The Mysterious ‘Green Boots’ of Everest: Decades-Old Legend Finally Reveals a Shocking Identity.
For three whole decades, Everest climbers have passed by a mysterious figure known only as “Green Boots,” a grim milestone perched at 27,900 feet. Initially, everyone swore it was Tsewang Paljor, a brave Indo-Tibetan Border Police officer lost in the tragic 1996 blizzard. But guess what? New DNA evidence just dropped a plot twist—turns out “Green Boots” is actually Dorje Morup, Paljor’s fellow climber from that same doomed expedition. Now, after years of myth and speculation, the real story behind this haunting landmark is finally coming to light. It’s like the mountain itself decided to keep secrets until the right moment—and honestly, who knew a pair of green boots could carry such a heavy tale? Buckle up, because it’s time to unravel the legend of Dorje Morup and the frozen footsteps he left behind.
For 30 years, “Green Boots” was thought to be the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Officer Tsewang Paljor — but new DNA evidence shows that the body actually belongs to Dorje Morup, a fellow officer from that ill-fated expedition in 1996.
Wikimedia CommonsNow identified as Dorje Morup, “Green Boots” long served as a macabre landmark for climbers attempting to summit Everest.
Reaching the peak of Mount Everest ranks among the most difficult treks in the world. And for many climbers who’ve achieved this feat in recent decades, one macabre landmark has signaled that they had finally almost reached the top: the frozen body of a fallen fellow climber.
Huddled in a small cave near the trail on the North Face at 27,900 feet was the body of a long-dead climber known only as “Green Boots.” Until 2014, when a Chinese expedition reportedly moved his body to a less conspicuous location, climbers would walk right by “Green Boots” on their way to the top.
Perhaps the most infamous of the more than 200 corpses that sit on Mount Everest to this day, “Green Boots” was long believed to have been Tsewang Paljor, one of three Indo-Tibetan Border Police officers who perished in a 1996 blizzard that led to the deaths of eight climbers.
But after recent DNA testing, the Indian government identified “Green Boots” as Dorje Morup, one of the other officers that attempted to reach the top alongside Paljor on that fateful day in 1996.
This is the haunting story of Dorje Morup and the mystery surrounding “Green Boots.”
Mount Everest’s “Green Boots” Corpse Is Identified As Dorje Morup
Indo-Tibetan Border Police“Green Boots” has been identified as Dorje Morup, who perished in the 1996 Mount Everest blizzard.
Recently-issued Indian government documents detail its plan to finally bring “Green Boots” down the mountain, 30 years after his death. In the documents, the government identifies the body as belonging to Dorje Morup and not Tsewang Paljor, which was concluded after DNA testing using evidence retrieved during a prior expedition.
Now, the government’s plan is to recover the body of Dorje Morup and deliver him to Delhi by October 2026. The government is putting together a highly specialized team to complete the mission, with at least six Sherpas who have successfully summited Mount Everest several times before.
Dozens of bodies have been left on Mount Everest due to the great cost of retrieving them, which could be upwards of $75,000. There’s also great difficulty in pulling a body down from the Death Zone, which is anything above 26,200 feet near Everest’s peak. Up there, oxygen levels are dangerously low and temperatures are dangerously frigid.
The Chinese side of Mount Everest, where Dorje Morup perished, is especially hard to navigate due to logistics with the Chinese government as well as particularly difficult terrain.
Wikimedia CommonsThe North Face of Everest — where “Green Boots” is located — has more difficult terrain than the South Face.
“Historically, the bodies have stayed up there, especially if they’re above Camp IV, like Green Boots. It’s really technical on the ridge up there. You can’t just drag a body; they have to be carried,” Everest guide Willie Benegas told Outside.
The mission will also be dangerous because the extraction window — by October 2026 — lies within Everest’s monsoon season. During this time, almost all commercial expeditions pause their climbs due to the blinding storms that sweep the mountain. In fact, this very kind of destabilizing wind and snowfall is precisely what led to the death of Dorje Morup 30 years ago.
How Dorje Morup And Tsewang Paljor Died During The 1996 Mount Everest Disaster
Wikimedia CommonsThe position of Dorje Morup, a.k.a. “Green Boots,” near the summit of Mount Everest, marked here by “1st.”
A calamity that left eight climbers dead, the Mount Everest disaster of May 1996 was one of the deadliest events in the mountain’s history.
On May 10, 1996, Dorje Morup, alongside fellow officers Tsewang Paljor and Tsewang Smanla, set out to become the first Indian expedition to summit the mountain from the North Face.
The team had gotten a late start on their climb, but they were determined to reach the summit before dark. This decision has since been criticized, as it is standard practice to turn around if it is impossible to reach the top before 2 p.m.
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