The Denison University C. L. Herrick Geological Society will sponsor the appearance of Andy Politz, Columbus resident and mountain climber, at 7 p.m. on Wednesday (Oct. 2) in the Olin Science Hall Auditorium (Room 114). Politz will speak on "Searching for the Answer," a discussion of his climbing experiences and the search in 2001 for the camera of two early British climbers, Mallory and Irvine, who perished on Mount Everest in 1924.

Politz has been climbing for more than 25 years, serving as a mountain guide at Mount Rainier for 12 years (1978-1990). He has gone on mountain expeditions around the world climbing in Alaska, Equador, New Zealand, Nepal, Pakistan and Tibet. He reached the summit of Mount Everest in 1991 via the route Mallory and Irvine attempted in 1924. Politz is an engineering technician for Utility Technologies International and teaches part-time at the Linworth Alternative Program and the Graham School.

The first British attempts on Mount Everest began with a survey of the mountain in 1921. Politz will discuss the 1924 disappearance of Mallory and Irvine, last seen near the summit. That climb marked the end of an era, a period when explorers aimed to reclaim the glory of a time when "the sun never set on the British Empire."

Politz was a member of the Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition and was present when Mallory's body was found in May, 1999. The discovery resulted in a worldwide stir, two TV documentaries and numerous articles. The question "Did Mallory and Irvine reach the summit?" remained, however. The 2001 expedition planned to search the area where Mallory's body was found for the expedition's camera and attempt to find clues to open the mystery of that team's disappearance. The expedition's search ended, however, when they were called on to rescue two teams of climbers unable to get back to their high camp.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

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