Identical twins climbed Mera Peak wearing two eras of mountaineering kit: one in cutting-edge technical apparel, the other in a meticulous replica of George Mallory’s 1924 gear. Crockett & Jones stepped up to the  task of recreating the 100-year-old boot. 

When George Mallory and Andrew Irvine tragically disappeared on the Northeast Ridge of Mount Everest in 1924, so too did the story of their ascent and truth about whether they had successfully reached the top. Thirty years later, Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay instead took the prestigious title as the first people to have reached the summit of the world’s highest mountain.

With this mystery in mind, last autumn identical twins Ross and Hugo Turner carried out an unusual ascent of Mera Peak in the Himalayas. They completed the climb of 6,476 metres on Nepal’s highest trekking mountain, eating the same food in the same quantities at the same time, but wearing completely different footwear and clothing.

One twin, Ross Turner, had up-to-date kit from mountaineering brand Montane and footwear from Mammut. The other, Hugo, was equipped with meticulously designed replica clothing and equipment from the Everest expedition in 1924, including hand-stitched wool garments from Devold of Norway and custom-made replicas of Mallory’s boots. The aim was to see how Mallory’s kit compared with today’s; whether it was feasible they made the summit with the gear they had, and how much difference modern kit and technology makes in terms of the body’s capabilities, stress or comfort.

Shoemaker’s dream

Recreated by the British shoemaker Crockett & Jones, the boots took nearly two years to research and build, with around 40 craftsmen and women involved in the process. The metalwork, felts and leathers were as close to the original as possible, and the Northamptonshire-based footwear maker worked closely with local suppliers and engineers to reproduce the hardware by hand.

Crockett & Jones had already been making shoes in Northampton for 50 years by the time Mallory attempted the summit. The family-run Goodyear welted specialist was tasked with making boots for Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 Endurance expedition to the Antarctic – and still makes shoes following the same handmade practices, ensuring high quality and durability are sewn into each shoe. However, finding authentic materials and designs for the Mallory shoe was challenging, particularly creating new patterns and bespoke lasts that were made to fit Hugo’s feet wearing three pairs of woollen socks. 

The project began with several trips to the Royal Geographical Society in London, where Mallory’s one remaining boot is kept (his body was sadly only discovered in 1999). A boot belonging to Andrew Irvine was found in 2024. Yurt felt, the main insulation, sourced from Lancashire, sits between the outer leather and the lining leather. Lasting and welting the boot was the hardest part, with a 1cm midsole of pressed wool adding to the challenge.

Crockett & Jones’ managing director Jonathan Jones admits to having a “boyhood obsession” with early Everest exploration, making the commission “a dream” as a bootmaker of 40 years. “The boot left us speechless,” he says. “There is no doubt in my mind that no one could have made such an accurate replica without the multiple inspections we were permitted of the original boot. Remarkable.”

Data crunching

The Turner twins have worked with the University of Portsmouth’s Extreme Environments Laboratory, which studies the limits of human endurance in harsh conditions, to test the historical equipment’s possible effect on decision-making and how this compared with modern kit. Initial testing highlighted the difference between the thermal performance of the replica boots and layering system of George Mallory's kit and the modern system: the older kit meant Ross’s skin readings showed an average lower temperature of 2 or 3°C.

Hugo pointed out that a difference of 2 or 3 degrees for traditionally made boots and clothes using only natural materials was impressive given the huge amount of research and development that has gone into the synthetic, modern equivalent. He pointed out that he was wearing seven layers on the top half of his body and four on the bottom half, compared with much fewer for his twin. On the expedition, sensor-enabled patches collected physiological data every five minutes. The twins also tested cognitive performance, cortisol levels (associated with stress), dexterity and clothing durability.

Mallory’s shadow

Crockett & Jones has now created a consumer-friendly version of the Mallory boot, called Everest. It retails at £695 and is made using the same waterproof side leather, has a half-bellows tongue and a waterproof feather-lined membrane to minimise the chances of water permeating through the welt area. To link the boots, the bootmaker also included a yurt felt layer in between the outer leather and the tongue lining, visible through a clear window. It is finished with a commando-cleated rubber sole. 

The university is still working through all the data, with the full results to be published soon. “This expedition has been one of the most enjoyable we’ve ever done, partly because of the people of Nepal and the team we had, but also the fact we have identified some fascinating never-before-seen insights and performance data from Mallory’s clothing,” says Ross Turner. And returning to the “epically exciting question” of whether Mallory could have got to the summit of Everest in 1924? With the level of performance that his footwear and clothing achieved, both brothers agree that he “probably could have”.        

Alongside the replica Mallory boot (right), the Everest boot was put to the test on Mount Snowdon in North Wales.

All credits: Crockett & Jones

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