THE climber who found Mallory’s body will be heading to Malvern and Cheltenham this spring, to talk about life on the edge.

A spokesman said: “Considered one of the world’s greatest climbers and mountaineers of our time, Conrad Anker has numerous first ascents to his name, including the focus of the stunning feature film, Meru, as he led the first successful ascent of the hugely challenging Himalayan Meru Central pillar.

“Conrad also led the expedition to locate the body of Andrew Irvine on Everest, from the fateful 1924 summit attempt by George Mallory and Irvine

In 1999, Conrad led the Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition, with the sole aim of solving what is perhaps one of mountaineering’s most compelling and greatest mysteries; whether the two climbers had been the first to summit Mount Everest in their 1924 attempt. Hoping to locate Irvine’s body, believed to possess a camera which might hold a photograph of the two men on the summit, on May 1 1999 Conrad found a body at 8155m on the North Face, but was surprised to discover it was Mallory, not Irvine. The Research Expedition team interred Mallory where he lay.”

The spokesman added: “Later that same year, elite climbers Alex Lowe and Conrad set off, with cameraman David Bridges, on what would become their own tragic expedition, to become the first Americans to ski descend from the summit of Shishapangma, at 8013metres the world’s fourteenth highest peak, a descent to be filmed by David for an NBC documentary. When an avalanche crashed over them, despite suffering lacerations to the head, broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder, Conrad stayed on the mountain to lead a two-day rescue attempt to find Alex and David, to no avail.

“The two men were found 17 years later by Ueli Steck, another elite climber who died in a fall on Everest in 2017.”

The Hold Fast Tour comes to Malvern Theatres on April 4. Tickets: 01684 892277.

It comes to Cheltenham Town Hall on April 10. Tickets: 08445 762210.