- The ITBP has launched a mission to recover "Green Boots," a climber's remains from the 1996 Everest disaster, for repatriation and burial.
- Likely Tsewang Paljor or Dorje Morup, the body has served as a haunting landmark in Everest’s "death zone" for nearly thirty years.
- Specialized Sherpas will conduct the dangerous 2026 recovery above 8,000 meters, involving complex coordination with Chinese authorities.
- This mission seeks to provide long-awaited closure for the victim's family and return the remains for traditional religious rites.
Kathmandu, Nepal: After nearly three decades of silent presence on the icy slopes of Mount Everest, the body known to climbers around the world as “Green Boots” is finally set to begin its journey home—bringing with it a story of loss, memory, and long-awaited closure.
Resting at around 27,700 feet (8,500 meters) in Everest’s perilous “death zone,” the body has, for years, been more than just a landmark. It has served as a haunting reminder of the risks climbers take and the lives the mountain has claimed.
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has initiated efforts to retrieve the remains by issuing a tender for a specialized high-altitude recovery team—an operation that is as emotional as it is dangerous.
A Life Behind the Legend
For years, “Green Boots” has been widely believed to be Tsewang Paljor, a young ITBP climber who lost his life during the devastating 1996 Everest disaster. However, recent documents suggest the remains could also belong to Lance Naik Dorje Morup, another member of the same ill-fated expedition.
Both men were part of a six-member team that set out to summit Everest in May 1996. As weather conditions worsened, three climbers turned back. But Paljor, Morup, and Subedar Tsewang Smanla continued upward, determined to reach the summit. They were caught in a violent blizzard and never returned.
Behind the name “Green Boots” lies not just a mystery of identity, but a deeply human story of ambition, courage, and tragedy.
The Tragedy That Shook the Climbing World
The 1996 Everest disaster remains one of the deadliest in the mountain’s history, claiming at least eight lives in a sudden storm. The event shook the global mountaineering community and was later immortalized in Jon Krakauer’s bestselling book Into Thin Air.
In the years that followed, the body of “Green Boots,” named after the climber’s distinctive green boots, became an unavoidable point on the Northeast Ridge route. Climbers heading toward the summit often passed close by it—some pausing briefly, others unable to look for long.
A Difficult and Dangerous Mission
Bringing “Green Boots” down will be no ordinary task. The recovery mission, expected to take place between June and September 2026, will involve at least six highly experienced Nepali Sherpas capable of working in extreme high-altitude conditions above 8,000 meters.
Battling thin air, freezing temperatures, and unpredictable weather, the team will carefully free the body from ice and rock before carrying it down to Everest Base Camp. From there, it will be returned to India in accordance with religious and cultural rites.
Cross-Border Coordination and Challenges
Because the body lies on Everest’s Tibetan side, the mission will require coordination with Chinese authorities. In 2014, a Chinese expedition moved the remains beneath a rock overhang, partly to shield climbers from the distressing sight.
Recovering bodies at such altitudes is rare and extremely risky. With more than 200 climbers believed to remain on Everest, many families never get the opportunity to bring their loved ones home.
More Than a Recovery—A Return Home
For nearly 30 years, “Green Boots” has stood as a silent witness to countless summit attempts—both successful and tragic. But beyond its symbolic presence lies a family that has waited decades for answers and closure.
If the mission succeeds, it will not only remove one of Everest’s most haunting markers but also restore dignity to a life lost too soon.
In the end, this is not just about retrieving a body from the world’s highest peak—it is about bringing someone home.
