July 2, 2026
Boots, Blizzard, and a 30-Year Mystery
Mystery identity of 'Green Boots' climber is finally solved after DNA test
Everest’s eerie ‘Green Boots’ mystery is over — and commenters are feeling all the feelings
TLDR: DNA testing has confirmed that Everest’s long-misidentified “Green Boots” climber was Dorje Morup, ending a decades-old mystery tied to the deadly 1996 disaster. Commenters are torn between relief that he finally has his name back and horror that his body became one of the mountain’s most famous landmarks.
After nearly 30 years of whispers, guesses, and grim mountaineering folklore, Everest’s most famous frozen landmark has finally been identified. The climber long known only as ‘Green Boots’ — the body thousands of Everest climbers reportedly passed on their way up — has now been confirmed by DNA testing as Dorje Morup, 47, not Tsewang Paljor, the younger climber many had assumed for decades. Officials now hope to recover his body from Everest’s terrifying ‘death zone,’ the brutally high area where even staying alive is a struggle.
But in the comments, the real story is the mix of sadness, shock, reverence, and very internet humor. One of the strongest reactions was simple human relief: people were glad “the poor soul” had finally been identified after becoming a mountain marker for so long. Others leaned into just how surreal and haunting the whole thing is, calling Green Boots “so iconic” while also admitting it’s deeply tragic that a body became a navigation point. And yes, because this is the internet, one commenter saluted Dorje for apparently “flossing in those bright green boots at 47,” turning a chilling story into a weirdly affectionate fashion roast.
There wasn’t much fighting in the thread, but there was a clear emotional split: some focused on the dignity of finally naming him, while others couldn’t get over the disturbing fact that climbers used his resting place like a trail sign. That tension — respect versus macabre practicality — is exactly why this story has people hooked.
Key Points
- •A DNA test identified Everest’s “Green Boots” body as Indian climber Dorje Morup, ending a mystery that lasted nearly 30 years.
- •Many climbers had previously believed the body belonged to fellow Indian mountaineer Tsewang Paljor.
- •The Indo-Tibetan Border Police confirmed the identification and is preparing for a possible body recovery from Everest’s death zone on the Tibetan side.
- •Morup was part of a six-member ITBP expedition on May 10, 1996; he, Tsewang Paljor, and Tsewang Samanla died during a blizzard near the summit.
- •Morup’s preserved body became known as “Green Boots” and later “Green Boots Cave,” serving as a grim landmark on Everest’s north-east route.