Mystery identity of ‘Green Boots’ climber – who became a macabre landmark frozen in ice after dying on Everest – is finally solved after DNA test

The mystery surrounding the identity of Everest’s famous ‘Green Boots’ climber has finally been solved following DNA testing.

For almost 30 years, the climber’s body, preserved in snow and ice on the world’s highest mountain, has become a grim landmark for thousands of people trying to reach the summit.

Known simply as ‘Green Boots’ for his distinctive bright green mountain shoes that still protrude from the snow and ice, the remains have now been identified as belonging to 47-year-old Indian mountaineer Dorje Morup.

For decades, many climbers believed the body was that of 28-year-old Indian climber Tsewang Paljor. DNA comparison has now put an end to the long-standing mystery.

The identification was confirmed by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) ahead of an attempt to recover the body from Everest’s infamous ‘death zone’, located at an altitude of more than 8,000 metres.

Authorities are seeking a specialist high-altitude rescue team to conduct a dangerous rescue operation from the Tibetan side of the mountain later this summer.

Morup was part of the six-member ITBP team that attempted to climb the north face of Everest on May 10, 1996.

Three climbers turned back when the team was caught in a heavy snowstorm near the summit.

Known simply as ‘Green Boots’ due to his distinctive bright green mountaineering boots still visible beneath layers of ice and snow, the remains have been identified as Indian mountaineer Dorje Morup (pictured)

Morup continued on his way with his fellow climbers Tsewang Paljor (28) and Tsewang Samanla.

In the 1996 Everest disaster, three climbers lost their lives on the mountain, and a total of eight climbers lost their lives.

According to expedition records, three climbers radioed their team leaders around 15:45 Nepal time to inform them that they had reached the summit.

However, later accounts suggested that poor visibility may have made it difficult to determine their precise location, making it more likely that they remained approximately 430 ft below the crest.

Soon conditions deteriorated dramatically. High winds battered the mountain, temperatures plummeted and visibility dropped to almost zero.

Members of the expedition reportedly noticed two headlights from below moving over the Second Step at approximately 28,000 ft above sea level.

This would be the last sign that the climbers had survived; the three climbers would never return to High Camp.

Because recovering bodies from such high altitudes was considered extremely dangerous, Morup’s remains were left where he died, snow and ice preserving them for decades.

Hidden in a small cave-like alcove, his body is curled sideways, apparently after escaping the brutal conditions of the mountain in his final moments.

The location was deep within Everest’s so-called ‘death zone’; The area above 26,000 ft where lack of oxygen puts great strain on the human body and survival can become a minute-by-minute battle.

The identification was confirmed by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) following DNA comparison ahead of plans to recover the body from Everest’s infamous ‘killing zone’ at an altitude of more than 8,000 meters (stock image)

The body remained where it lay, and over time, expeditions came to call the area Green Boots Cave.

His distinctive green boots made the body instantly recognizable and made it one of Everest’s most memorable landmarks, passed by countless climbers on their way to the summit on the mountain’s northeastern route.

As Everest expeditions increased in the years that followed, the Green Boots became an uncomfortable but practical point of reference.

Climbers climbing the Northeast Ridge knew that reaching the cave meant they had reached an altitude of approximately 27,890 feet and were approaching the final challenge of the mountain.

Many stopped there briefly to rest or check their oxygen supplies, and oxygen cylinders piled up around the area were discarded.

Master climber Noel Hanna said later: ‘It’s hard to miss the person lying there.’

For some, encountering the Green Boots has become one of the most disturbing aspects of climbing Everest. For others, this image reinforced the harsh reality of the struggle they chose to undertake.