The Mystery Behind the Dyatlov Pass Incident

One of the 20th century's most puzzling and persistent mysteries is the Dyatlov Pass incident. It is about the nine accomplished hikers who mysteriously perished in the Soviet Union's Ural Mountains in 1959. The intended group walk up Otorten Mountain became a mysterious and deadly event that still has many talking.

The Journey

Igor Dyatlov, a 23-year-old student studying radio engineering, organised and led eight classmates and fellow students from the Ural Polytechnic Institute on a ski trip in January 1959. Their objective was to arrive at Otorten, a peak located roughly ten km to the north of the location of their demise. Zinaida Kolmogorova, Lyudmila Dubinina, Alexander Kolevatov, Rustem Slobodin, Yuri Krivonischenko, Yuri Doroshenko, Nikolai Thibeaux-Brignolles, and Semyon Zolotaryov were among the group of seasoned hikers.

The Discovery

A search was conducted after the group did not show up by the scheduled return date of February 12th. The group's damaged and abandoned tent was discovered by searchers on February 26 on the Kholat Syakhl slopes. The group's possessions, including their shoes, were all left behind when the tent was sliced open from the inside. The hikers had left the tent in a panic, leaving only their socks on or going completely barefoot, based on footprints found in the snow.

The Bodies

Yuri Doroshenko and Yuri Krivonischenko's bodies were discovered first, adjacent to the remains of a small fire, at the edge of a local forest, beneath a cedar tree. They were both wearing only their pants and had no shoes on. Searchers discovered the bodies of Dyatlov, Kolmogorova, and Slobodin between the cedar and the tent. It seemed that Slobodin had perished while trying to go back to the tent.

It took two months for the final four bodies to be found in a valley farther into the woods. The story these corpses told was more graphic. Dubinina's hands were discovered in a defensive stance, and her tongue, eyeballs, and a portion of her lips were missing. While Kolevatov and Zolotaryov suffered serious chest fractures, Thibeaux-Brignolles suffered major injury to his skull. Such injuries were said to require force comparable to that of an automobile accident.

The Investigation

Hypothermia and other unexplained injuries were the primary causes of death for the trekkers, according to the preliminary study. The investigation was ended with the ambiguous declaration that "a compelling natural force" was responsible for their deaths. A lot of speculations were sparked by the lack of reliable data and the fact that there were no other human traces at the location.

The Hypotheses

Several explanations have been put forth to account for the Dyatlov Pass incident:

Avalanche: According to some, the group was forced to escape their tent by an avalanche. This notion is called into question by the slope's angle and the absence of usual avalanche debris.

Strong winds known as "katabatic winds" might have pushed the hikers from their tent in a panic.

Military Involvement: According to some, the group may have discovered secret military experiments, maybe utilising parachute mines, which would account for the inside wounds in the absence of exterior ones.

Paradoxical Undressing: In conditions of hypothermia, people suffering frequently feel hot and undress, yet this does not explain the traumatic injuries.

Infrasound: It's possible that low-frequency sound waves could cause terror, however this notion is yet theoretical.

Recent Researches 

In 2019, Russian officials reopened the investigation, which is focussing on three natural phenomena: avalanches, snow slabs, and hurricanes. In 2020, the official ruling said that the hikers' fatalities were caused by an avalanche and inadequate visibility. But given the nature of the injuries and the dearth of physical evidence usually linked to avalanches, this theory was viewed with scepticism (Smithsonian Magazine, All That's Interesting).

In 2021, Swiss researchers employed powerful computer simulations to back up the avalanche idea. Using information on area topography and snow friction, they replicated the conditions of the night the hikers perished and found that a tiny slab avalanche may have happened without leaving noticeable signs. This avalanche, combined with katabatic winds, could have caused the injuries observed, which were likened to those seen in car crashes​ (Smithsonian Magazine)​​ (All That's Interesting)​.

The most recent studies highlight that while the avalanche theory does not explain every detail, such as the missing tongue and eyes of one hiker, it offers the most plausible scientific explanation to date. The scientists believe that the avalanche forced the hikers out of their tent into the freezing conditions, leading to their deaths by hypothermia while explaining the severe injuries​ (All That's Interesting)​.

Conclusion

All things considered, even if there is still much to learn about the Dyatlov Pass incident, these new discoveries offer a convincing natural explanation that contradicts many of the more fanciful explanations that have been proposed over the years.