Green Boots Everest - The Mystery of The Frozen Body

Last Updated: January 25, 2025

Green Boots Everest - The Mystery of The Frozen Body


There are numerous bodies lying on Everest, and one of them is the Green Boots. This is one of the most mysterious and controversial bodies ever lying on Everest's lap. Reports and evidence suggest that the body belongs to Tsewang Paljor, while a group of people believe the body belongs to Dorje Morup.

Although the true identity of Green Boots is still up for debate, there are a few details you should know about it to clarify your thoughts. Today, we'll explore everything you need to understand about Green Boots on Everest.

How Was Green Boots Discovered?

A group of climbers first discovered the Green Boot body on the Northeast Ridge route of Everest in May 1996. The body was found frozen under the rocks at a height of 8,500 feet (27,890 meters). A British filmmaker from the team named Matt Dickinson filmed the body for the first time. That video was included in the popular documentary SUMMIT FEVER, which contributed to its popularity. The documentary suggests that this unidentified body is likely that of an Indian climber.

The frozen body was found wearing a green climbing boot, which lends to it a nickname. It was so frozen that even the Green Boot's face was unidentifiable, fuelling the debate over the body's true identity. While reports and climbers suggest the Green Boot's face was matcheable with Tsewang Paljor, the actual identity still remains unknown and unclear.

Who Was Green Boots?

The strong evidence suggests that the Green Boots body belongs to the head constable of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Tsewang Paljor. However, some people claim it belongs to Dorje Marup. You might also be wondering why the identity of the body is unclear. When you know the truth, you’ll be surprised, just as I was.

Tsewang Saman Paljor as Green Boots

To know if Tsewang Paljor is a green boot or not, you need to understand his history. He was a head constable (sergeant) at the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), born on 10th April in Sakti Village of Ladakh, India. He joined the ITBP to follow his passion for climbing mountains, as his profession involved climbing and patrolling the border mountains between India and China. This was the best job for him as he combined his profession with his passion.

In May 1996, a team of six ITBP members planned to reach the summit of Mount Everest and become the first Indian group to do so without the support of Sherpas. They started their journey under the guidance of Commandant Mahendar Singh. The five members of the team were Tsewang Paljor, Dorje Morup, Harbhajan Singh, Tsewang Samanla, and Jodh Singh, while one member's name was unknown.

On 10 May 1996, the whole team reached Camp III, which was at an altitude of around 8,000 meters (26,247 feet). From there, only three members—Tsewang Paljor, Dorje Morup, and Subedar Tsewang—headed to Camp IV, located at 8,300 meters, also known as the death zone of Everest. Their final summit from Camp IV was 8,300 meters (27,231 feet).

On the same day, 10th May 1996, at around 5:00 AM EST (3:45 PM Nepali Time), the team informed their leader, Mahendar Singh, that they had reached the summit of Mount Everest. However, some evidence suggests that they hadn't actually reached the top of the peak; instead, they were 150 meters (430 feet) below the summit, mistaking it for the top due to poor visibility.

While descending, they faced the deadly 1996 storm disaster, the gravest disaster in mountaineering history. Due to that storm, Tsewang Paljor got separated from the team. Unfortunately, none of the three members has been seen again.

Reports state that after separation, Paljor found a small limestone cave (now called Green Boots Cave) and entered it at an elevation of 8,500 meters to take shelter. Unfortunately, he couldn’t resist the severe cold of Mount Everest and lost his life there.

For years, his body remained frozen until Matt Dickinson and his team found him in a fully frozen state. He was wearing green Koflach boots, which gave him the nickname "Green Boots."

Dorje Marup as Green Boots

Dorje Marup (also known as Lance Naik Dorje Marup) was another Indian ITBP member. His strong connection to the mountains led him to a career with the ITBP, which involved patrolling at high altitudes and climbing mountains to guard India’s border with China.

As mentioned above, he was also part of the team that planned to be the first Indian group to reach the Everest summit. He began the journey with his team, which included Paljor.

Dorje Marup was one of the three who reached the summit on 10 May 1996, alongside Tsewang Paljor and Subedar Tsewang. However, a severe storm separated Dorje from the team, similar to Paljor's separation. From that point on, he has never been seen again.

