241: Mick Conefrey Podcast

April 1, 2022

In today’s episode of the ‘Finding your Summit’ podcast, host Mark Pattison, former NFL Player, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, and Mountaineer who has climbed the Seven Summits, talks with guest, Mick Conefrey, an Award-Winning Author & Film-Maker specializing in mountaineering and exploration. Mick talks about his book, “Everest 1922” and what made him write it. He also shares the history behind this iconic mountain—Mount Everest—and all the people who have attempted it.

Listen to “Mick Conefrey: Remembering George Mallory's fatal attempt of Mt EVEREST in 1924.” on Spreaker.

Episode Highlights

  • 02:15 – Mark enquires why Mick wanted to write about George Mallory
  • 05:20 – Mark asks Mick why Nepal was shut down back in those days when he couldn’t climb it from the south
  • 06:16 – Mick says, as soon as Everest was measured in the 1850’s, and declared to be the highest mountain in the world, people wanted to climb it. But the problem was that Everest is on the border of Nepal and Tibet, and at that time, both of those countries would not allow outsiders in.
  • 08:52 – They harnessed the notion of patriotism and claimed that it would be enhancing the reputation of the British Empire, but that was a way of making money, shares Mick.
  • 10:15 – Mick is a Documentary Film Maker, but to make these films, he had to go to these places.
  • 12:15 – Their clothing was poorer than modern clothing in terms of thermal efficiency, etc. But Mick suspects they were a little bit hardier than people are now.
  • 14:33 – Mark enquires about all the stuff that Mick has researched, and if he has a notion one way or the other.
  • 16:00 – Film is survived for a remarkably long time, especially in that environment where the humidity is very low. Everybody thinks Everest Nebulae has been very snowy, but in fact, it’s a very dry place, humidity is low.
  • 18:40 – Many people think that they can go pull off these major climbs, especially Mount Everest, by just paying a bunch of money. It just doesn’t work like that.
  • 20:12 – Mark asks Mick why it was so difficult to ultimately achieve what Sir Edmund Hillary was able to finally accomplish.
  • 22:14 – Technology has something to do with it, says Mick, and during the Second World War, there was a lot of development for alpine regiments, and mountain regiments.
  • 24:20 – Mick mentions that on the northern side, you’ve got all the rock steps, and on the southern side, you’ve got the Hillary step, and it’s marginally easier to go via the Nepalese side. That’s why now, more people are climbing from the Nepalese side.
  • 26:22 – Mark asks Mick when his book, “Everest 1922” is expected to be out.
  • 26:24 – Mick reveals that his book will be out in England in early April and then is coming out in the US in early May.

Three Key Points

  1. Collage image with mountainous background displaying Finding Your Summit logo, episode number and photos of both Mark Pattison and Mick ConefreyMick shares that he had worked for the BBC for many years making documentaries, and he has specialized in doing films about mountaineering and exploration. He has been making a lot of documentaries, but it always struck him that they would find masses of research material that they could never include, and that writing books would be a way of getting more out of the material that they’d researched. So, that’s what led to the first book that he wrote about Everest.
  2. Mick’s book, “Everest 1922” tells the story of the characters behind the first-ever attempt to climb the world’s highest peak. Mick says that once you get quite close to the top, and have to traverse out onto the north face, the climbing difficulties increase substantially. So, this is what the Climbers—Mallory and Irvin—were attempting to do. Mallory might have been capable of taking on the climbing, but was Irvin? Having little experience is not a good thing and using equipment which was not very well tested. Also, a climbing team, a pair that hadn’t really climbed together during the expedition—Irvin didn’t think he was going to be part of the climbing team.
  3. Climbing Mount Everest is no picnic and we can’t imagine what those climbers were going through 100 years ago trying to do this with all the disadvantages that they had. Certainly, today doesn’t make it any easier, but certainly can help with the oxygen, the clothing, the ropes, etc.

Tweetable Quotes

I was a filmmaker and then a writer, and to do that, I had to go to these places.” – Mick Conefrey

The most amazing thing is how high they got on the first attempt in 1922; they go to over 26,000 feet.” – Mick Conefrey

In 1924, whether or not Mallory got to the summit, Norton climbing without oxygen got to 28,100 feet.” – Mick Conefrey

Norton and Somervell were sensible enough to turn back when they realized they’d reached their limit.” – Mick Conefrey

Even if you find the camera, and even if, in the camera, there was some film which was possible to develop, it wouldn’t solve the mystery.” – Mick Conefrey

Nobody goes into anything thinking that they’re going to die. They think they’re going to keep rolling, and then things go wrong.” – Mark Pattison

There were other attempts on Everest, on Ketu, and on Kangchenjunga in the 1930’s. But none of the big Himalayan peaks were climbed until the 1950’s.” – Mick Conefrey

 

Resources Mentioned

Mick Conefrey: Website | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn

Mark Pattison YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/c/FindingYourSummitWithMarkPattison/featured

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