"I looked up at a patch of white. It wasn’t rock and it wasn’t snow," explains Conrad Anker, world-renowned climber and mountaineer. It was the half-buried body of British mountain-climbing legend George Mallory. Clothed in a tweed jacket and leather boots, Mallory had set off to scale the final slope of Mt. Everest on the morning of June 8, 1924. Soon after, he was seen for the last time just 1,000 feet from the summit.

75 years later in May 1999, Mallory’s frozen remains were discovered by Anker, a member of the world-class climbing team charged with solving a mysterious question: Was Mallory the first to reach the top of Everest?

Discover what new clues Mallory’s body, bones, clothes, personal items and letters offer. Climb the daunting slopes that challenged Mallory’s mind, body and archaic equipment. See remarkable exclusive archival film footage from Mallory’s deadly expedition. And take part in mountaineering history as NOVA brings you an up-close look at this headline-making quest.