The Third Pole: Mystery, Obsession, and Death on Mount Everest

Mark Synnott adds a bunch of information to the mystery of Mallory and Irvine, but does so in a subtle method that is necessary in the post-truth era we live in.For instance, he starts by praising the 1999 search team for finding Mallory's body -- which is the conventional narrative which everyone expects. He then proceeds to systematically take apart everything you thought you knew about the incident. He provides a detailed and gruesome account of how Mallory's body was ripped from the ice causing the searchers to choke on the dust of the disintegrating remains. He describes in chilling detail how one climber crawls underneaths Mallory's body to stroke his face with his hand and possibly inventing, from thin air, one of the major mysteries surrounding Mallory's death. And he goes further to dismantle nearly everything you thought you knew about this mystery.Synnott also sets up a larger allegory for his own search out to the "Holzel" slot to illustrate a point about Mallory's climb. It is a very subtle point, but Synnott does not provide any photos of his excursion to the slot, and people have been curious as to whether he actually made it all the way there. But that is just the point Synnott is trying to make. Do you really need a photo to know what happened?The books answers a lot of questions, but for every one it answers, it poses two or three more. Most importantly, it illustrates how to convey information in the post-truth world. If you are a Mallory and Irvine fan, this book is a must read. If you are not really familiar with the 1924 expedition, it provides enough background and signal points to follow along, and a couple simple searches on the internet can explain why he goes into such detail on seemingly trivial points.This is a thinking person's book. If you think it is just about some people climbing a mountain, you are missing the real story.

Mark Sinnott’s The Third Pole is a welcome addition to the accumulating books thatdocument the challenge and insanity that accompany those who accept the allure of climbing Mount Everest. As a Flatlander who has been atop ten of Colorado’s 14-teeners, it’s always amazed me that the Everest base camps are over three thousand feet higher than where I’ve been. That’s like three more “Sears” Towers higher to put it in perspective.Synnott does a great job addressing all the concerns of reaching the top of Everest, as well as building his story around the last attempt by George Mallory and Sandy Irvine in 1924. The author documents the current fools rush toward the summit that inevitably runs the death toll ever higher on this highest of mountains, something that dulled any interest of his in Everest, until a quest was launched to find George Mallory’s partner, Sandy Irvine, and possibly the camera that might have confirmed the two had reached the summit, or not.Their expedition is to Everest’s North Face, which means red tape galore as they had to secure permits from China, in particular for the drones they intend to bring along to aid in the search for Irvine. Background information is included about Mallory and Irvine, that fleshes out their personalities, personal relationships and skills, as well as the teams to which Mallory and Irvine were members, as well as Synnott’s own team. Synnott also informs the reader how his own adventures wrecked his first marriage, and the Everest expedition put a strain on his second.Synnott does a nice job in explaining the difference between the South face of Everest, which includes the Khumbu icefall and its inherent dangers, and the culminating Conga line that forms, where climbers are forced to wait in line in the “Death Zone” (above 8,000 meters). The North face, though not having the recurrent nightmare of many trips through the Khumbu icefall, has its own problems, in particularly the “Second Step” that creates a bottleneck similar to the waiting points on the southern route. The author provides the reader with the litany of woes that accompany each climber as they are not only pushed toward the end of their endurance, but how the ordeal is extended by these human caused delays.The author provides background information on the personalities responsible for surveying the region and measuring the height of Everest. He supplies the reader with the plight of the Sherpas, not only their work loads, but their pecking orders and how a successful summit of Everest can change their lives for the better. Synnott also introduces a cast of characters from other expeditions, their lives, successes and failures and everything in between.It’s been a while since I’ve had a real page turner in front of me. Mark Synnott’s The Third Pole was a book I had trouble putting down. I enthusiastically give the book the highest rating and recommend it to anyone interested in adventure, mountaineering in general, and Everest in particular.

The seductive power of insatiable curiosity. Temptation. Love. Fidelity. The insecurities that drive nationalism and geo-politics. Greed. The yin and yang of ego. Folly. Arrogance. Racial/social superiority. Colonial legacies. Income inequality. Environmental degradation. Ambition. Compromise. The limits of human compassion. Grit. Determination. Skill. Planning. Preparation. Technology. Community. Teamwork. A should read on so many levels: better than almost any oversimplified management book I’ve ever read; great for the religious; a tale of suspense and survival. Recounts a 2019 adventure about finding the body of Sandy Irvine and physical evidence that he and George Mallory [whose body was found in 1999] and thus the British, were indeed the first to reach the summit of Everest in 1924. Well researched, told with journalistic flair but never going down the rabbit hole of bad taste.NOTE: Not a book about the technical aspects of mountain climbing. He sketches it in and compares it to what's known today making achievements of the past even more remarkable, but he pitches the book to those who are not nor ever will be climbers. Have read this book twice now. Elegiac.

Interesting read focussed on new technologies which may reveal the truth behind the Mallory/Irvine mystery.... BTW Mark Inglis is a New Zealander not an Aussie

I find marks writing really easy to read. I really enjoyed the way he gives such a detailed history of the mountain while weaving it into his own experience. I shared most of the author view on Everest while I'm not sure my views have fully changed I understand people's reasons for climbing it better.A great book and one I highly recommend.

This is a very good book, no question about that. A solid, well written and interesting story of the author's journey to the top of Chomolungma. However, the tagline used on the book's cover ("My Everest Climb to Find the Truth about Mallory and Irvine") is a bit of a sham. Once on the mountain, the author barely makes any effort to "find the truth," going just a 100 odd feet off the rope and spending maybe a hour or less to look for Irvine's remains.However, that the book has nothing new on Mallory and Irvine (except a lot of conjecture and wishful romanticizing), takes nothing away from the fact that's it's still a pretty good book - one that tells a great story and is an enjoyable read. Highly recommended 😊👍

Really good book. Would listen to again. It's beefy, full of knowledge and full of entertainment.

Mark, Thank you very much for putting together this book in such a thorough and informative way. You put so much effort into uncovering the mystery many of us have been wondering about. I also appreciate portraying the good work of your teammates and stories from encounters on the mountain.This book pays a loving tribute to legends living and past.