Rainbow Valley Everest: The Hidden Graveyard Near the Top of the World

Mount Everest is the tallest mountain on Earth. Every year, hundreds of climbers travel from all over the world to try to reach its top. Some succeed. Some turn back. And sadly, some never come down at all.

There is a place on the mountain, near the top, where climbers talk in hushed tones. It is called “Rainbow Valley”. The name is quite pretty and is quite cheerful, it is as if it is from a children’s story. However, the story behind the name is dark and grim. Rainbow Valley is a location on the northeast slope of Everest where climbers have perished in the snow in colorful climbing suits in shades of red, blue, orange and green. These colours appear as if a rainbow is splattered across the white ice from afar. This is the origin of the name of the place.

Where Is Rainbow Valley Located, and Why Is It Called Rainbow?

Rainbow Valley sits on the northeast ridge of Mount Everest, on the Tibetan side of the mountain. It lies at an altitude of around 8,000 to 8,500 meters (about 26,000 to 28,000 feet), just below the summit. This area is part of what climbers call the Death Zone.

The Death Zone is the name given to any part of a mountain above 8,000 meters. At this height, the air is so thin that the human body cannot survive there for long, even with the help of extra oxygen tanks. Rainbow Valley sits right inside this dangerous zone, close to the final push toward the top of Everest.

Rainbow Valley lies too high to be seen by the normal tourist or trekker. Even those who make the trek to Everest Base Camp (and it’s tough enough as it is) still stay well below this zone. Only serious mountaineers who are trying to climb to the very top of Everest come anywhere near it. This zone also holds one of the saddest stories the mountain has ever witnessed, the story of the “Sleeping Beauty of Everest,” Francys Arsentiev, an American mountaineer who tragically died in the Death Zone in May 1998.

The name might sound strange for a place full of tragedy, but there is a simple reason behind it. The climbers who have died in this area were wearing thick, insulated climbing suits called down suits. These suits come in bright colors like red, orange, blue, yellow, and green, since bright colors are easier to spot in the snow during rescues.

As time passed, more climbers died in this region and the dead bodies remained in these bright suits. From afar the colorful clothes spread on the white snow and ice resembles a rainbow. A quiet-sounding name for a not-so-peaceful scene, and many have stated that the name is merely an “abbreviated” description of something that hurts.

Why Are the Bodies Still There? Is Recovery Impossible?

This is likely to be the most frequently asked question about Rainbow Valley. Who doesn’t take these dead bodies down from the mountain? The answer comes down to a few harsh realities of climbing at extreme altitude.

The air is dangerously thin: At elevations above 8,000m, the concentration of oxygen in the atmosphere is about one-third that found at sea level. Even people who are climbing with bottled oxygen have difficulty thinking quickly, clearly, or making good decisions. A single dead body, with the added weight of the gear, can weigh up to another climber, which is near impossible to lift with ease under these circumstances.

The weather is extremely harsh: Wind speeds in the Death Zone can be extreme and unpredictable, and temperatures can drop below -40°C (-40°F). Storms can come on quickly. It’s difficult to stand upright safely in these circumstances, never mind to carry a heavy weight safely down steep, icy terrain.

Helicopters cannot fly that high: Many people assume a helicopter could simply lift a body away. In reality, the air is too thin at these altitudes for a helicopter to create enough lift to fly safely. Rescue helicopters can only operate at lower altitudes, well below where Rainbow Valley sits.

The trails are extremely narrow: Many of the paths near the summit are so narrow that only one person can pass at a time, with a steep drop on one or both sides. Trying to carry a body along these paths would put the rescuers themselves at serious risk of falling.

It is incredibly expensive: The retrieval from the Death Zone is not only a difficult task, it’s expensive as well. The cost of a single recovery mission is estimated to be about $70,000 to $80,000, as it takes a top-tier team, supplemental oxygen, ropes and days of risky work. As a result, families are often unable to afford to take a loved one’s body home, even if they would prefer to.

Because of all these reasons, most climbers who pass away in the Death Zone are left where they fell. Over time, their bodies become landmarks along the route, sad but unavoidable markers that later climbers walk past on their own journey to the top.

