Nearly 30 years after perishing in a fatal 1996 storm on Mount Everest, the climber known worldwide as Green Boots has been officially identified through DNA testing as Dorje Morup, prompting the Indian government to plan a high-risk recovery mission to bring his remains home this summer.
Long before reaching the summit, expeditions encountered the climber, often radioing base camp about the site. For years, most people thought the body belonged to Tsewang Paljor, a young Indian climber who died during a blizzard in 1996. Recent tender documents reviewed by international media outlets reveal that DNA testing identified the climber as Dorje Morup, one of Paljor’s teammates.
The 1996 Disaster on the Northern Slopes
While Jon Krakauer’s best-selling book chronicled the devastation on the southern side of the mountain during the same period, a parallel tragedy unfolded on the north side. Morup, along with teammates Tsewang Smanla and Tsewang Paljor, pushed upward for the summit late on May 10, 1996. The climbers successfully radioed in that they had reached the top. Shortly after that transmission, a violent storm engulfed the peak, trapping them in savage winds and extreme cold above 8,000 meters. None of the three men survived.
The following day, a Japanese climbing team encountered the stricken Indian climbers along the route. Rather than offering substantial assistance, the Japanese team continued their ascent, leaving the severely frostbitten men behind. That fateful decision triggered years of intense debate surrounding mountaineering ethics at extreme altitudes.
Logistical Hurdles of the High-Altitude Retrieval
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police, which is funding the recovery operation, aims to retrieve Morup’s remains by September under a tender scheduled between June and September. Yet the logistical obstacles of operating in the “death zone” are immense. Morup rests at approximately 8,500 meters—roughly 27,890 feet—where oxygen levels are a mere fraction of sea-level measurements and the human body continuously deteriorates.
Mountaineers and guides point out that recovering bodies from the Tibetan side presents unique dangers compared to the southern route. Mountaineering guide Pemba Ongchu Sherpa explained that it is really tough to get that body down even in the popular spring season, let alone the autumn, noting that autumn brings unpredictable weather.
Pemba Ongchu Sherpa, a mountaineering guide, stated that there would need to be 10 to 12 climbers who are capable of making summits, just to fix support ropes to reach that point.
Furthermore, bodies frozen solid for decades become significantly heavier than living climbers and lock into awkward, ice-bound positions. The terrain itself adds severe hazard. Indian climber Kuntal Joisher noted that the initial descent from the site represents the most punishing phase of the operation. Joisher said that it is going to be a very, very risky endeavor, adding that it is extremely steep ground with lots of rock and that logistically, this first 1,000 meters is going to be a humungous challenge.
Experts estimate that even straightforward recovery missions cost between $40,000 and $80,000, placing them far beyond the means of most families. Beyond the financial and physical hurdles, the mission requires delicate geopolitical coordination with Chinese authorities, as the remains lie on the Tibetan side of the mountain. Once recovered and transported through Nepal back to India, the remains will undergo DNA testing before being returned to Morup’s family for religious rites.
Weighing the Ethics of Mountain Recoveries
The upcoming mission highlights an enduring debate across the mountaineering community: whether the risks to living rescue workers outweigh the closure offered to grieving families. There are thought to be more than 200 bodies scattered across Mount Everest, largely left where they fell due to the prohibitive costs and severe dangers of recovery.
New Zealand mountaineer Guy Cotter, who led a recovery operation on Everest in 1997, emphasized the fine margins involved in such hazardous undertakings. Cotter noted that past recovery efforts have frequently cost more lives than they saved, describing the endeavor as a very thin line.
For the ITBP team preparing for the summer ascent, the primary mandate remains clear. As Joisher summarized regarding the delicate balance of the mission, he stated that the main thing is not to put Sherpa lives at risk for a dead body.
