India Confirms Identity of 'Green Boots' on Mount Everest After Decades
India confirmed that the famous Green Boots body on Mount Everest belongs to Indo-Tibetan Border Police officer Dorje Morup, who died in a 1996 blizzard. Authorities now face complex diplomatic and physical hurdles to recover his remains.
For nearly three decades, climbers heading to the summit of Mount Everest passed the frozen body of a man known as Green Boots, named after the prominent neon climbing shoes he wore. Now, after years of mystery regarding his identity, India has confirmed the remains belong to Dorje Morup, an Indo-Tibetan Border Police officer who died attempting to reach the peak in 1996. Authorities are now working to bring his body home, a high-risk mission that could endanger the lives of the recovery team.
Morup was 47 years old when he participated in an Indian expedition attempting to be the first from the country to reach Everest via the North Col route on the Tibetan side. Along with two other team members, Tsewang Paljor and Tsewang Smanla, Morup reached the summit on May 10, 1996, but was caught in a severe blizzard on the descent. None of the three survived, part of a storm that claimed eight lives, marking one of the deadliest disasters in Everest climbing history.
DNA Identification at Extreme Altitudes
For years, Morup's body served as a grim landmark for climbers near the summit. Last year, a small team of experienced Nepali mountaineers undertook a covert high-altitude operation to collect DNA samples from his hair and nails. The samples were tested in an Indian laboratory, confirming his identity. According to Dawa Steven Sherpa, a prominent Nepali mountaineer and head of Asian Trekking, the team had to act swiftly due to severe oxygen deprivation and the inherent dangers of lingering at such extreme altitudes.
India is now seeking to repatriate the body for a dignified burial. According to CNN, authorities are searching for an elite team of experienced Nepali climbers to execute the operation. However, the mission faces severe logistical and environmental hurdles: Morup's body has been frozen solid for nearly 30 years, making it exceptionally difficult to move across steep ice, rocks, and sheer drop-offs. A recovery team of about eight climbers would need to use specialized padding and a full-body wrap stretcher, while taking extreme precautions to prevent the frozen remains from slipping down the mountain.
Geopolitical Obstacles and Moral Dilemmas
Beyond the physical hazards, diplomatic obstacles remain significant. Morup's body lies on the Tibetan side of Everest under Chinese control, meaning any recovery attempt requires navigating complex permit processes. Tensions between New Delhi and Beijing over their disputed border could further complicate approvals. Unpredictable weather conditions will also dictate whether the operation can proceed.
The mission has ignited a difficult moral debate: Is it justifiable to risk the lives of living climbers to retrieve a body that has remained on the mountain for decades? At extreme elevations, where the air is too thin to sustain human life without supplemental oxygen, even a relatively straightforward rescue can quickly turn fatal.
For India, the primary goal is to honor Morup, whom Indo-Tibetan Border Police officials say deserves a proper resting place for dying in the line of duty. After nearly 30 years of being defined by his footwear, the nation seeks to restore his name and provide him with a burial at home.
