2 ▁pm , ▁they ▁were ▁hit ▁by ▁a ▁severe ▁snow ▁squ all . ▁R op ing ▁up , ▁Mall ory , ▁leading , ▁may ▁have ▁sli pped ▁pulling ▁himself ▁and ▁Ir v ine ▁down . ▁The ▁ro pe ▁must ▁have ▁caught ▁to ▁inf lict ▁severe ▁ro pe - j erk ▁injury ▁around ▁Mall ory ' s ▁( and ▁pres umably , ▁Ir v ine ' s ) ▁wa ist . ▁Some ▁research ers ▁believe ▁Ir v ine ▁was ▁able ▁to ▁stay ▁high ▁and ▁struggle ▁along ▁the ▁cr est ▁of ▁the ▁NE ▁R idge ▁another ▁ 1 0 0 ▁yards , ▁only ▁to ▁succ umb ▁to ▁cold ▁and ▁possible ▁inj uries ▁of ▁the ▁fall . ▁O thers ▁believe ▁that ▁the ▁two ▁became ▁separated ▁after ▁the ▁fall ▁by ▁the ▁near ▁white - out ▁conditions ▁of ▁the ▁squ all . ▁Based ▁on ▁his ▁final ▁location , ▁it ▁would ▁seem ▁that ▁Mall ory ▁had ▁continued ▁straight ▁down ▁in ▁search ▁of ▁his ▁partner , ▁while ▁Ir v ine , ▁also ▁injured , ▁might ▁have ▁continued ▁diag on ally ▁down ▁through ▁the ▁Y ellow ▁Band . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 7 9 , ▁clim ber ▁Wang ▁Hong ba o ▁of ▁China ▁revealed ▁to ▁the ▁clim bing ▁leader ▁of ▁a ▁Japanese ▁expedition ▁that ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 5 , ▁while ▁taking ▁a ▁st roll ▁from ▁his ▁b iv ou ac ▁he ▁had ▁discovered ▁" an ▁English ▁dead " ▁at ▁ 8 1 0 0   m , ▁roughly ▁below ▁the ▁site ▁of ▁Ir v ine ' s ▁ice