Good morning, I'm heading out to the Himalaya later this year to test Mallory's kit and clothing above 7000m. One of the key items our team will be testing is a Primus stove. I have a question that I hope you can help me with. Does anyone have any information to the actual stove he used? Was it a 96 or 210 with modifications? I attach a very poor image of Sandy teaching locals how to use his Primus (it looks like a 96?). Many thanks, Ross
Have a search on the site for Mallory, Everest and Percy Unna Theres a wealth of information, It's a deep rabbit hole Hillary in '53 used amongst other stoves/base equipment, No.4 Silent modified 210s as part of a "Westcliffe" Cookset. Sounds a fantastic project/trip, keep us posted on the results Alec.
CCS site: Mallory's stove Please keep us up on your trip. There's also a great website hosted by Thom Pollard (the camera man on the '99 expedition that found Mallory) that would love to hear about what you are doing. The link is: https://www.youtube.com/@EverestMystery Have a great trip! - Paul
Well, Brits might be aware of you, and your brother, but I had to look you up. You have accomplished quite a bit.
A great project Ross! I think the stove in your pic is bigger than a 96. That 96 was not a good choice with more loose parts than the bigger stoves that could be easily lost. A modified 210 with a silent no:4 burner was used by Hunt's team in 1953. Primus on Everest 1953
Many thanks, this information is great. I'm playing catch up on th eold Primus stove details so very much appreciated!
You can follow our project on our website- theturnertwins.co.uk. You'll find everything there or on our Instagram.
A 2004 post by ArchMc suggests that Mallory's stove was a Phoebus 100. Here's an example from the Reference Library: The stove in the photo you posted looks similar. Here's the stove shown in the 1930 catalog ArchMc referenced. Ben
@gnome just posted a copy of the 1913 Primus catalog (https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/1913-primus-cooking-stoves-utensils-catalogue.55712/) Do you think it was one of these? They all look pretty similar, to me at least. Would there have been a preference for a Swedish stove to an Austrian one? -Paul
Yes, my 2004 post was jumping to a conclusion based on insufficient evidence -- apparently a coincidence with both climbing team and Phoebus giving the same name to different pieces of equipment. It's worth looking up the original post; the discussion was enlightening. ....Arch
Actually, when you get down to it, it really doesn't matter what exact model was used, as long as it was the same type. So any of the kero stoves of that general size would give the same results for your trip. It's a little like trying to figure out what type of wool was used in the sweaters. Best of luck!
You’ve piqued my interest - what sort of equipment did they use for the night time when high up on the mountain camps? Goose down “sleeping robes” were de rigueur if cost were no object. I assume that’s what they would have used but I don’t really know.
@Fettler- Interestingly, down jackets were kinda laughed at initially. George Finch, a member of the 1922 expedition - a VERY interesting character in his own right - had one created for the '22 climb, and everybody thought he looked silly. So they stuck to wool, and he stayed warm. Here's a shot of him wearing his jacket: He was enough of an iconoclast (and being from down under to boot), that he was not invited to join the '24 climb, despite being one of the top alpinists of the day. Wonder what would have been...
