Death and Mystery at Dyatlov Pass
The mysterious and tragic story of a Ural Mountain ski trip gone horribly wrong.
Setting Out to Ski the Urals
With hopes of skiing the Ural Mountains, a group of nine students set out on an expedition in Sverdlovsk Oblast in the Soviet Union. It was late January in 1959. The group was experienced. They notified the proper authorities of their route. And they acquired the requisite approvals. But something when horribly wrong.
February is the most difficult time to traverse the northern Ural Mountains. Comfortable and confident in the route, the group set off anyways. It was late January.
Led by twenty-three-year-old Igor Dyatlov, the group planned on skiing Otorten. It was a prominent mountain in the region and a would provide a great recreational experience.
Something’s Gone Horribly Wrong
To everyone’s surprise, the hikers never checked in. Immediately searchers were sent out. It was February 20th - almost a full month since they’d left.
With the group’s planned route in hand, the searchers had insights on where to look. But no insights could have prepared them for what they’d discover.
The group’s campsite was empty. There was no one. Clothes, shoes and other belongings were all present. A tent had been cut open, from the inside. To the searcher’s surprise, amidst the oddity of the camp, they noticed several sets of footprints in the snow. Actual footprints. No shoes, no socks…footprints.
Death Below a Cedar Tree
Following the tracks for almost a mile, the searchers came to the edge of a wooded area. Under a large cedar tree, the first bodies appeared.
Frozen in the snow, near the base of the tree were a pair of bodies. They were only wearing underwear. In an area where temperatures commonly reached -22F, searchers were baffled.
Not far from the first two bodies, the remains of three others were found. Searchers surmised the three had likley rallied with the two at the cedar tree. The location of the three indicated they may have been heading back to camp.
The hikers’ deaths seemed obvious. They had perished from hypothermia. No signs of damage or trauma beyond what one would expect from exposure to the cold. But as the searchers combed the area and the bodies, more questions arose. What seemed open and shut was far from it.
If it was just hypothermia, what forced the party from their tents? Why would they have fled into a frigid February night with no clothing or shoes. The questions piled up much quicker than the answers.
Searchers noticed that the cedar tree had several branches in arm’s reach torn down. All appearances indicated that the two men found under the tree had desperately tried to climb it. But why?
The Remaining Remains Turn Up
The initial search only turned up five bodies. It would be another two months before the other four bodies were found. Their discovery only added to the mystery.
The five bodies were buried under snow in a deep ravine. The ravine was even deeper into the woods than the cedar tree. Searchers began questioning how the group may have become so separated.
More puzzling, was that the remaining bodies demonstrated much more gruesome injuries than the initial set. They exhibited significant skull damage, major chest fractures, a missing tongue, and eyes.
The intensity of the trauma was far worse than the first set of bodies discovered. Curiously, the presence of radioactive material on clothing in the ravine was also discovered.
Let The Speculation Start
It did not take long for the Soviet government to close the case. They did so providing only vague causes of death. As we’ve seen in other mysteries, lack of answers spurred speculation and theories.
The first of which suspected local Mansi tribesmen for the attack. The behavior the hikers demonstrated believed to be a reaction to an ambush. And the mountain where the bodies were found was known by the Mansi as the Kholat Syahyl - the mountain of the dead.
This theory would not last. The Mansi were known to be peaceful, and the trauma suffered by some of the hikers exceeded limits any human could inflict on another. Additionally, the only tracks discovered at the campsite belonged to the hikers.
Soon authorities posited it was an avalanche. This too was quickly dismissed as their was no evidence of an avalanche at the scene. Others blamed their irrational behavior on the effects of hypothermia. Again, that theory was quickly dismissed. If suffering from hypothermia, why flea the warmth and protection of tents.
Even the KGB was put forward by some. Believing that they used a secret radioactive weapon, which might explain the radioactivity on some of the clothing. And also the government’s decision to suddenly close the case seemed suspicious.
But that theory couldn’t explain some of the brutal trauma. Folklore lended its own theory to answer that question. The Russian yet, known as the menk, would’ve been capable.
Scientists thought an infrasound wave drove the hikers from their tent in panic. While unusual, wind patterns were known to make low frequeny sound waves. These waves could create a kind of earthquake inside your body.
Theories abounded. Speculation soared. Few answers did. The case files attributed the deaths to a ’compelling natural force.’
The Mystery Continues
Recently, Russian officials re-opened the case. But they were only considering an avalanche, snow slab, or hurricane as causes. Two theories that many consider disproved.
Today, the mystery remains unsolved. At a prominent rock outcropping, along the path the hikers took sits a memorial. Erected to honor the nine lives lost in what is now called Dyatlov Pass. Named in memory for the leader and his group of ill-fated hikers.
History for the Hurried:
October 27, 1978: The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to Menachem Begin of Israel and Anwar Sadat of Egypt. Though eventually withdrawn, it may surprise you that this dictator was once nominated for a Nobel Prize.
October 28, 1919: Prohibition began in the U.S. with the passage of the National Prohibition (Volstead) Act by Congress. The government went to some uncomfortable lengths to enforce he act.
This bit of history is quite disturbing. There are so many unanswered questions about the missing hikers and the reasons behind their demise. A lot of speculation for sure and very interesting read! Thanks for your continued bits of history that most of us have not read about before.