Mount Everest isn't just the world's tallest peak—it's also one of the world's highest graveyards. At least 200 frozen corpses remain scattered across the mountain, preserved indefinitely by sub-zero temperatures and brutal conditions that make recovery nearly impossible.

Since the first recorded death on Everest in 1922, more than 340 climbers have perished attempting to reach—or return from—the 29,032-foot summit. While some bodies have been recovered over the decades, the vast majority remain exactly where their owners drew their last breath, entombed in ice and snow.

Why Bodies Stay Forever

Retrieving a corpse from Everest is extraordinarily dangerous and expensive. Above 26,000 feet—the notorious "death zone" where oxygen levels drop to a third of sea level—the human body literally begins dying. Helicopters can't operate at these altitudes, meaning any recovery requires a team of climbers to manually carry a frozen body down treacherous terrain while fighting altitude sickness, exhaustion, and the risk of avalanches.

A single body recovery operation can cost upward of $70,000 and puts rescue teams in mortal danger. Many families choose to leave their loved ones on the mountain rather than risk more lives attempting retrieval.

Landmarks of the Dead

Some bodies have become grim waypoints for climbers navigating Everest's routes. "Green Boots"—the body of an Indian climber who died in 1996, identifiable by his bright green boots—served as a landmark near the summit for decades. Similarly, a climber known as "Sleeping Beauty" guided mountaineers until her body was finally moved in 2007.

These frozen figures serve as stark reminders of Everest's deadly reality: approximately one in every 100 climbers who attempt the summit doesn't make it back alive.

Climate Change Reveals More Bodies

In recent years, melting glaciers and thinning snow cover caused by climate change have begun exposing bodies that were buried for decades. In 2024, Nepal launched cleanup campaigns that successfully recovered five bodies, though this barely dents the mountain's frozen population.

As ice continues to melt, more of Everest's ghosts are emerging from the death zone—a chilling reminder that the mountain never forgets, and rarely forgives.

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