Technical Challenge in Retrieving ‘Green Boots’ from Everest

Indian authorities plan to recover the body of a climber known as “Green Boots,” who died nearly 30 years ago on Mount Everest. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is seeking bids from agencies for the recovery mission from the mountain’s northern slope. They aim to bring the body to Delhi by October, based on the tender document.

Tshiring Jangbu Sherpa, founder of Everest Sherpa Expedition, highlights the operation’s difficulty. He describes it as “double the danger of normal climbing.” A highly trained team of 10 could take up to a week, contingent on weather conditions. Sherpa questions the feasibility of the June-October timeframe due to persistent adverse weather until spring.

The body, nicknamed Green Boots for the climber’s green footwear, resides at roughly 27,000 feet and marks a waypoint for climbers approaching from Tibet. The area sits in Everest’s “death zone,” where low oxygen makes survival difficult. Green Boots was believed to be Tsewang Paljor, an ITBP member lost to a storm during a 1996 expedition chronicled in “Into Thin Air.” However, recent documents identify the remains as those of Indian soldier Dorje Morup.

“We must bring them down.” – Tshiring Jangbu Sherpa

Sherpa firmly supports recovery missions to return deceased climbers to their families. Past efforts include Francys Arsentiev’s case, where a team moved her remains out of view on Everest. More than 200 bodies remain on the mountain, sparking debate on whether retrieval efforts are worth the risk involved. Tshiring advocates for recovery as a respectful return to loved ones.