India is seeking to recover the body of a climber known as “Green Boots” from the upper slopes of Mount Everest, nearly 30 years after the mountaineer died on the world’s largest peak.
The origins of a grim mountaineering legend
Since 1996, Green Boots has become a part of Everest lore, and the body has become a landmark for mountain climbers who tackle the north-east ridge track on Mount Everest, which can be accessed from the northern route in Tibet.
It is named after lime-coloured Koflach boots, The Guardian reported.
India activates special recovery operations
The paramilitary force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), has initiated the procedure of hiring high-altitude recovery specialists in order to recover the body of Dorje Morup, widely known as Green Boots, from Everest’s northern route, AP reported.
The fatal blizzard of May 1996
During a six-member ITBP expedition to Everest in May 1996, weather conditions deteriorated near the summit, and three climbers of the expedition returned to the base, but the other three climbers, including Morup, continued the ascent.
All three climbers died in the storm that claimed eight lives in total and was one of the deadliest disasters on Everest at the time, AP reported.
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Resting place in the perilous death zone
The bright green mountaineering boots that Morup wore lie in the Everest’s “death zone” above 8,000 metres.
Morup’s Green Boots has reportedly served as a landmark for Everest climbers on the northeast route, but the ITBP’s recovery mission means his body may finally be heading home.
International and geopolitical challenges to repatriation
However, it remains unclear who will carry out the recovery of the body, whether it’ll be done by an Indian, Nepali, or Chinese team.
According to Pemba Sherpa, founder of the Kathmandu-based Xtreme Climbers Treks and Expedition, “It is not impossible to retrieve the body from Everest, but the first challenge is getting permission from the Chinese officials and then only can they proceed to bring the body down,” AP reported.
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Since Mount Everest was first conquered in 1953, about 350 people have died climbing the world’s tallest peak.
