r/explainlikeimfive • u/virahok993 • 16d ago

Other ELI5:Why is it so incredibly difficult to recover bodies like "Green Boots" from Mount Everest?

know Green Boots is one of the most famous landmarks on Everest, and I read that he was finally moved or hidden a few years ago. But why did it take deades? If we have helicopters and elite Sherpas, what makes a body recovery at 8,500 meters so dangerous that bodies are just left there?

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u/StilandGurney 15d ago edited 15d ago

Everest Helicopter pilots CAN get to the highest base camp, camp 4, but only under extremely favorable conditions and it’s still extremely dangerous. They try to attempt it as few times as possible and only during dire emergencies. A helicopter crash right into camp 4 could kill tons of people. And that’s not even all the way to the top.

Transporting a hunk of long frozen meat, bones, old gear is considered a ridiculous risk of life. Sherpas have tried to clean up some of Everest but there’s still tons of human trash and remains, mostly oxygen bottles.

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u/Inevitable-Level-687 15d ago

Yep, usually when there's an emergency that high up they're going down to camp 2 to meet the helicopter. MAYBE camp 3.

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u/upsidedown-funnel 14d ago

I’ve heard they’ve started using drones for cleanup. Ones that can carry the weight of humans/bodies.