100 Years Later, George Mallory’s Primitive Everest Gear Gets a Second Chance

At dawn on October 17, two genetically identical men trudged to the top of Mera Peak (6,476m/21,247ft). Though they were very much indistinguishable, their climbing equipment was a century apart. One twin donned the brightly colored, ultralight synthetics of a modern Everest hopeful. The other wore the muted wools, cottons, and leathers of an early 20th-century mountaineer. One had ultralight double boots with crampons. The other wore essentially George Mallory’s Everest gear—no crampons, just leather boots...