Everest Body 'Green Boots' Identified as Dorje Morup by DNA Analysis
The identification ends a 30-year mystery over the identity of one of Everest's most famous landmarks and clears the way for a recovery operation that climbers describe as the most technically challenging on the mountain.
Key Facts
- DNA analysis confirmed the body known as 'Green Boots' on Mount Everest belongs to Dorje Morup, a member of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police who died on May 10, 1996.
- The body lies at 8,500 meters on Everest's northeast ridge and has been a landmark for climbers for 30 years.
- Indian authorities plan a recovery mission to bring the body down by October 2026.
- Tsering Jamp Sherpa, who has recovered five bodies from Everest, called the operation 'the most technically challenging operation attempted so far, with double the risk of normal climbing.'
Reporting from 1 source: GIGAZINE.
DNA analysis has confirmed that the body known as 'Green Boots,' a landmark at 8,500 meters on Mount Everest's north side, belongs to Dorje Morup, a mountaineer from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. Indian authorities plan a recovery mission to bring the body down by October 2026.
For three decades, climbers on Everest's northeast ridge passed a body in green boots lying in a cave at 8,500 meters. Known only as 'Green Boots,' it became a grim landmark on the route to the summit. DNA testing has now confirmed the body is Dorje Morup, a member of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police who died during a summit attempt on May 10, 1996. The ITBP plans to issue a tender for a recovery mission, with the contractor expected to transport the body to Delhi by October 2026. Tsering Jamp Sherpa, who has recovered five bodies from Everest, called it 'the most technically challenging operation attempted so far, with double the risk of normal climbing.'
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.