡¯s meticulous preparations and equipment tests, showcasing his unwavering optimism about their prospects.

But they also reveal the darker side of mountaineering: bad weather, health issues, setbacks, and doubts.

Just days before he vanished, Mallory candidly wrote to his wife, Ruth, acknowledging the dire odds: "50 to 1 against us."

In his last letter dated May 27, 1924, he reflected on the hardships, saying, "This has been a bad time altogether. I look back on tremendous efforts & exhaustion & dismal looking out of a tent door and onto a world of snow & vanishing hopes."

Mallory's letter to his wife Ruth on 11 May 1924/ Magdalene College

The collection, spanning from 1914 to 1924 and comprising around 840 letters, offers a window into Mallory's enduring spirit and the formidable challenges he faced.

While his quest ended in disappearance, one thing is certain about Mallory: as Katy Green, a college archivist at Magdalene College, says, "There¡¯s something in him that drove him."

It was this same drive that propelled Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and New Zealand mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary to become the first to reach Everest¡¯s peak, decades after Mallory¡¯s death, on May 29, 1953.

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