The Third Pole

Mystery, Obsession, and Death on Mount Everest

By: Mark Synnott

Narrated by: Steve Campbell

Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

One of the 57 Most Anticipated Books of 2021 - Elle

Shivering, exhausted, gasping for oxygen, beyond doubt...

A hundred-year mystery lured veteran climber Mark Synnott into an unlikely expedition up Mount Everest during the spring 2019 season that came to be known as “the Year Everest Broke”. What he found was a gripping human story of impassioned characters from around the globe and a mountain that will consume your soul - and your life - if you let it.

The mystery? On June 8, 1924, George Mallory and Sandy Irvine set out to stand on the roof of the world, where no one had stood before. They were last seen 800 feet shy of Everest’s summit still “going strong” for the top. Could they have succeeded decades before Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay? Irvine is believed to have carried a Kodak camera with him to record their attempt, but it, along with his body, had never been found. Did the frozen film in that camera have a photograph of Mallory and Irvine on the summit before they disappeared into the clouds, never to be seen again? Kodak says the film might still be viable....

Mark Synnott made his own ascent up the infamous North Face along with his friend Renan Ozturk, a filmmaker using drones higher than any had previously flown. Listeners witness first-hand how Synnott’s quest led him from oxygen-deprivation training to archives and museums in England, to Kathmandu, the Tibetan high plateau, and up the North Face into a massive storm. The infamous traffic jams of climbers at the very summit immediately resulted in tragic deaths. Sherpas revolted. Chinese officials turned on Synnott’s team. An Indian woman miraculously crawled her way to frostbitten survival. Synnott himself went off the safety rope - one slip and no one would have been able to save him - committed to solving the mystery.

Eleven climbers died on Everest that season, all of them mesmerized by an irresistible magic. The Third Pole is a rapidly accelerating ride to the limitless joy and horror of human obsession.

*This audiobook includes a downloadable PDF containing maps, notes on sources, and acknowledgments from the printed book.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Mark Synnott (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

One of the 57 Most Anticipated Books of 2021 - Elle

Summer's Most Transporting Books list - Newsweek

One of 5 Action-Packed New Nonfiction Books for Summer - AARP

Ultimate Summer Reading List Pick - E!

“Almost 70 years after my father Tenzing Norgay Sherpa climbed the summit of Chomolungma with the British 1953 Expedition, Western narratives about Mount Everest continue to be haunted by the question whether it was Mallory and Irvine who had been the first to stand on the summit. Mark Synnott’s The Third Pole pursues this mystery and brings us closer to closing this chapter of mountaineering history. I learned a lot from this book.” (Norbu Tenzing Norgay)

“[A] vivid, heart-pounding dispatch from the top of the world.” (Liz Baker, NPR)

"This account of climbing Mt. Everest from the Tibetan side in search of a climber lost 97 years ago and a camera that might change everything is both a gripping adventure story and an engrossing historical mystery." (Maggie Shipstead, author of Great Circle)

Great audiobook.

Captivating; which is refreshing since most books on Everest all sound the same. I personally love the history about the "early" adventures

great listen not what I expected but I enjoyed it

The story is about the search For the body of Irving but there really wasn't a whole lot about the actual search more of the store of everest the year they climbed itband the hassle of the Chinese government. It did have a lot of good history put together very well and was just a good listen even though he jumped around from story to story, going off on one 10 min story making me forget he was in the middle of another one till he finished then jumped back but all and all as fan of mountaineering books i enjoyed it

Great for History & Adventure Fans

Great narration of an incredible story. Synnott weaves together his tales with the search for evidence of the 1924 party without diminishing either the history or the current search. POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT: My new favorite conspiracy theory is that China has evidence of a 1924 summit and either keeps it secret or destroyed it.

Riveting

My heart was pounding the final 1 1/2 hours of this audio. Because this expedition was so recent and there was a two fold quest, I was completely absorbed in both Mark’s personal story and the 1924 story of Sandy Irvine & George Mallory.

A Mustfor Everest or Mountain Enthusiasts

This was a really full and interesting book. the knowledge imparted was large yet never too technical you'd get lost. The narrator was very good, you forget this was not the author himself and believed he was speaking as Mark, himself. I've read a lot of books on Mountain climbing especially those in the Himalayas or tales of 7 highest in the world. I'm going to read Mark's first book now!

Outstanding book!

Having watched the documentary, I purchased the book. And what a fantastic book it turned out to be. So well written and the narration is flawless too. Really enjoyed learning about the 1924 expedition in more detail and all the detailed and well researched historical facts concerning it and those intrepid and fearless early mountaineers. And the same can be said about the more recent ones. The search for Sandy Irvine was so gripping! I probably felt as disappointed as the search team that they came back empty handed. I hope he is found some day. And that VPK too! Imagine the story those photos might tell. Didn’t want the book to end.

compelling

an amazing story that draws you in told in a way that makes you interested even if you cared little for mountain climbing before picking up this book!
I devoured this book in 2 days because I just needed to know what happened next...
there are a few tangents that offer little to the story, but they are still interesting...

Steve Campbell is a great choice to voice this book, his voice is so easy to listen to that you just relax and enjoy the story.
truly impressive performance

One of the best Everest books out there

This book is definitely in the top three of the best Everest books ever written. Well researched and written by a man who's been through it. The author has great pacing and keeps the story moving at a good pace. Narrator is great.

Such a good book

Great book to have on in the background while you’re getting work done! It does bounce around a bit but I thought it was done tastefully.

Fascinating! 💜

While this isn’t my preferred genre it certainly opened my eyes to some historical events surrounding Mt. Everest. I tend to get a little lost when a story contains a lot of facts, dates & names, however I did become fascinated with the story and the journey that was told.
The narration was really good! Especially for a story like this where there’s not a ton of dialogue. Steve’s got a smooth pleasant voice and did an excellent job in the telling of this story. I promise you this, I will never forget the terrible things that have happened or may continue to happen on Mt. Everest as well as the journey itself.
I recommend this book!

Sisters Spotlight 💜