Everest looms as the world’s ultimate high‑altitude challenge, and it also houses a collection of 10 mysterious creepy stories that still send shivers down the spines of seasoned climbers and curious readers alike. From daring misfits to spectral apparitions, each episode adds a layer of intrigue to the already legendary peak.
10 mysterious creepy Highlights
10 The Man Who Tried To Climb Everest In High Heels
Everest has magnetized a slew of zealots, oddballs, and larger‑than‑life personalities over the decades, yet none match the sheer audacity of Englishman Maurice Wilson. In 1933 he concocted a scheme to soar into the mountain’s northern flank, crash‑land his Gypsy Moth, and then solo‑scale to the summit. He trained back home, trekking and learning to pilot, before wintering in Darjeeling where he subsisted on fasting and fervent prayer, convinced spiritual purity would lift him to the top.
When the aircraft plan proved absurd, Wilson abandoned it and set off on foot across the Rongbuk Glacier on May 22, 1934. An ice wall halted his progress, and his utter lack of proper climbing gear or experience sealed his fate. His final diary entry dates to May 30, and his body was discovered the following year, reportedly clad in women’s lingerie. A 1960 Chinese expedition unearthed a high‑heeled shoe near his last known spot, and later research revealed Wilson had previously worked in a women’s clothing shop in New Zealand and was a cross‑dresser, adding a bizarre twist to his tragic obsession with Everest.
9 The Yeti
Ancient sightings of the Yeti originate from the Everest region, where Nepali and Tibetan legends describe a hulking, hairy, nocturnal creature roaming the high passes. Modern investigations have catalogued massive footprints discovered by Eric Shipton’s 1951 expedition at 6,000 m (20,000 ft) and a preserved “Yeti scalp” housed in Khumjung monastery on the mountain’s south side.
Perhaps the most compelling modern evidence stems from Joshua Gates and his Destination Truth crew in 2009. They collected hair from footprints measuring 33 cm (13 in) long and 25 cm (10 in) wide, which forensic analysis later declared to contain a previously unknown DNA sequence, fueling ongoing debate about the creature’s reality.
8 First Ascent 1: Mallory And Irvine?
When Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay famously reached the summit in 1953, skeptics pointed to an earlier 1924 attempt by Englishmen George Mallory and his partner Sandy Irvine. Observers through a telescope saw them merely 200–300 m (650–1,000 ft) shy of the pinnacle before they vanished, igniting a century‑long debate over whether they might have been the true first summiteers.
Conrad Anker’s 1999 expedition finally located Mallory’s frozen body, but crucial clues remained missing—most notably his camera, hoped to settle the dispute. Intriguingly, Mallory had confided to his wife Ruth and his climbing party that he intended to leave a photograph of his wife at the summit, kept in his inner pocket. When his remains were recovered, the photo was nowhere to be found, adding another tantalizing piece to the mystery.
7 First Ascent 2: The Russians?
In 1952, prior to the famed Hillary‑Norgay climb, a Russian team allegedly attempted the north‑route ascent in Tibet. Contemporary reports even suggested the expedition planned to erect statues of Lenin and Stalin atop the world’s roof. The group established a final camp near 8,000 m (26,200 ft) before disappearing without trace.
Adding to the enigma, Soviet authorities later denied that the 1952 venture ever occurred, despite Yevgeniy Gippenreiter’s account in the Alpine Journal describing a 35‑person party targeting the Northeast Ridge. An April 21, 1952 article in the Sydney Morning Herald also speculated on their prospects. Yet, to this day, no definitive record of the team’s members or leaders has surfaced.
6 The Ghosts Of Everest
Record‑holder Sherpa Pemba Dorje is celebrated for two feats: a lightning‑fast ascent of Everest in eight hours, ten minutes on May 21, 2004, and a chilling supernatural episode three days later. While descending from the South Col, Dorje stumbled upon a cluster of frozen bodies. Suddenly, he claims, shadowy spirits materialized, stretching hands and pleading for sustenance. He described them as the lingering souls of countless mountaineers who perished on the mountain, noting that one climber still dangles from a rope.
