The Rocky Mountain chapter tiptoed back to some degree of normalcy with its first in-person meeting in 17 months at a Boulder restaurant’s outdoor heated patio. Jake Norton, a climber, filmmaker, photographer, writer, and activist, spoke about 100 Years of Everest: Pre-World War II Expeditions From the North, including witnessing the discovery of the remains of British climber George Mallory in 1999. Norton has spent most of his life in the high mountains, climbing five of the seven summits, going on eight Everest expeditions, following the Ganges source-to-sea, and retracing Shackleton’s footsteps across South Georgia. He has filmed, directed, and produced three award-winning documentaries, and advocates on behalf of mountains and mountain communities as Ambassador for the United Nations’ Mountain Partnership. Jake was on Everest for his eighth time in Spring 2019 as the expedition leader for Discovery’s documentaries, Everest’s Greatest Mystery and To Live and Die on Everest.
He addressed the chapter shortly after returning from Dubai where he spoke and moderated panels on sustainable mountain tourism for Expo2020 Dubai.
Currently, Jake is planning a return to Tibet in 2023 to follow the route of the pre-World War II Everest climbers from London to India and on through to Tibet.
Norton is convinced Mallory and Irvine summited, “relying upon their abilities,” before disappearing. “Coming out of World War I and seeing death, they didn’t want to end life not fully lived.” He joked, “I picked my parents well. I’ve been fortunate genetically – my hands and feet stay warm at altitude and I can think clearly up there.”
Watch a two-min. video clip of the talk that recounts the moment Mallory’s remains were located:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/iiuhmr09e38nmkd/RMEC%20-%20JakeNortonOct192021Video.mov?dl=0
Learn more about him at jakenorton.com