Sleeping Beauty, Rainbow valley, and death in Everest

Climbing Everest is a dream to millions and while having a dream to climb Everest is the easiest thing, actually going for the summit is not so easy. Everest climbing is a very expensive and life-threatening journey. 

Yet, more than 2000 people try to get to Everest Peak every single year. Along with being ridiculously expensive (cost almost $40000), it is also the most risky adventure in the world. Although it's written that the technical chance of being dead on Everest is only 0.1%, i.e. one in a thousand people die each year in Everest. 

But when it comes to your life, even 0.1% is a large number. Death is never so upfront when you see the bodies of hundreds of Everest climbers, just lying there for many decades. 

Many stories about death in Everest have been popular in past decades, and the most popular among them have been Sleeping Valley, Green Boots, and more. 

Rainbow Valley

Almost half of the deaths in Everest have occurred when you are traveling down after you conquer the summit. Right below the Everest peak, between the peak and fourth base camp is a deadlier slop of Everest. The dead bodies here are so crowded that their belongings such as jackets, bottles, and bags make it very colorful. Altogether they seem like a colourful Rainbow from a far distance. 

The name is not as pleasing as it sounds, is it?

Who is sleeping beauty?

 Sleeping Beauty is about an American woman named Francys Arsentiev who died on Everest in the year 1998. Corps of France was there in Everest for almost 10 years, without being removed and everybody who climbed Everest saw a beautiful lady sleeping peacefully in the cold. And that is where her name Sleeping Beauty comes from.

Sleeping Beauty and her husband had successfully climbed to the Mount Everest summit at 8848 meters. She did that in 1998 without supplement oxygen, it was the first record of climbing Everest with supplement oxygen by American. Tragically, when she was climbing downwards, all pumped up about her success, the sleeping beauty slipped in ice, and was carried down to death. Her husband also died in search of her body. Only in 2007, after Slepping beauty name became popular far and wide, was her body rescued by the Nepalese team. 

Green boots Everest

2 years before Francys Arsentiev, there was another team of 3 people who were in an attempt to climb Everest. One of these people, probably an Indian died after they reached the top. This incident occurred on May 11, 1996, and men of about 28 years old remained dead on Everest for a long time. The job was then used as a marker by Everest climbers for a long time until a Chinese mission was launched to move his body. It is still unclear if the body was provided back to Green Boot's family members or just moved to another place on Everest. 

What happens if you die on Everest?

In the climbing history of about 50 years, there have been about 346 deaths in the Everest. It is said that 200 bodies, the death corpse are still lying there, from many decades. Some corpse is even used as markers for climbers as any other form of markers cannot be used here. So, in simple words, dying in  Eversest is quite tragic. But the chances are, you will probably be back alive and proud, conquering the most exciting journey of your life. 

The question is, would you take a 0.1% risk of never getting back to your home, not even your corpse?