The Dyatlov Pass Incident – The Theories

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Part 3.

The Theories

What started out as a search and rescue effort soon turned into a serious investigation into the tragic and untimely deaths of nine young souls.

There were many aspects of the case which were highly mysterious and seemed to suggest some sort of foul play, but by whom or what.

In this concluding part of our Dyatlov Past series, we examine the theories surrounding what happened on that fateful night, back in February of 1959,

theories which range from the mundane to the truly extreme.

After the bodies of the nine hikers had finally been recovered, many questions lingered over just what had happened.

Authorities pieced together their actions after leaving the tent, but nobody understood why a group of nine experienced hikers would leave the safety of their shelter in the dead of night.

There have been several theories over the years.

Most prominent amongst them, and the explanation almost everyone uses to try and rationalise the incident, is that an avalanche was responsible.

It is theorised that during the night the hikers heard a rumble heading towards their camp.

and fled in fear for their lives.

However, this possibility does not stand up to scrutiny.

Although roundly debunked and criticised by any investigator worth their salt,

the idea of a potential avalanche somehow remains a popular explanation despite literal mountains of evidence to the contrary.

For starters, had an avalanche occurred, it's safe to assume that the tent would have been fully buried under a few feet of snow.

rather than just partially buried as it was.

Moreover, roughly a month after the incident, the rescuers were clearly able to identify and follow the hiker's footprints.

In many photos you can still make out the shape of the bare and stockinged feet, and investigators were even able to determine factors like weight distribution, walking pace, and stride length.

It's safe to say that an avalanche large enough to pose such a threat would also have wiped out the prints completely, let alone eradicated such minute details.

Perhaps most glaring of all is the fact that the bodies were found so far away from the tent.

In pitch black, with no footwear, it's extremely unlikely that all nine of the hikers would have been able to outrun an avalanche over such a distance.

Then, there's the mountain itself.

For all the focus on its deadly name, Polot Siakal rises at a mere 30 degree incline.

This is considered the lowest possible range for avalanche risk, which generally occurs closer to 45 degrees.

Of course, had Dyatlov or even Zolotoriov suspected such a danger, they would never have made camp where they did in the first place.

Provided with this evidence, Those who believe in this theory have shifted from a real avalanche to the possibility of a suspected one.

For instance, there could have been what's known as a snowslide.

This is what occurs in the beginning stages of a full-blown avalanche as the main ice pack begins to move, but then stabilises again before the runaway chain reaction has a chance to start.

It could be that this is what the Dyatlov group experienced and, in the interests of safety, decided to move off the mountain and seek protection in the tree line down below.

It could also be theorised that the group may have heard an avalanche occurring on another peak nearby, the ominous sound being amplified through the mountain passes and giving the impression that it was much closer than it actually was.

The group may well have thought that thousands of tons of snow were bearing down upon them when in fact, they were perfectly safe.

This too is a bit of a stretch, as it seems doubtful that they would have left their campsite without even once looking back at the slopes above them.

Even if it were pitch black and in blizzard conditions, they surely would have realised such a mistake before making it all the way to the bottom of the mountain.

In keeping with the more mundane explanations, many people suspect that something may have gone wrong inside the tent, thus leaving the hikers with no alternative but to cut their way way out.

A more recent example involves the group's stove.

It is well known that Igor Dyatlov had constructed a small wood burner, complete with a narrow exhaust that led outside the shelter and expelled any smoke.

The group regularly used it to boil water and as an extra heat source in the freezing cold temperatures.

The stove was usually set up every night without fail, and in fact it became became something of a competition to see who could assemble it in the quickest time.

The theory goes that on the night of the 1st of February, either the exhaust became blocked or the stove itself caught fire, quickly filling the tent with smoke and causing the group to panic.

On the surface, it feels like a reasonably sound explanation.

A small tent such as the one they were using would have filled with smoke rapidly, inhibiting the group's ability to breathe and see.

The experienced hikers would all have been well aware that they could die from smoke inhalation in minutes, which may have forced them to resort to cutting their way out.

Supporting this theory is the fact that Doroshenko was found with that grey foam-like substance on his cheeks, which was linked to a pulmonary edema.

One such cause of this condition is the inhalation of smoke and toxic chemicals.

Whilst the theory has merit, it unfortunately falls apart under further examination.

Firstly, investigators found no smoke nor fire damage to the tent canvas.

