I believe that Mallory succeeded in climbing to the top of Mt Everest in 1924. “Why climb Mt Everest?” “Because it’s there.” In Japan, he especially is famous for this line. He aimed to reach the summit with Irvine, but the expedition judged that they had an accident and died because they didn’t come back. After 75 years, in 1999, his frozen body was detected at an altitude of 8160 meters by an expedition. This argument that he died after or before reaching the summit is still being debated, but I have three reasons that I think he succeeded in climbing to the top of Mt Everest.
First, his daughter said that he took a picture of his wife to leave it on the top if he could reach the summit. It was not found from his body, so I think he could get the top and left it. In addition, it is unlikely that it was weathered and vanished in his pocket because his body was preserved surprisingly well even under extremely chilly and dry climate. However, if he could leave it on the top as a memory of success of climbing Mt Everest, even now it was also not found at the top, but I guess it was exposed and blown away by the wind and exists in somewhere in mountain.
Secondly, he always puts on sunglasses in the daytime to protect eyes from the reflected light from the snow, but his sunglasses was found in his pocket. It means that he was climbing down a mountain after sunset, so it was not necessary to wear it. I think after he succeeded in climbing of Mt Everest, he took his sunglasses off and during his descent from the peak, he died of the injury of the forehead because of his slipping down.
Thirdly, some testimonies of the friends of Mallory tell us how he was a splendid mountaineer. Tom Longstaff who is a mountaineer in England and a member of the 1922 British Mt Everest expedition said that it is hard to imagine that Mallory and Irvine decided a descent without reaching the top, the summit of Mt Everest is the place appropriate for him.” Geoffrey Winthrop Young who is a mountaineer representing the 1920s and respects Mallory said that “his climbing technique is what he made, not a theory. He certainly climbed to the top.”
For these reasons, I believe that Mallory succeeded in climbing to the top of Mt Everest. By the way, what is reaching summit? Some mountaineers said it concludes coming back alive. Certainly, I think there is some truth in what they say, but the fact remains that he reached the top. I hope it will be proved sometime.