Ghosts & Paranormal Phenomena on Mt. Everest

Do ghosts exist atop Mt. Everest? Do paranormal occurrences take place at the summit and in the Death Zone? Or could the sightings and stories of the paranormal be mere delusions conjured up by oxygen-deprived individuals daring the treacherous terrains to reach the top?

Considering 150 or more dead bodies line the mountain, it is easy to understand why one might believe ghosts exist on Mt. Everest. The bodies -hikers who fell ill, faced psychosis, or endured other obstacles that prevented them from descending the mountain- provide a gruesome reminder of the dangers Mt. Everest presents. Retrieving the dead bodies is nearly impossible thanks to the climate and conditions in the Death Zone -the area where most of the bodies lie.

Perhaps the hopeful climbers who did not live to tell their stories of hiking the world's tallest mountain wanted to avenge their deaths and come back in afterlife form.

Black Shadows Beg for Food

Pemba Dorje Sherpa summited Everest several times. On one journey, Pemba claimed he had spotted "black shadows" as he rested at a mound of rocks within the death zone during his ascent to Everest in 2004. Dorje claimed the shadow reached its hands toward him and begged for food.

Dorje believes the shadow was an encounter with the spirits of the mountaineers who died on the mountain.

Frank Smythe

He made it 1,000 feet from the summit before he could go no further. Frank Smythe was almost the first person to summit Mt. Everest but low oxygen, high winds, and other conditions stopped that from happening.

In his diary, Smythe wrote about reaching into his pocket and sharing his slice of mint cake with his companion, yet he was alone.

“All the time that I was climbing alone, I had a strong feeling that I was accompanied by a second person. The feeling was so strong that it completely eliminated all loneliness I might otherwise have felt.”

The Third Man on a Two-Man Climb

In September 1975, Douglas Haston and Doug Scott were forced to spend the night in The Death Zone after problems caused a later arrival at the summit. The two men dug a hole in the snow and huddled close together to provide warmth. Their oxygen soon ran low, the butane in the heater was low, and they were without food.

Suddenly, both men reported feeling the presence of a third man who was invisible but did speak, telling them how to safely make it back down the mountain. The invisible man huddled together with the other two men to help keep them warm.

An Encounter with a Strange Man

A man who lived in a local village near Everest reported an encounter with a strange man one day as he chopped wood in 2009.

Mohan Sing claimed a strange man approached him as he was cutting down trees. When the man approached, the sky turned black. He demanded to know why Sing was chopping down trees.

The stranger grabbed at Singh’s shirt, but his hands went through his body, the same way as we’d expect a ghost’s fingers attempting to touch us.

Yeti Sightings

Numerous photographs showing large footprints in the snow on Mount Everest suggest the presence of a creature that has become known as the Yeti.

Many of the photographs of the creature were photographed by mountaineer Eric Shipton who claimed he witnessed the encounter at about 19,000 feet elevation.