Rainbow Valley Holds Frozen Climbers

Below Mount Everest's summit in the Himalayas lies an area known as Rainbow Valley, but its name has nothing to do with rainbows. It refers to the brightly colored climbing suits worn by the bodies of mountaineers who died in the death zone above 8,000 meters. Extreme cold preserves the bodies, while the altitude makes helicopter recovery impractical and carrying them down dangerously difficult, leaving many where they fell.

Previous Fact Next Fact