India Tenders Everest Recovery of Green Boots, Identifying 1996 Climber as Dorje Morup
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 22
India Tenders Everest Recovery of Green Boots, Identifying 1996 Climber as Dorje Morup
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 22
Summary
Indian authorities have invited bids to retrieve "Green Boots" from Everest’s death zone and transport the body to Delhi by October, 30 years after the climber died near the summit.
The tender explicitly identifies Green Boots as Dorje Morup, not Tsewang Paljor, saying that conclusion was confirmed in an earlier verification process without detailing how.
At about 8,500 metres on Everest’s north side, the recovery would require at least six veteran Sherpas; operators estimate a 40-day mission costing roughly $150,000.
Sherpas say the job is exceptionally dangerous because frozen bodies can weigh up to 200kg, monsoon snowfall will complicate the June-to-October window, and recoveries have sometimes caused further deaths.
Green Boots has served as a grim landmark since the 1996 blizzard that killed Morup, Paljor and another Indian climber, while about 200 bodies still remain on Everest.