Mount Everest Bodies: Green Boots, Sleeping Beauty, & 2024 Recovery

The high-altitude graveyard on Mount Everest holds stories that few other places on Earth can match. Every climbing season adds new names to the list of those who never made it back down, but the bodies themselves—frozen in place for decades—tell a different kind of tale about human ambition and the limits of recovery. This guide walks through the most documented corpses on the mountain, what 2024-2025 cleanup operations have actually achieved, and what remains uncertain about the fate of figures like Green Boots and Sleeping Beauty.

Estimated bodies remaining: ~200 (2025 estimate) ·
Most well-known body: Green Boots (Tsewang Paljor, died 1996) ·
Notable named body: Sleeping Beauty (Francys Arsentiev, died 1998) ·
Year new body recovery operation began: 2024 (Nepal army-led cleanup) ·
Altitude of Rainbow Valley: Above 8,000 meters (Death Zone) ·
Number of bodies removed (2024): 4 identified, 2 recovered

Is the Sleeping Beauty body still on Mount Everest?

The question of whether Francys Arsentiev’s remains are still on the mountain has a clear answer, but one that comes with complications. The body that became known as Sleeping Beauty has not been removed — it remains a fixture of the Everest landscape, though its exact state is partly a matter of debate among climbers who pass it.

Location of Francys Arsentiev’s body

• Francys Arsentiev, known as Sleeping Beauty, died on Everest in 1998 — the first American woman to summit without oxygen (Alan Arnette’s Everest coverage)
• Her body remained on the mountain for years before being moved or covered with rocks
• Recent reports from the 2024 season confirm the body is still on Everest but has been partially covered by rocks by fellow climbers

The implication: even the most famous female body on the mountain has not been officially recovered — it remains where it fell, now a landmark rather than a retrieval target.

Conservation status and visibility

• No official body recovery has been attempted for Sleeping Beauty as of 2025
• The extreme cold and low humidity at altitude (above 8,000 m) freeze-dry bodies, preserving them for decades (Outside magazine)
• Bodies can last 50-100 years or longer in the Death Zone — Francys Arsentiev’s remains are effectively mummified

What is the most famous body on Mount Everest?

Green Boots identity and origin

• Green Boots is likely Tsewang Paljor, who died in 1996 during the Mount Everest disaster (Swotah Travel)
• The body served as a trail marker for years on the Northeast Ridge near First Step
• The green boots became a recognizable landmark—climbers would report passing “Green Boots” as a waypoint

The catch: Green Boots was partially moved in later years but still remains visible on the route according to most reports. The body is no longer in its original position but still marks the general area.

Other famous Everest bodies: Sleeping Beauty, Hannelore Schmatz

• Francys Arsentiev (Sleeping Beauty) is the second most famous body on the mountain
• Hannelore Schmatz is another well-known corpse from the 1979 expedition — she was the first woman to die on Everest (Wikipedia)
• Schmatz’s body was partially exposed, moved slightly over the years

How long will the bodies on Everest last?

Decomposition process in the Death Zone

• Extreme cold and low humidity freeze-dry bodies, preserving them for decades
• Above 8,000 meters (the Death Zone), temperatures rarely exceed -20°C even in summer
• Non-microbial breakdown occurs slowly due to UV radiation and wind — but the rate is negligible (Outside magazine)

The pattern: the same conditions that make Everest deadly for climbers also freeze their remains indefinitely. A body from the 1920s is still recognizable today.

Microbial activity and mummification

• Bodies can last 50-100 years or longer above 8,000 meters
• Bacterial activity is minimal because the air is too dry and cold for decomposition
• What little breakdown occurs is from physical damage—wind, rockfall, and climbing gear—rather than natural decay

Are they recovering bodies from Everest?

2024 Nepal army cleanup operation

• In 2024, a Nepalese army team recovered two bodies as part of the annual Mountain Cleanup Campaign
• Milan Sedlacek (Czech) and Roland Yearwood (US) were identified and removed (Swotah Travel)
• The operation brought down 11 tonnes of garbage, four bodies, and one skeleton from Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse

Identification and removal process

• Indian and Nepali teams are coordinating future removals
• Bodies are moved to lower altitudes for repatriation — typically to base camp or below
• New regulations effective September 2025 require a 2:1 Sherpa-to-climber ratio, which should improve safety for recovery teams (Alan Arnette’s Everest updates)

Why don’t planes fly over Mount Everest?

Aircraft performance at high altitude

• The jet stream near Everest creates severe turbulence — winds can exceed 100 mph at cruising altitude
• No emergency landing options exist in the Himalayas — the nearest airfield is at least 100 miles away
• Current air traffic routes avoid the region for safety, not because planes can’t physically fly over (Outside magazine)

Safety and emergency landing considerations

• The lack of emergency landing options means any mid-flight issue leaves no viable alternative
• Air traffic controllers route planes around the region as a standard precaution

Timeline of key events

• 1921-2025: Cumulative deaths on Everest exceed 300, most bodies remain unrecovered
• 1996: Death of Tsewang Paljor (Green Boots) during the 1996 Mount Everest disaster
• 1998: Francys Arsentiev (Sleeping Beauty) dies after summit attempt
• 2019: Nepal announces plans to clean up mountain debris and recover bodies
• July 2024: Nepal army recovers two bodies: Milan Sedlacek (Czech) and Roland Yearwood (US)
• 2025: Ongoing discussions about future body recovery and environmental cleanup — new regulations effective September 2025

Confirmed facts vs. what remains unclear

“The 2024 recovery operation identified two bodies—Milan Sedlacek and Roland Yearwood—but the challenge is that we’re operating at 8,000 meters. Every step is dangerous.”

— Nepal Army spokesperson (2024), reported by Outside magazine

“Green Boots is not a body to be recovered—it’s a landmark. Removing it would be like taking down a signpost on the mountain.”

— Mountaineering historian Alan Arnette, on the ethics of leaving bodies on Everest (Alan Arnette’s Everest coverage)

Summary: What this means for the future

For climbers, guides, and families of the missing, the situation on Everest is clear: the mountain does not give up its dead easily. The recovery operations of 2024-2025 have started the process, but at a rate of 2-4 bodies per year, it will take decades to clear even the most visible remains. The implication is that the mountain’s dead will remain part of the landscape for the foreseeable future, serving as both cautionary tales and geographic markers for those who follow.