Some notes on Mallory’s equipment list – The sleeping bag issue

Table of Contents
Introduction June 5, 1924 June 6, 1924 June 7, 1924 – Comments on Mallory’s note to Noel – Comments on Mallory’s note to Odell – Some notes on the oxygen question – Some notes on Mallory’s equipment list – The sleeping bag issue	June 8, 1924 – Mallory & Irvine’s ascent to 8500 m/28,000 ft. – Mallory & Irvine’s ascent beyond 8500 m/28,000 ft. – Climbing the Second Step – Is the Mystery finally solved? Beyond the Second Step – Hypotheses & Considerations Where is Andrew Irvine? Conclusions Expedition Waste

Further insight into Mallory’s planning prior to the summit attempt is provided by an equipment and provisions list found with his body in 1999 (see Mallory’s equipment and provisions list © Mallory & Irvine Research Expedition; from “Ghosts of Everest”, p. 163)

The list includes half a tent pole, which indicates that Mallory knew that Somervell had taken this down from C6 as replacement for his lost ice-axe (Norton 4, p. 114) and dates the writing to sometime after the evening of June 4, when Norton & Somervell had returned from their attempt.

Half of the remaining list is a detailed inventory of provisions taken up by Mallory’s porters from C4, as well as provisions already at C5 and C6. Mallory appears to have painstakingly calculated the supplies from previous notes in order to go as light as possible and to have the maximum porter capacity available for oxygen (as confirmed in Norton 4, p. 166; see 3.2.) – and, as previously pointed out, the list contains a total of six (6) oxygen cylinders.

One puzzling aspect of Mallory’s equipment list is the inclusion of 1 coolie and 2 sahib sleeping bags plus mattresses. According to the various records, C5 had been equipped with 2 sahib and a sufficient number of coolie bags by Mallory & Bruce’s party on June 1 st , while the required 2 sahib bags for C6 had been carried by Norton & Somervell’s party the following day. Therefore, prior to Mallory & Irvine’s attempt, C5 and C6 were equipped with a sufficient number of sahib and coolie bags. So why did Mallory & Irvine’s party carry an additional coolie and 2 sahib bags?

A possible explanation for the coolie bag is that one of the bags at C5 might have been damaged by the rockfall incident on the afternoon of June 2 nd , reported in Norton 4 (p. 106f.). This is very tentatively supported by the fact that the bag is listed before coolie rations, so it is apparently part of the requirements for the porters (and not among the climbers’ inventory).

One of the 2 sahib bags might have been needed as replacement for Norton’s bag at C6, which had been soaked by a leaking thermos – but this still leaves 1 sahib bag unaccounted for (for a remote, yet tantalizing explanation see 6.)