Thorough sentimentalist that I am, I have always believed that Mallory (and Irvine) made it to the top before Tenzing Norgay and Hillary. Mallory's body was recently discovered a few hundred feet from the summit, reigniting the old debate. The news bit below is gratifying not only because it gives further credibility to the idea (of Mallory summitting) but also brings up an issue (read the entire article to see what I mean) that is a pet peeve of mine: that when we "solve" problems with modern technology, we almost always lose something ie., there is a very rosy-glow notion of technological progress that is at best naive. The connection: Graham Hoyland, who tried Mallory's "simpler" clothing on the Everest, found them in many ways preferable to the modern polythene stuff.  

BBC NEWS | Replica clothes pass Everest test
By Janine Ainley

The results of a unique experiment on Mount Everest confirm that the clothing of the 1924 climbers George Mallory and Sandy Irvine would not have prevented them from reaching the summit, as many had believed.

The findings are a step closer to proving the men could have reached the top, 29 years before Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary.

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