Historical gear

[johndavidjr]

I'm too cheap to buy the resulting book "Invisible On Everest," published in 2005. Here's a write-up on some of the research.

 

A two-year project to create replicas of George Mallory's climbing gear - worn on his ill-fated 1924 Everest expedition - has seen expert teams from four UK universities and other knitwear specialists collaborate to discover what we can learn from early clothing produced for extreme conditions. Their key discoveries were that:

 

- contrary to popular belief, Mallory and Irvine were well equipped for their ascent of Everest.

- Mallory's clothes were windproof, waterproof and warm

- layering of clothes was very effective for warmth. Silk and wool mixes, replicated by John Angus at the University of Derby, were intelligently knitted and effective

- this was the lightest kit ever used on Everest: 20 per cent lighter than equivalent high-altitude mountaineering clothes today

- Mallory's boots were 50 per cent lighter than modern equivalents, made using wool felt and leather, with nails for gripping

- Vanessa Anderson, the Performance Sportswear Masters student from Derby who replicated his woven outerwear, discovered that the way the jacket was tailored made it more manoeuvrable than today's equivalent.

 

Etc.............

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