Kathmandu, Nepal - A full century after a British climber disappeared on Mount Everest, what are believed to be his remains have been discovered.

National Geographic on Friday reported on the discovery of human remains thought to belong to Andrew Irvine, who went missing in 1924 alongside climbing partner George Mallory as the pair attempted to be the first to reach Everest's summit, nearly 30,000 feet above sea level.

While Mallory's body was found in 1999, clues about Irvine's fate proved elusive until a National Geographic team discovered a boot containing human remains on the peak's Central Rongbuk Glacier.

A sock in the boot had a red label with "A.C. Irvine" stitched into it.

As climate change continues to melt snow and ice in the Himalayas, more and more bodies of mountaineers who died trying to summit Everest are being discovered.

Speaking to the BBC about the discovery of Irvine's foot, his great-niece Julie Summers said that it was "extraordinary" and that she had a feeling of "relief" after generations of mystery.

"I just froze," Summers said. "We had all given up any hope any trace of him would be found."

"My grandmother had a photo of him by her bed until the day she died... She said he was a better man than anyone would ever be," Summers shared.

One question still needs an answer, though: did Irvine and Mallory actually manage to reach the summit? If so, that would date their achievement almost 30 years before the legendary Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, who became the first to reach the peak in 1953.

It is believed that Irvine carried a vest camera with him, which could hold clues to the mystery.