John Irvine has alleged the same. Last week Erin Simonson, the expedition leader's wife, said that accusation was 'totally unfounded'. We hoped to work amicably with the Irvines but were very disappointed,' she said. In the next few days the affair will reach its climax. The US-led team is now installed in a series of camps above 20,000ft and are ready to begin searching the route the British 1924 expedition took towards the summit.
Conditions are good.
As when Mallory's remains were found, there is little snow. Irvine's body is believed to be above the rock shelf at around 27,000ft where Mallory was found. Some believe he is frozen upright in a sitting position with his face exposed - making the issue of pictures doubly sensitive. The pair were last seen by fellow team member Noel Odell who glimpsed them through cloud from a high camp. Odell never made it clear whether he had seen them above or below a crucial steep cliff known as the Second Step.