For nearly three decades, Everest climbers passed a frozen body wearing bright green boots, marking a grim waypoint at 27,890 feet. Known as 'Green Boots,' this mountain landmark sparked endless speculation about the climber's identity. Now, DNA testing has confirmed the remains belong to Dorje Morup, a 47-year-old Indian climber, not fellow mountaineer Tsewang Paljor as many believed.

Morup perished during the 1996 Everest disaster on May 10 while attempting the north face with an Indo-Tibetan Border Police expedition. A ferocious blizzard trapped the team near the summit, forcing three climbers to continue while others retreated. All three died in the death zone above 8,000 metres, where oxygen deprivation turns survival into a minute-by-minute ordeal. Eight climbers total lost their lives that day.

The identification clears up a long-standing mystery that haunted the mountaineering community. Green Boots became more than a tragic landmark—it served as an unsettling navigation point for thousands of climbers attempting the north-east ridge. Many used the site to check oxygen supplies or rest, leaving behind accumulated equipment. Recovering bodies from such extreme altitudes remains exceptionally dangerous.

Authorities now plan to retrieve Morup's remains this summer using a specialist high-altitude rescue team. The operation will approach from Everest's Tibetan side, finally bringing closure to a story that became inseparable from the mountain's brutal history.