Inside the World of 'Body Retrievers': The Risks and Rewards at Everest

Would you consider taking a job called "Body Retriever"? In essence, it involves retrieving bodies from perilous locations where "ordinary" rescue teams often cannot reach. 

The life-threatening nature of the work means the pay is particularly high, as rescuers understand the significant risk that they may not survive the mission or the journey to it. 

A rescuer willing to risk their life to retrieve bodies of climbers on Mount Everest, the highest peak on Earth, can earn around $112,000. To reach these bodies, rescuers must ascend 8,500 meters with a heavy 50 kg backpack, requiring excellent mobility. 

To put it in perspective, an average person can barely carry 13 kg at such altitudes—if at all. Why 50 kg? It’s simple: at this height, rescuers depend on a 3 kg oxygen tank. Add an oxygen tank for each rescuer (typically at least five), food, and water, and the weight adds up. 

The hefty fees charged by these rescuers often allow them to employ additional personnel willing to risk their lives for a handsome reward. When conducting rescues in Nepal, for instance, they utilize local rescuers to significantly reduce costs. 

The Case of Annelore Schmitz and Two Climbers' Fatal Search

A few years ago, climber Annelore Schmitz perished on Mount Everest. Two male rescuers sent in search of her managed to locate her body but tragically fell to their deaths while carrying it. 

"At such high altitudes, taking even a few steps can require superhuman effort and immense strength. Can you imagine carrying equipment and the weight of a body uphill, in addition to your own body weight?", says a rescuer named Peter, who has been in the field for 35 years. "It feels as if the mountain itself 'moves' and fights against you every step of the way."

Another issue, according to him, is that bodies freeze the longer they remain, needing significant force to move them. "It can sometimes take entire days just to move a body from one point to another, not to mention the incredible energy required," Peter explains. "Even if you use an ax or shovel to return the body to its home country for burial, it's nearly impossible."

Schmitz's death on Everest and the ensuing deaths of the two men searching for her made headlines, though these aren't the only incidents to shock the world. 

The Tragic Death of David Sharp: Found Frozen Beneath a Rock

In 2006, an English climber named David Sharp died near Everest's summit. His death sparked controversy as several climbers passed him on their way to the summit, leaving him below as he was dying. Sharp was a professional climber who had fared well at other high peaks but failed in his ultimate mission—to stay alive. 

Mark Inglis, who climbed Everest with prosthetic limbs, encountered Sharp on the mountain but seemed more driven to achieve his personal record than to help Sharp and potentially save his life. 

Sharp had been to Everest two years earlier, and upon his return, didn't foresee that this would be the trek that cost him his life. However, he acted irresponsibly by climbing solo and attempting to summit without supplementary oxygen—a dangerous move even for seasoned, strong climbers. 

He was joined by 13 others, including Vitor Negrette, Thomas Weber, and Igor Plyushkin, who also died attempting the summit that year. "The group wasn't really an expedition and lacked a leader," Peter says. "Sharp's choice to risk his life in this way is an accountability issue one can't blame others for. There were several problems: he didn't climb with an expedition tracking the climbers' locations, he didn’t inform anyone of his attempt to summit without oxygen, and he had neither a radio nor a satellite phone to alert someone of his location or trouble, and two novice climbers from his group disappeared around the same time."

Several members of Sharp's climbing group realized he was missing when no one saw him. They assumed he had sought shelter in one of the higher camps and initially didn't worry much. It was only after the expedition descended the mountain and resumed routine life that the magnitude of the disaster was clear: Sharp was found dead under a large rock, seated with his arms wrapped around his legs, in what climbers called a "cave." His death was apparently caused by a combination of extreme cold, lack of oxygen, darkness, and exhaustion.