The 6 Worst Deaths on Mount Everest in Human History
Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, has claimed over 300 lives since expeditions began in the 1920s. Many of those bodies remain on the mountain, frozen in time—some serving as grim landmarks, others never found. This article recounts six of the most haunting deaths in Everest’s history, each a reminder of the mountain’s unforgiving nature and the thin line between triumph and tragedy.
1. Tsewang Paljor – “Green Boots” (May 11, 1996)
Tsewang Paljor was a 28-year-old Indian member of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police expedition . On May 10, 1996, he and two teammates decided to push for the summit despite a worsening blizzard . They radioed that they had reached the top around 3:45 p.m. . None returned.
Paljor’s body, wearing green Koflach boots, became a landmark on the Northeast Ridge at 8,500 meters . Known simply as “Green Boots,” his frozen remains lay in a limestone alcove that all climbers from the north side had to pass . In 2014, Chinese expedition members moved his body to a less conspicuous location .
2. David Sharp – The Dying Man No One Saved (May 15, 2006)
David Sharp, a 34-year-old British climber, attempted an unsupported solo ascent of Everest from the north side . He carried only four oxygen bottles—half the usual amount for commercial expeditions .
On May 15, 2006, near 8,500 meters, Sharp suffered from severe hypoxia and hypothermia. He took shelter in the same cave where Green Boots lay . At least 40 climbers passed by him while he was still alive, but none stopped to help . Some mistook him for Green Boots’ body. Others believed he was already dead or beyond saving.
Sir Edmund Hillary condemned the climbers’ inaction, saying: “I think the whole attitude towards climbing Mount Everest has become rather horrifying. The people just want to get to the top. They don’t give a damn for anybody else who may be in distress.” Sharp died alone in the freezing cold .
3. Francys and Sergei Arsentiev – “Sleeping Beauty” and the Husband Who Tried to Save Her (1998)
Francys Arsentiev, 40, became the first American woman to summit Everest without supplemental oxygen on May 22, 1998 . During the descent, she became separated from her husband, Sergei .
Sergei made it down to camp but found that Francys had not arrived. He turned back to find her, carrying oxygen and medicine . An Uzbek team encountered Francys, barely conscious. They gave her oxygen and carried her down as far as they could before exhaustion forced them to leave her . That evening, they passed Sergei still climbing up—the last time he was seen alive .
On May 24, British climber Ian Woodall and South African Cathy O’Dowd found Francys still alive. They spent over an hour trying to help her, but she was too weak, the location too perilous. Francys whispered, “Don’t leave me here” . They were forced to leave her. She died at age 40 . Sergei’s body was found the following year, lower on the mountain, apparently killed in a fall while attempting to rescue his wife .
In 2007, Woodall led an expedition to move Francys’s body out of view .
4. Scott Fischer – A Guide Who Gave His Life (May 11, 1996)
Scott Fischer, 40, was a respected mountaineer and co-owner of Mountain Madness, a Seattle-based adventure company . In 1996, he led a commercial expedition on Everest. He reached the summit on May 10, but during the descent, he fell behind .
The next morning, a rescue party found Fischer bivouacked with Makalu Gau, a climber from another team. They revived Gau, who made it down. They could not revive Fischer. His fellow guide, Anatoli Boukreev, reached him later and confirmed he was dead . His friends described him as a man who “would gladly have done whatever he felt was required to help another climber, even if it meant risking his own life” .
5. Doug Hansen – The Postal Worker Who Would Not Give Up (May 10, 1996)
Doug Hansen, 46, was a postal worker from Washington state who had failed to summit Everest in 1995 . He returned in 1996 as a client of Rob Hall’s Adventure Consultants .
On May 10, 1996, Hansen summited late—around 4:30 p.m., the last to reach the top that day . Expedition leader Rob Hall escorted him up the final stretch, but by the time they started down, Hansen was out of oxygen and too weak to descend . Hall refused to abandon him, staying with his struggling client through the night .
Hall radioed base camp at 4:45 a.m. on May 11, reporting: “Doug is gone” . Hansen had died during the night. His body was never found . Hall died later that day. He had called his pregnant wife to say goodbye .
6. George Mallory and Andrew Irvine – The Mystery That Endures (June 8, 1924)
On June 8, 1924, George Mallory, 37, and Andrew “Sandy” Irvine, 22, were last seen alive climbing toward the summit of Everest . They were observed climbing a prominent rock step near the summit before clouds obscured them . They were never seen again.
Mallory’s body was found in 1999, 75 years later, still on the mountain . Irvine’s body has never been located . A camera that could have proved whether they reached the summit before disappearing has never been found.
To this day, it remains one of mountaineering’s greatest mysteries—were Mallory and Irvine the first to conquer Everest, 29 years before Hillary and Norgay? The mountain has kept that secret for over a century.
Primary Sources:
Smithsonian Magazine — Bodies on Everest and Green Boots
Wikipedia — Francys Arsentiev / Green Boots / Doug Hansen / 1996 disaster
AAC Publications — Scott Fischer / Francys & Sergei Arsentiev
Los Angeles Times — 1996 disaster coverage
El Mundo — David Sharp’s death and the 40 climbers
National Library of New Zealand — David Sharp records
The Wire — George Mallory and Andrew Irvine history