George Mallory, Sir Edmund Hillary, or Maurice Wilson: Who Was the First to Conquer Mt. Everest?

History is currently written that Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first to step foot on top of the world’s highest mountain in 1953. Since that time there has been much debate about earlier expeditions to Everest. I have done quite a bit of coverage on the George Mallory and Andrew Irvine debate.

Over the past few years there have been a few notable attempts to prove that someone beside Hillary and Norgay could have been the first. To Sir Edmund Hillary’s credit, both he and Tenzing Norgay have photos of themselves on the summit. Unquestionable proof that they were there in 1953.

Andrew Irvine and George Mallory could also have proof–if their camara is ever found, which has sparked a debate on it’s own merit. Could film, frozen in time, last 70 years in the harsh elements of Mt. Everest. Until it is found (or if) we will never know if they topped out in their infamous 1924 Expedition.

Last season on Mt. Everest seen an expedition led by Conrad Anker. He wanted to know if the clothes Mallory and Irvine were wearing would be able to withstand the elements enough to be able to get them to the top. The clothes the expedition took with it were custom made according to the original clothing of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine. Most of us know how this turned out. At the higher elevations, Conrad Anker had to resort to switching out of the clothes into newer climbing gear.

Now we have another interesting debate to throw into the mix.

Tom Noy, a longtime Mt. Everest Historian, is suggesting that not George Mallory or Andrew Irvine, or even Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first to top out on Mt. Everest. His thoughts: Maurice Wilson in 1933.

Tom is currently researching and writing a book on Maurice Wilson and next spring he is planning his own Mt. Everest Expedition.

“There’s compelling evidence that he may have succeeded, and he may have died on the way back (down),” Noy said.

The body of Maurice Wilson was discovered two years after his expedition to Mt. Everest in 1933. In 1960, Tom confides, that a group of Chinese climbers discovered a tent about 1,000 feet above Wilson’s original campsite. Tom Noy suspects that this was a higher tent for the Wilson Expedition, and that Maurice Wilson could have possible been making his descent when he died.

These discussions always spark a bit of controversy. There is always two sides to everything–in this instance three. Whether you believe that Mallory and Irvine made the first summit, Maurice Wilson, or Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay–there are strong points to make towards all of them–yet, one fact remains. Hillary and Norgay have the photos. Unless an undeniable piece of yet-discovered history surfaces, it will be hard to disprove the historical merits of Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Norgay Tenzing in 1953. As history now reads, they were the first–and only people to summit and live to tell their tale in 1953.

(Sources: The Union.com, Jake Norton’s Mountainworld, Wikipedia, The Adventurist)