An Unwritten Rule on the Mountain

Climbers who attempt Everest often talk about an unspoken rule: once you are in the Death Zone, you must think about your own survival first. This might sound harsh, but at that altitude, stopping to help another climber, even one who is still alive, can cost you your own life. Every extra minute spent in the Death Zone increases the risk of running out of oxygen, freezing, or collapsing from exhaustion.

This is one of the hardest parts of climbing Everest. Climbers sometimes pass by injured or dying people because turning back, waiting, or trying to carry someone down could mean two deaths instead of one. It is a brutal reality that few people expect before they begin their climb.

The Famous Stories From the Death Zone

Over the decades, a few individual climbers who died near the summit have become especially well known. Their stories help explain why Rainbow Valley carries so much emotional weight.

Green Boots

The story of Green Boots is one of the saddest and most famous stories of Mount Everest. Green Boots was the name given by climbers to the body of a mountaineer who died while trying to reach the summit. The body became known for its bright green climbing boots and was found inside a small cave along the northeast route of Everest.

Green Boots was Tsewang Paljor, an Indian climber who died in an expedition in 1996. He and other climbers encountered harsh conditions, strong winds and cold temperatures when descending from the highest point. The high altitude above 8500 m was a dire environment for survival due to limited oxygen and harsh weather. Climbers have been able to see Green Boots inside the cave for many years using the northeast route.

The body was a terrifying reminder that Everest not only looks good, but it is very dangerous too. It is extremely hard to recover a body from the Death Zone and may endanger other climbers’ lives. It is said to have been removed or obscured around 2014, and is no longer clearly visible to climbers. The tale of Green Boots is a testament that continues to inspire people today to face the dangers and sacrifice of summiting the world’s tallest mountain.

The Sleeping Beauty of Everest: Francys Arsentiev

The tale of Francys Arsentiev is another most sad and horrifying in Mount Everest’s history. She was an American mountaineer who aspired to ascend the world’s highest peak, the Mt. Everest, without the aid of supplementary oxygen. Francys and her husband, Russian-American climber Sergei Arsentiev, tried to make this amazing feat in May 1998.

Francys successfully made it to the top of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, being the first American woman to do so on May 22, 1998. But the achievement was at a high price. As they descended, the couple got separated in the severe conditions of the Death Zone, where oxygen levels are very low, and the human body starts to progressively deteriorate.

Sergei looked back for his wife, but never came back. Other climbers later discovered Francys, very weak and unable to self-arrest. Multiple climbers tried to assist her, but the conditions were extremely hot and cold, exhausted and in a bad condition, and the altitude proved too high. After some time, Francys died on the mountain due to the environment.

Her body lay for years next to the climbing route, snow covered and ice covered. Due to her white complexion and sleeping posture when she was discovered, she was dubbed the “Sleeping Beauty of Everest.” Her journey to the summit was only the first half; the descent was no less perilous, especially as a reminder. Ten years later, in 2007, a group of American mountaineers, led by the team of Cathy O’Dowd, and the family of Francys, worked to remove her body from the main climbing route and muffle it from sight.

Final Words on Rainbow Valley

Rainbow Valley is one of the most impressive and unsettling areas of Mount Everest. As its name implies, it’s a place climbers fail to return, and the bright climbing gear makes it an unintentionally beautiful and sad rainbow on the snowy slopes. The almost insurmountable height, weather and body limitations make it difficult to recover most of these remains, leaving them permanently enshrined in the mountain’s landscape and history.

The story of Rainbow Valley is sad, however, it also illustrates an important facet of human nature: the need to push boundaries, to venture into the unknown and to ascend the highest peaks on our earth, even when the dangers are immense. Everyone that climbers make it to the top of Everest and take off without harming themselves or others has left behind a silent tribute of those who didn’t, and a testament to the tremendous respect that this incredible mountain deserves.

Many climbers and guides feel the best way to approach Rainbow Valley is to do so with respect and not curiosity, as it is a place of tragedy. Very few images of the area are published and those that are are secured and sometimes blurred to respect the families of the dead. The climbing community view Rainbow Valley more as a topic that is not “spooky” but rather a reminder of the dangers that high altitude climbing can pose.