Why Green Boots still hasn’t been recovered from Everest months after deadline passed

The body of Everest’s Green Boots was due to be recovered from the mountain this summer after 30 years, but the deadline has now passed, and the retrieval still hasn’t taken place. Here’s what’s going on. 

In June 2026, the man who died on the mountain in 1996 was identified for the first time as 47-year-old Indian climber Dorje Morup after Sherpas collected DNA from his corpse to be tested by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, who then put out a government tender seeking a team to retrieve his body from the mountain between June and September. 

Morup died in a blizzard while trying to become the first team to summit the Tibetan side of the mountain in May 1996 and became known as “Green Boots” as he was wearing bright green boots when he died. His body was visible to other climbers for decades, perfectly preserved in the snow, before being moved off the main path in 2014.

Now, September has been and gone, Green Boots remains on the mountain, and the repatriation mission has been delayed until 2027. 

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Why Green Boots still hasn’t been retrieved from Everest 

Green Boots hasn’t been recovered because the Chinese government kept the Tibetan side of the mountain closed to climbers for the entire 2027 season, so no permission was granted. A source told ExplorersWeb the mountain remained closed due to an investigation following a controversial fireworks display jointly conducted by Arc’teryx and Cai Guo-Qiang near Shigatse.

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Morup’s body is located 8,500 metres up on the Tibetan side of the mountain, which is controlled by Chinese authorities. It’s far steeper and more dangerous than the Nepal side, and Chinese authorities issue all climbing permits.

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police issued a government tender seeking a team of six skilled Sherpas who had to bid to retrieve Green Boots’ body from the death zone to recover and transport his body down the mountain. However, they weren’t able to gain permission from Chinese authorities, so the mission couldn’t take place. 

Credit: Peter Giovannini/imageBROKER/Shutterstock

An Indo-Tibetan Border Police representative told CNN that the mission is now expected to take place during the April to May 2027 climbing season after “taking everything into account — necessary approvals, clearances and everything else”. However, it’s unclear if any Sherpa teams have made a bid to complete the retrieval. 

To qualify, bidders must have done at least one successful rescue operation at an altitude of over 8,000 metres in the past five years, preferably on Everest, The Times revealed.

For more, like The Tab on Facebook. Featured image credit: Peter Giovannini/imageBROKER/Shutterstock and Wikimedia Commons