Andrew Irvine

Andrew Sandy Comyn Irvine (April 8, 1902, in Birkenhead, England; June 8, 1924, on Mount Everest) was a British mountaineer. He lost his life while attempting to be the first to summit Mount Everest. To this day, there is speculation about whether he reached the summit before he died. Andrew Irvine attended Birkenhead School and Shrewsbury School before later transferring to Merton College, Oxford. He was an enthusiastic athlete and, above all, an excellent rower. In 1923, he won the coveted trophy of the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race with his university team. When he was offered the opportunity to participate in a Mount Everest expedition in 1924, the then 22-year-old had not yet completed his studies. This ascent was the second serious attempt to climb Mount Everest at that time. Also participating in this expedition was George Mallory, who is still regarded as one of the pioneers of mountaineering.