Many Sherpas believe these specters will not rest until the numerous corpses littering the “Death Zone” above 8,000 m receive proper burial rites. With bodies continually accumulating, Everest’s haunted reputation shows no signs of fading.
5 The Third Person
In September 1975, British climbers Dougal Haston and Doug Scott found themselves stranded overnight in the Death Zone after a late‑day summit. They dug a snow hole, exhausted their oxygen, and faced dwindling supplies. Then, an inexplicable phenomenon occurred.
Both men reported sensing an additional presence within their snow cave—a phantom that shared body heat and offered practical advice, helping them survive until daylight. Other renowned alpinists such as Peter Hillary, Lincoln Hall, and Reinhold Messner have recounted similar encounters with an unseen helper on Everest, suggesting a recurring, mysterious third companion.
4 Frank Smythe: Apparitions, Aliens, Or The Supernatural?
During his 1933 solo push on the North Ridge, English climber Frank Smythe reported a bewildering sight at 8,565 m (28,100 ft). He wrote:
…two curious objects hovering in the sky… they resembled kite balloons, yet one bore squat, under‑developed wings and the other a beak‑like protrusion. They hovered motionless, pulsating slower than my heartbeat…
Earlier in the same ascent, Smythe claimed an unseen force had visited him, feeling a solid presence beside him. He even offered a piece of Kendal mint cake from his pocket to this invisible companion, convinced of its reality. The episode remains one of Everest’s most puzzling encounters.
3 Who Was Really First: Hillary Or Tenzing?
If Mallory, Irvine, or the enigmatic Russians never topped Everest, the question of who truly stepped onto the summit first still sparks debate. After their historic 1953 ascent, Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay made a gentleman’s pact to never disclose who claimed the final step, aiming to defuse rising anti‑imperialist sentiment in Nepal and India.
Nevertheless, a Kathmandu poster soon after the climb depicted Hillary lagging behind his companion, suggesting local belief that Tenzing led the way. Later, two of Tenzing’s sons revealed their father privately told them he had been first, despite both climbers publicly maintaining simultaneous arrival.
Hillary eventually clarified the matter in a 2003 interview with Scotland on Sunday, stating: “We set off at 6.30 am, first light, me in the lead, Tenzing behind on a tight rope… I suspect Tenzing was deferential to the Sahib, so I got to the top first, with him just ten feet behind.” This claim was corroborated by a Royal Geographical Society memo where Hillary wrote, “I stepped on top of Everest… I quickly brought up Tensing beside me.” While Tenzing never refuted the account, many still argue the Nepali sherpa was the true first foot on the world’s roof.
2 Ueli Steck
In April 2017, the celebrated “Swiss Machine” Ueli Steck perished while rehearsing an unprecedented double‑summit of Everest’s West Ridge and neighboring Lhotse. Renowned as mountaineering’s equivalent of Michael Jordan or Lionel Messi, Steck had already claimed speed records on the Eiger’s north face and Annapurna’s south face, and twice earned the Piolet d’Or for first ascents.
Despite his extraordinary skill, Steck fell in the Western Cwm—a segment of the standard “tourist” route—plummeting over 300 m (1,000 ft). The exact cause remains uncertain: a slip, ice failure, or altitude‑related illness? He was climbing alone, with the nearest observers over 1.6 km (1 mi) away. His untimely death shocked the climbing community, underscoring both his prowess and Everest’s relentless mystery.
1 The 2017 ‘Deaths’ That Never Were
On May 22, 2017, Everest Base Camp received alarming news: four bodies had supposedly been discovered in a tent at Camp Four (7,950 m / 26,082 ft). The climbers were presumed victims of altitude sickness, found by a rescue team sent to retrieve a Slovakian climber who had died three days earlier.
Subsequent investigations revealed that no climbing agencies reported missing members, casting doubt on the identities of the alleged corpses. Nepal’s tourism ministry initially linked the bodies to a prior year’s expedition, only to discover those teams also reported no unaccounted climbers. The baffling episode remains unresolved, adding yet another perplexing chapter to Everest’s storied, eerie legacy.