KATHMANDU: For several months, global media have been abuzz with news about the discovery of a boot and a foot belonging to legendary mountaineer Andrew "Sandy" Irvine on the Rongbuk Glacier below the North Face of Mount Everest.

On October 11 last year, National Geographic broke the story, claiming that a filming team led by renowned American climber Jimmy Chin had found remains they instantly recognized as those of Andrew Comyn Irvine—known as Sandy—who disappeared a century ago alongside famed climber George Mallory.

According to a NatGeo press release, the team—comprising Jimmy Chin and filmmakers Erich Roepke and Mark Fisher—discovered the boot in Tibet on a section of the Central Rongbuk Glacier just below Everest’s imposing north face in September. The boot contained a partial sock with Irvine’s initials and last name stitched into it.

However, contrary to the claims made by Jimmy Chin and National Geographic, the remains were first discovered by two Nepali Sherpa climbers—Ki Temba and Lakpa Tenzi—who were also part of the NatGeo expedition. Fellow Sherpas revealed that Ki Temba and Lakpa were handling the remains when Chin noticed the boot and foot belonged to Sandy Irvine. During 1924 British Mount Everest expedition, George Mallory and Sandy Irvine went missing on Mt Everest.

Neither NatGeo nor Chin credited the Nepali Sherpas for the discovery, which sent shockwaves through the global mountaineering community. Elite Exped, owned by British climber Nirmal "Nims" Purja, also withheld the true details of the discovery, fearing Chin would withhold payment. “We couldn’t share any information,” the Sherpa duo reluctantly admitted.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Chin and his crew are returning to Mt Everest from the northern side this October with Jim Morrison to continue the NatGeo project. Sources say renowned American ski mountaineer Jim Morrison will attempt a ski descent from Everest’s summit in tribute to Hilaree Nelson, who died during a similar attempt on Manaslu in 2022. The project is now logistically managed by Alpenglow Expeditions.

Chin is set to film the ski descent under the million-dollar project funded by the National Geographic Society and The North Face. Last year’s mission was foiled after guides suffered an accident above Camp III. 

“This year, if China grants the permit, Alpenglow will hire a group of Sherpa guides for the expedition,” sources confirmed.