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

A fantastic, detailed and brilliant account of enduring mystery of Mallory and Irvine's 1924 ascent of Everest and disappearance. Mark Synnott deftly interweaves his own climb and expedition to try to locate the body of Andrew 'Sandy' Irvine with the history, science & politics surrounding the first expeditions aiming to summit Everest. In addition Synnott respectful provides accounts of other climbers on the mountain in 2019 and the many personal tragedies that occurred. It is as detailed and comprehensive a book on Everest I have read. Superbly written - with many questions answered and still many remaining a mystery.

Have great respect for Mark Synnott and everything he has achieved but this was a dull read for me personally. In spite of it being a well written and detailed book about Mallory and Irvine. I was already familiar with most of what Mark writes about. However, if you are a total newbie to the mystery of Mallory and Irvine, then, I think you would really enjoy reading this. If, on the other hand, you're a bit of a Mallory obsessive, like I am, this book is not for you. There's nothing in it that reveals anything, you did not already know other than the details of what the Chinese may or may not have done with the bodies. The drone search made for an interesting read, but it all felt mostly like a big build up to something that just fizzled out.

the truth always hurts.

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.

But you must write about third pole, not history of of your own.

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 foub=nd this book less interesting than I anticipated

Mark Synnot is not just a gifted climber, he's a good writter too. After seeing his documentary on NG, I was curious about this book, first testing a sample, then the whole book. His telling is always compelling, even when he mentions the old stories and the extensive research done before the expedition. The author is commited with true, which wasn't clear at the documentary. I always asked myself why they first summited before started to fullfill their mission? The answer is somewhere in the book, and I can understand their reasons. How beeing so close to the summit and not doing it? But some (just one)decided not to do it, which I thought a brave decision. Yes, Synnot can be compared to writers like Bill Bryson, with an interesting approach about climbing and his partners added with humour. He is always honest about his feelings and decisions and that's the key attraction of his writing and adventures. Just a comment about Cory Richards, which story is told in one chapter: he's a Musk supporter and have told is easier for him to relate to rich people than poor. The guy really have mental troubles. Besides that, a very good adventure book.

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.

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 😊👍

This book was incredible! Truly fascinating history of climbing on Everest. It is also quite shocking and horrifying to read the accounts of modern day climbers who succumb on the mountain as well. Be sure to watch the doc that Renan Ozturk filmed as well! Truly extraordinary!

I was 70 pages in before realizing I was 70 pages in. While the story of Mallory and Irvine continues to be an interesting modern day mystery, there was so much more to this book than the Mallory hook. I enjoyed the 'off-trail' stories and segues, and Synnott's approach from the North Face retracing the steps of Mallory and Irvine. My sister and I climb Everest every February from our armchair when bad weather and seasonal restlessness sets in. Mark Synnott weaves a great adventure tale, and I look forward to reading more of his books. I also recommend LISTENING to Rick Steves 'On the Hippie Trail' - equally engaging as climbing to the top of Everest!