After 30 years, the remains of a deceased Everest climber known only as “Green Boots” will be recovered from the world’s tallest peak. At the same time, the identity of “Green Boots” was confirmed through DNA testing as Lance Naik Dorje Morup, an Indian climber who perished during the catastrophic 1996 Everest storm. The revelation comes after it was announced that the recovery mission will be carried out this month. For 30 years it was not clear who the deceased hiker was, but DNA testing in the lead up to the recovery mission confirmed that it was Dorje Morup and not Tsewang Paljor, both members of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) expedition caught in the 1996 blizzard on Everest’s north side.
The infamous 1996 Everest disaster was chronicled in Jon Krakauer’s best-selling book Into Thin Air, which largely focuses on the events on the South Col. The same blizzard also claimed the lives of five climbers who were summiting the South Col in two separate expeditions led by Rob Hall and Scott Fischer, respectively. It was the deadliest single event in Everest’s history at the time but was surpassed in 2015 when an earthquake triggered an avalanche that killed 24 people.
The DNA identification ends a long-standing debate about the identity of “Green Boots.” Sadly, for Tsewang Paljor’s family, this means that his body remains missing on Everest. Dorje Morup’s body is currently right off the main northern Everest climbing route, making it a grim reminder of the risks associated with climbing the world’s tallest peak.
The remains are currently resting at 27,700 feet on Everest’s northern, Tibet-facing slope. This incredible altitude, coupled with the fact the body is currently on the China controlled Tibetan side of Everest, makes this one of the most challenging recovery missions in climbing history. The proposed plan includes sending up a team of high altitude expert Sherpas to bring the body down via Nepal. Approximately six Sherpas will participate in the recovery, bringing the body through Nepal and back to Morup’s home of India.
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Both Morup and Paljor were part of a climbing party of six police officers who were attempting the first Indian ascent of Everest from the North Side via the Tibetan route. On May 10 1996, the group made the summit push. While three of the six-member team turned back down, Lance Naik Dorje Morup, Subedar Tsewang Smanla, and Head Constable Tsewang Paljor pushed for the summit. At around 3:45 p.m., the three climbers alerted basecamp that they had arrived at the summit, well past the widely observed turnaround time of 2 p.m. They left several offerings and performed a religious ceremony before the group separated and began to head back down, when the unexpected blizzard hit the mountain and trapped them. It is believed that Morup was discovered alive but severely frostbitten by another group, but refused to put on gloves. It is theorized that he received assistance from a Japanese climbing team, but succumbed to the harsh conditions and died in his current resting place.
While the recovery of the remains is a risky and expensive endeavor, bringing Morup back home to India will bring important closure for his family.
Even though the recovery of “Green Boots” is an important achievement, there is still an estimated 200 to 250 bodies left on the mountain. These remains serve as a grim reminder of the dangers of high altitude mountaineering. As Morup’s family gets to bury his remains, hundreds of other families will not have that closure to put those to rest who lost their lives in the pursuit of conquering the legendary peak.
