Back row: Morshead, G Bruce, Noel, Wakefield, Somervell, Morris, Norton
Front row: Mallory, Finch, Longstaff, General C Bruce, Strutt, Crawford
The 1922 British Mount Everest expedition was the first mountaineering expedition with the express aim of making the first ascent of Mount Everest. It was also the first expedition that used bottled oxygen while climbing Everest. The attempt was made from the northern side of Everest out of Tibet. At the time, Everest could not be attempted from the south out of Nepal as the country was closed to Western foreigners.
The 1921 British Mount Everest reconnaissance expedition had explored all the eastern and northern surroundings of the mountain. In searching for the easiest route, George Mallory, who would also be a member of the 1924 expedition (and the only person on all three expeditions in 1921, 1922, and 1924), had discovered a route which, in his opinion, would allow an attempt on the summit.
The expedition attempted to summit, unsuccessfully, three times. On the third attempt seven Nepalese porters died as the result of a group-induced avalanche, the expedition decided to return to the base and not attempt the summit again. The expedition marked the first reported climbing deaths on Everest. The expedition did, however, establish a new world record climbing height of 8,321 metres (27,300 ft) during its second summit attempt. This record was exceeded in the 1924 expedition.
