Do You Know How Many Bodies Are on Mount Everest?
There are over 300 bodies on Mount Everest. The answer will shock you! The oldest among these bodies is 99 years old. Why are there so many unclaimed bodies lying on Mount Everest?
1. The First Body: George Mallory
The first body on Mount Everest belongs to George Mallory. This heroic figure was born in 1886. He was the most adventurous person of his time. Before the age of 40, he had climbed countless peaks and explored numerous deep caves. In 1922, he joined a British expedition and headed toward Mount Everest, but this time the summit attempt failed – the expedition couldn’t even find the route.
In Mallory’s heart, Everest was the ultimate goal of his exploring career. Two years later, he invited a group of explorer friends and formed a team to try Everest again. Unfortunately, Mallory encountered problems just 100 meters from the summit. Due to the harsh environment on Everest, his teammates watched him disappear through binoculars, unable to rescue him. His body was not found until 1999, when a climbing team accidentally discovered Mallory’s remains – he had been lying on Everest for 75 years.
2. “Green Boots” – Tsewang Paljor
There is another body on Everest even more famous than Mallory’s. This body wears a pair of green climbing boots. Because he lies on the only route to the summit, every climber notices him when passing by. This body is called “Green Boots.” Although “Green Boots” is not as old as Mallory, he has been lying on Everest for 24 years.
“Green Boots” real name is Tsewang Paljor, a police officer from a remote state in India. In 1996, Paljor died 300 meters from the summit. He was separated from his teammates during a blizzard. His oxygen and food were almost depleted. In desperation, Paljor found a rock cave to shelter from the wind. While taking refuge from the blizzard, Paljor fell asleep and never woke up.
3. The Identities of the Bodies
In fact, most of the bodies on Mount Everest have names and identities. Whether it was 100 years ago or today, climbing Mount Everest is an extremely dangerous endeavor. These explorers prepared thoroughly before their summit attempts. They were fully aware of what they were facing and the risk of death at any moment. Therefore, they all carried items that could identify them – ID cards, notebooks, or metal identification tags. In short, if passersby examined these bodies, they could find out who they were and where they came from.
4. Why Don’t People Bring the Bodies Down?
This raises a question: since the identities of these bodies can be determined, why doesn’t anyone bring them down the mountain for burial?
A. The Harsh Environment
First of all, the environment on Mount Everest is extremely harsh. Every year, over 10,000 explorers from around the world prepare to climb Everest, but only about 1,000 reach the base camp, and only a few dozen actually make it to the summit. Most of these climbers ascend from the north side, because the terrain on the south side is more dangerous, and most of the bodies are concentrated on the south side. Climbing is already difficult enough, let alone carrying a body down the mountain.
B. Cost and Equipment
Climbing Everest requires a lot of money. Before departure, explorers must prepare supplies including oxygen tanks, climbing equipment, food, thermal gear, communication devices, medical supplies… Carrying all these items is already exhausting. Going up is easy; coming down is hard. If climbers had to carry a body weighing over 100 pounds down the mountain, the expedition would likely be stranded there, unable to descend.
C. Cost of Bringing a Body Down
The cost to bring a body down from Everest can be as high as $70,000 USD. This is a huge sum for most families, especially since many victims come from developing countries.
5. The “No Rescue” Rule on Everest
Before climbing Everest, local guides will tell climbers that when a teammate falls, don’t try to rescue them. This is not selfishness – because once you try to rescue, the next person to fall could be you. This is the default life-saving rule for those climbing Everest.
In 2006, a 34-year-old British engineer collapsed from exhaustion on Everest. His teammates did not lend a helping hand. More than 40 climbers passed by him, silently watching him suffer from oxygen deprivation. It’s not that they didn’t want to save him – they simply couldn’t. If they wouldn’t save a living person, let alone frozen bodies that had been lying on Everest for decades, no one was willing to expend the effort and take the risk to bring them down the mountain.
6. Why Not Use Helicopters?
Some might ask: wouldn’t it be much more convenient to fly up by helicopter and carry those bodies down? The idea sounds good, but reality is harsh. The roar and powerful winds of a helicopter could cause avalanches, and then there might be an additional helicopter “lying still” on Mount Everest.
Additionally, above 8,000 meters, the air is too thin for helicopters to operate effectively. Rotor lift is significantly reduced, making flying and landing extremely dangerous.
7. Bodies as Landmarks and Warnings
In fact, having so many bodies lying on Everest is not without benefit. At the very least, they serve as a warning, reminding climbers that “climbing is very dangerous, be careful on the mountain!”
Over the past 100 years, large amounts of waste – human feces, plastic bags, oxygen cylinders, discarded mobile phones, AA batteries – have accumulated on Everest. In short, you can find all kinds of trash here. And these bodies might discourage some climbers, at least reducing pollution and noise on Mount Everest.
8. Conclusion: The Roof of the World – A High-Altitude Graveyard
Everest is not only the highest mountain in the world – it is also a high-altitude graveyard. Over 300 bodies remain on its slopes, a reminder of nature’s harshness and the price of chasing dreams.
Every climbing season, hundreds still flock here to test themselves. But the mountain never forgives mistakes. And the frozen bodies remain – as landmarks, as warnings, as souls yet to find peace.
Primary Sources:
Himalayan Database – Statistics on Everest deaths
National Geographic – Reports on bodies on Everest
BBC News – Interviews with climbers and guides
Historical records of George Mallory and the 1924 expedition
Articles on “Green Boots” and the identity of Tsewang Paljor