George Mallory’s last letter from Everest said odds of reaching top were ’50 to 1 against us’

By BRIAN MELLEY
Associated Press

The final letter that George Mallory wrote to his wife before he vanished on Mount Everest a century ago has been digitalized. The letter was published on Monday by Mallory’s Cambridge University college. In it, he tried to ease her worries though he said his chances of reaching the world’s highest peak were “50 to 1 against us.” He also expressed a mix of optimism while describing his exhaustion and the difficulties his expedition encountered on their quest to be the first party to conquer the peak. It remains a mystery whether Mallory and climbing partner Andrew Irvine reached the summit before they perished in 1924.