A dramatic rescue and a second loss for the team

25th May 1924

Odell and Bruce only got half-way up to Camp IV when they decided that the snow was too unstable and it would be dangerous to proceed. Meanwhile Hazard, who had been up at the North Col for two days in miserable conditions, was expecting to be relieved by Odell and Bruce. But during the descent, four of the twelve men who were with Hazard retreated to Camp IV. It appeared that Hazard had gone first across the dangerous traverse, rendered infinitely more so by the new, deep snow, and eight men had followed him, crossing one at a time, but the remaining four had lost their nerve as they saw the snow slipping below their feet and had been afraid to go further. They had turned back to Camp IV and hidden in their tents. This was an extremely serious situation, and Norton was truly afraid that they might lose the men if he did not mount a rescue. Hazard reported that at least two of them were suffering from frostbite and that one of the food loads had been dropped down the mountain, so that their rations were inadequate. Norton surveyed his troops and concluded, ‘the whole party at Camp III was already in a bad way. Mallory and Somervell were both suffering from very bad high-altitude throats. Odell had had hardly any sleep for several nights; Irvine had diarrhoea and Hazard had just had a very trying three days. The porters were for the most part quite unfit, morally and physically, for further efforts at present.’

Norton called a conference and discussed the situation with the climbers, deciding that they should retreat and that Somervell, George and Sandy would join him in the rescue. However, Sandy felt too ill to join them the following day, and he clearly felt guilty about it. His role was then to evacuate camp with Hazard,  leaving only Odell and Noel in situ should there be casualties to assist down the glacier. What followed was a complex rescue. Norton, Somervell, and Mallory made their way up the steep snow slopes, then up into the chimney and from there to the snow traverse. From that point, they could communicate with and see Phu standing on the edge of the shelf. After some communication problems, they managed to establish that all four men could descend under their own power although one man, Namgya, had very badly frostbitten hands. 

Then, Mallory and Norton belayed Somervell, who went as far as he could towards the ridge where the men were huddled together, and persuaded the men to take a chance and reach his rope. The first two men did this and passed along the rope to Mallory and Norton. The last two made the mistake of leaving together with the result that a big patch of snow below them gave way and sent them flying down the slope on their backs. By a miracle their fall was broken by the depth of the new snow but they were out of reach of the rope and too petrified to move. In a moment Somervell realized that the only option was to unrope himself, and pull them to safety. This manoeuvre worked and the team made their way down the ice chimney and across the snow slopes to the safety of the glacier where they were met, three-quarters of a mile outside camp, by Odell and Noel with hot soup. The relief they all felt at the successful outcome of the rescue was tempered by the extreme discomfort at having to spend a further night in Camp III. The following morning a bedraggled and exhausted party limped into Camp II.