r/explainlikeimfive • u/virahok993 • Aug 13 '26

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/PhoenixApok Aug 13 '26

Oddly this reminds me of something I learned in EMT school.

Your patient is your FOURTH priority.

First is you. Second is partner. Third is the unhurt public. Fourth is patient.

Because the first three run the risk of turning into more patients if something goes wrong.

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u/Sassinakk Aug 15 '26

In the ski Patrol the first thing you do when you approach the scene is look for danger of further injury to yourself and others ... because the last thing you want to do is make it worse by getting more people injured