THIRTY YEARS AFTER LYING FROZEN in an alcove and being a landmark of a sort to mountain climbers, ‘Green Boots’ may finally be coming to his home country — India. The government has sought aid from specialist agencies to recover the mortal remains of the climber, who has been officially identified as Dorje Morup via DNA testing. Before the official verification, his bright lime-green boots became his only identifying aspect, hence the name ‘Green Boots.’ 

Dorje Morup was an Indian member of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) expedition, who, along with two others officers, perished in the 1996 climbing disaster. His frozen body has remained in the limestone alcove where he passed away, serving as a grim landmark to expediters who trek along Mt. Everest’s main route.

As extraction of mortal remains from the mountain is an extremely arduous task thanks to the extreme geographical and weather conditions, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police has sought help from specialist high-altitude agencies to retrieve the body. Green Boots is resting at a rocky ledge located approximately 8,000 meters above sea-level altitude on the mountain’s Northeast Ridge.

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For over three decades, climbers ascending Mount Everest walked past Green Boots, using him as an unofficial marker that indicated that they were close to the summit. Now that the body of the climber is slated to be returned to India, the country would be preparing for a difficult recovery mission on the Mountain, one that would reunite Dorje Morup with his family. 

Why the rescue would be difficult

There is a reason Mount Everest is littered with the dead bodies of over 200 climbers who perished during their expedition. At high altitudes, oxygen levels are extremely low, so even doing basic tasks require extra energy. In addition, dead bodies of climbers, after years of being frozen in ice, become extremely heavy making extraction even more difficult. Rescue missions require highly specialized personnel and expensive equipment, and the fact that choppers can't fly to that altitude to assist make matters worse. This leaves rescue personnel to rely on manually going up and down the mountain with the mortal remains, making the whole process difficult. 

The official tender by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police requires agencies with a proven track record in high-altitude recoveries, preferably with recent experience on Everest. Each team must include at least six Sherpas — Tibetan people known for their mountain climbing skills — who have climbed the mountain multiple times and every stage of the operation must be meticulously documented. Officials anticipate that the entire mission, from planning to execution, will take around 40 days. This extended timeline is necessary due to the extreme conditions in the “death zone,” even during the relatively more favorable months of summer and early autumn.

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Who was Green Boots, and what happened to him?

Climbing Mount Everest is no easy feat. Green Boots, now identified as Dorje Morup, lost his life during the violent blizzard that struck Mount Everest in May 1996. As many as eight climbers perished in the deadly storm, including three officers from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police.

A six-member ITBP team was attempting to summit when they were caught in the blizzard. Three turned back, while 47-year-old Dorje Morup, 28-year-old Tsewang Paljor, and Tsewang Samanla continued their journey toward the summit. All three eventually succumbed to extreme weather conditions.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, the body of the man wearing distinctive green boots was not immediately identified. Because the boots matched the gear worn by Indian climber Tsewang Paljor, it was assumed that the body belonged to him. Paljor had also died on the same day in the same storm. The true identity of ‘Green Boots’ remained unknown for years, until now.

A DNA test has finally solved the long-standing mystery. Official verification confirmed that the remains belonged to ITBP Lance Naik Dorje Morup.

(Edited by Vaishnavi Sivadasan)

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