India launches a dangerous mission to retrieve ‘Green Boots’, a climber frozen on Mount Everest for 30 years, and return him to his family.
For 30 years, thousands of people who climbed Mount Everest passed a sad, frozen body lying under a rock ledge. The dead man wore bright lime-green climbing boots. Because no one could easily bring him down, climbers began using his body as a famous trail marker to know how close they were to the top of the world. Everyone called him “Green Boots.”
Now, after three decades, Indian authorities are finally working on a dangerous plan to bring the frozen climber back home to his family for a proper burial.
The story began in May 1996 during a terrible blizzard near the peak of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth. A group of border police officers from India were trying to climb to the top when a sudden storm trapped them in severe cold. Three of the men died on the icy slopes.
For many years, most people believed the body in the green boots belonged to a 28-year-old climber named Tsewang Paljor. However, new official documents released by Indian authorities state the man is actually his teammate, Dorje Morup, who died in the same storm.
Leaving a body on Mount Everest is not something families want, but bringing someone down is one of the hardest jobs on Earth. Green Boots lies in an area higher than 8,000 meters above sea level. Mountain experts call this dangerous place the “death zone.” Up there, the air has very little oxygen, temperatures drop far below freezing, and the wind is strong enough to blow people off the mountain.
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Because of the extreme cold, frozen human bodies do not rot on Everest. Instead, they freeze solid and become stuck in thick ice, making them weigh over 200 pounds. Moving a body in that thin air puts the lives of rescuers in great danger. Prominent American mountain climber and blogger Alan Arnette shared his thoughts on the risky operation, noting, “I’m glad that they’re bringing him down, but it’s going to be a gruesome task.”
To carry out the risky mission, Indian authorities issued an official notice hiring specialized mountain guides called Sherpas. These brave helpers must climb into the cold zone, cut the body out of the ice, and carry it down the steep, icy paths before bringing him back home to India.
The recovery operation will follow strict cultural and religious rules so the fallen climber can be treated with respect. Over 200 other people who died over the years remain frozen on Mount Everest, but bringing Green Boots home offers long-awaited comfort to a family that waited 30 years to say goodbye.