Due to this sudden and unknown event, a group of people believes that Dorje's body might have ended up in a cave as a result of the fierce storm on Everest. They claim that the body known as Green Boots belongs to Dorje Marup. However, there is no strong evidence to prove this.

Who is the Actual Green Boots?

Now you know about both Paljor and Dorje, but the question remains the same: to whom does the body in green boots on Everest belong? With strong evidence and claims, Tsewang is remembered as the 'Green Boots Mt Everest' man. The key piece of evidence is that surviving members stated that Paljor wore green boots while Dorje did not.

So Tsewang Paljor is known as the actual Green Boots Everest man due to strong evidence and climbers' claims, despite some people believing that it belongs to Dorje Marup.

Exact Location of the Green Boots

The Green Boots is located at 27.8° N and 86.93° E on the map, which is where the body of an unidentified climber was found. It is at an altitude of 8,500 meters (27,890 feet) and is within the Death Zone.

To clarify, three steps are on the northeast ridge of Mount Everest, with the boot cave at the second step.

Green Boots as Mt Everest Landmark

The nickname "Green Boots" is given to an unidentified body believed to be Tsewang Paljor. It has now become a significant unofficial landmark for climbers climbing from the north side of Everest.

Benefits of Green Boots Landmark

Now, the climbers are gaining many significant benefits from this landmark. Some advantages of green boots landmarks are:

1. Caution Symbol

Climbers use this landmark as a cautionary symbol. Whenever they reach this point, they know they have reached the death zone and must be more cautious than before to climb the final part.

2. Emotional Strength

Whenever climbers pass through Green Boots Cave, they think of Paljor and his passion for mountains. This reminds them of their own motivation and passion, which gives them the strength to complete their summit journey.

Is Green Boots Body Still on Mount Everest?

In 2014, the news speculated that the China-Tibet Mountaineering Association had removed or buried the body. However, in 2017, some climbers reported that the body had been seen again, this time with more heavy rocks and snow covering it. This proves that the speculation of body removal was just a rumor. The Green Boots body is still on Mount Everest in the same location where it was found and has never been moved.

Now, the body is again not visible. However, due to strong Himalayan storms and natural challenges, it may become visible in the future.

Writer Thoughts

The green boot body cannot be called of someone with a 100% surety. However, with the available evidence, we can say that the body probably belongs to ITBP climber Tsewang Paljor.

While debates about the body will remain, what we can learn from this is the risk and passion of climbing Everest. In contrast, many people want to reach the Everest peak despite its risks. Maybe you are also one who has the passion to reach the summit or to reach the everest base camps at a minimum. No matter what you want, the planning and safety matters. You need to find out the best agency that can help you complete your dream safely.

Conclusion

summit of everest


The story of the Green Boots is a reminder for the climbers of how challenging Everest can be, especially from the northern side of the peak. However, the passion and courage of Palijor and the team demonstrate how far mountaineers can go to follow their passion.

Climbing Everest is an experience, so I will never tell you to give up on your mountaineering dream. But before starting your adventurous mountain journey, it is better to take some precautions and always choose the best partner, like VolunteerFDIP.

FAQs

Q1. Why is Subedar Tsewang not called the Green Boot?

While Subedar Tsewang is also one of the three members of the ITBP team who reached the top of Everest, there is clear proof that Subedar Tsewang's clothes and shoes did not match the body of Green Boots. Thus, he has never been referred to or debated as Green Boots.

Q2. What is the relation between Sleeping Beauty and Green Boots of Mount Everest?

The Sleeping Beauty of Everest (Francys Arsentiev) and Green Boots of Mount Everest are the two tragic figures and popular demise of Everest. Their passion, stories, and demisal reason are very similar, but there is no direct relation between them other than this.

Q3. What is the relation between David Sharp and Green Boots?

David Sharp's tragic death also occurred near the Green Boots cave in 2006, and many climbers passed that way but mistook him for the Green Boots body due to the unresponsive state of his body. This delayed his assistance, which contributed to his death despite many efforts to save him.

Q4. How did Green Boots die?

Green Boots's body is believed to belong to Paljor or Dorje. It doesn’t matter to whom the body really belongs; what’s significant is that the death occurred on May 10, 1996, as both of them died in the same Mount Everest disaster. The death must have happened because that tragic disaster may have weakened him, and afterward, he could have suffered from hypothermia due to the -40°C  low temperatures on Everest, which may be the reason for Green Boots's death.

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