AIBU to be blown away by this? TW - Deaths on Everest.

[Chefpig]

I have read a news article about the person who died on Everest 30 years ago, known as Green Boots and wondered if his body would have been preserved by the snow and icy conditions up there. After some reading, I believe his body would not have decomposed and so his face will be the same, still in his late 40's. Forever young.

There's loads of dead bodies (over 200) on Everest - spencer Matthews has done a documentary on it trying to find his brother

You’ve only just learnt about Green Boots?

It’s believed the body is that of a man called Dorge Morup who died in 1996 during a blizzard that unfortunately took many other lives.

His body, as with many others is used as a landmark by climbers.
It was believed his body was removed in I think 2024 but it turned out he was just covered in snow.

Unfortunately many victims of Everest are not able to be easily retrieved so their bodies just lay there, preserved in the snow for decades as a reminder that no matter how much you’ve trained, how experienced and prepared you are or how big of a group you’re with, you can die.

I think you’re romanticising Green Boots, OP. There are lots of bodies on Everest, and while they’re not going to decompose as they would in warmer conditions, they’re exposed to severe weather all the time. Like being sandblasted for years.

Working in the funeral industry I can assure you that he will not be in the condition you describe.

Without being too graphic, imagine a piece of meat thats been in the freezer too long if he is in a permanently frozen area. If he is not it will not be pretty.

They are trying to start a clean up operation on Everest and also looking to respectfully bring back the bodies that can be reached, but it’s hugely dangerous.

And over 130 sherpas have died facilitating these peoples self absorbed want to climb it, ew.

I watched a random documentary once where they showed one of the bodies that had not decomposed. The persons face was shown which I found distressing (and a bit disrespectful). I was actually on a date with a therapist and I looked away when the face was shown - he found this very interesting. I don’t remember any mention of Green Boots, but you could definitely see that the bodies are preserved if you want to (I didn’t without warning!)

Lots of bodies on Everest - did you not know this?

It’s amazing that his boots have lasted so long exposed to the elements- wonder what brand they are

Koflach.

I saw it somewhere and remember because it was the brand of my sky boots when I was young.

He will be significantly weathered. Freezer burn and icy winds. Although I think green boots is somewhat sheltered compared to others. He's been a marker on the trail and used as a reference point as its very hard to bring bodies down.

There's a lot of bodies on everest.

Bloody hell. This is the sort of comment I’d expect a psychopath to make.

Summit fever is very real - over 200 bodies of people who have (usually) made poor decisions about their ability, health, weather etc in order to reach the top after years of planning and training, and ££££ spent.

The bodies are left because people are unable and/or unwilling to recover their team-mates because of the risk to themselves (and their own summit attempt), and it being a logistics and financial impossibility for the authorities to do so (and why should they fund such recovery attempts anyway).

Climbers are different about death.

One year my bil was doing an expedition in Sweden, and a lady came who was 6 months pregnant. Her husband stayed at base with their 3 year old son.

She fell and died. The expedition kind of carried on and then came back without her. Its really brutal.

Also, many climbers would state they wished not to be recovered.

Died doing what they love, and resting there for eternity.

Don’t be ridiculous!! I thought the comment was funny!! You could say people who choose to climb Mount Everest are crazy!!

Woah

I was fascinated by the photos of George Mallorys body.
His back looked like white marble.

I still hope the missing camera will be found one day

You're a bit late to the party op! There's loads of dead bodies and crap on Everest. But I very much doubt your conclusion that green boots' face will not have changed is correct.

I ended up in a rabbit hole a few weeks ago watching the documentaries.
Death Zone: Cleaning Mount Everest. is really worth watching to uderstand just how difficult and just how hard people on the mountains work.
Green Boots was moved to a more sheltered place years ago, they are going to try and recover his body.

Everest is incredibly dangerous. So many climbers have died, and are left up there.
Have you seen the photos of them queuing to summit? It's insane.

Any exposed face would have frostbite likely, so it wouldn’t look like a normal face, likely blackened/missing nose, that sort of thing. But yes there are many bodies littering Everest, people have to climb past them on their way to summits Past a certain point, you can’t really help people in difficulty either without extreme risk to your own life.

If you want to be haunted further, look up David Sharp. He was passed by numerous people, given precious spare oxygen, but without the ability to move himself he just sat there until he died.

It’s a brutal, unforgiving place.

Into Thin Air is well worth a read.

Which would be fine if their bodies, oxygen canisters, discarded tents, food containers and frozen human shit weren’t essentially littering the mountain, and contaminating the glaciers that feed the water supplies of thousand people living around the mountain, and who rely on it for their water.

Thought this too!!