Today we talk about the 1924 British Mount Everest expedition, a legendary journey of ambition, raw human endurance, and mountaineering’s most profound, enduring mystery.

Armed with heavy tweed coats, rudimentary oxygen rigs, and absolute determination, a team of British climbers set out to conquer the highest point on Earth. In this episode, we follow the final, fateful attempt by George Mallory and young Andrew "Sandy" Irvine. On June 8, 1924, the pair were spotted through a telescope as tiny black dots moving steadily toward the summit, high in the "Death Zone" - before the swirling mists closed in, swallowing them whole.

We’re breaking down the harrowing logistics of early 20th-century alpine exploration and the dramatic 1999 discovery of Mallory’s preserved body high on the slopes. We’ll explore the clues left behind - including his missing wife's photograph and the missing Vest Pocket Kodak camera - as we grapple with history's ultimate question: Did they actually stand on top of the world 29 years before Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay?

Check your oxygen levels and watch your footing - we’re stepping onto the high ridges of the Himalayas to chase the ghosts of 1924.