Secondly, when rescuers discovered the abandoned shelter on the 26th of February, they found that the stove had not even been assembled.

Instead, it was still neatly stored in Igor's backpack.

It's speculated that this has to do with the fact that the closest trees were over a kilometre away, so there was a scarcity of firewood to burn.

Finally, even if the stove had been set up and had caught fire, would the Dyatlov group have run off into the freezing cold night without either at least making sure that their only shelter was indeed a total loss before they headed out into certain doom, or without trying to rescue some of their essential supplies.

Another theory is that there was an argument of some sort in the tent, one that got violent enough to force the group to cut their way out.

This too is intriguing, mainly because of the nature of the injuries.

Though they tend to get the most attention because they are so gruesome, The official theory perfectly explains the nature of the most severe injuries, even those suffered by Dubanina.

Had the four remaining hikers fallen from a 6-metre height and had no ability to prepare for the subsequent impact with the ground, they could have landed on top of one another, with Slobodin and Zolotoriov perhaps clashing heads.

If Dubanina was unable to prepare for the sudden impact due to the dark or snow, it's perfectly logical to assume she may have simply bitten off her tongue when she landed.

This would explain the blood in her stomach.

As for the complete absence of the rest of her tongue muscle, it's well known that scavenging animals like birds and foxes tend to go for the easiest, most accessible flesh when they come across a carcass.

Wounds or exposed areas of the body are typically the first target because they provide an easy entry point for feeding.

The same goes for the missing eyes of Dubinina, Zolotoriov, and Kalevatov, all of whose faces were almost completely exposed.

So whilst much speculation is made about the state of the final four bodies, others think the real truth as to what sent the hikers running from the tent that night lies in the smaller injuries.

Remember that many of the hikers had suffered wounds to the hands and face, which several medical examiners claimed were similar to those sustained in a fist fight.

Four or five men fighting inside a tiny tent could certainly lead to bruises and abrasions as well, and, if it got bad enough, could undoubtedly have forced people to flee.

Once the fight had calmed down, they may have realised the tent was useless, and decided to seek shelter in the woods.

However, this doesn't account for why they wouldn't have taken shoes and other provisions.

Unless of course the visibility was so bad that they couldn't see the tent at all.

We know the weather had been bad the previous day, which is why they made camp where they did in the first place.

In a blackout or whiteout, they might not have been able to go in any direction but down.

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As to what started the fight, theories mostly revolve around two members of of the party, Doroshenko and Dyatlov.

It's a fact that Doroshenko and Zina had been in a relationship previously, and whilst it has not been confirmed that she was now with Dyatlov, they had spent a lot of time together hiking, and a photo of her was found in one of Dyatlov's notebooks.

It's also possible that Doroshenko who had a reputation for being brave and impulsive, was growing tired of Igor's leadership and may have confronted him about it, leading to a brawl.

Whilst a fistfight does account for the lesser injuries, it still remains unlikely the hikers would have run so far from the tent that they couldn't make their way back.

This sticking point has led to a divergent theory.

What if the fight wasn't between the hikers, but with some other person or persons unknown?

Some sleuths suspect that the group may have been attacked or coerced into leaving their camp, with theories ranging from an encounter with Soviet special forces, members of local Mansi tribes, or even escaped prisoners.

Like the idea of an internal conflict, this would explain the minor injuries suffered by most of the men, and the rifle butt or baton-like injury on Xena's Lumbar region.

Could the calm measured paces further down the mountain slope suggest that they were being ordered to walk away at gun or knife point.

As we'll see, there are numerous theories suggesting why and how the group might have encountered Soviet soldiers, although there's no evidence that any such military personnel were operating in the area.

However, the Mansi certainly were.

The Mansi are an Obugric indigenous people that occupy the areas in and around the Ural Mountains.

They are semi-nomadic hunters and fishermen, but they are often more stationary during the winter months.

In the centuries leading up to the formation of the Soviet Union, the Mansi were considered fierce warriors, who often went to war with Russians, Tatars, and other smaller tribes.

We know that there were Mansi in the area due to the fact that it was a tribesman who discovered the den, and the presence of labars in the area where the Dyatlov group stored their provisions.

Labars are raised platforms upon which the Mansi store their game for later retrieval.

Some reports state that there was a Mansi chum, or tent, located not far from where the group camped on the 30th of January.

We also know that the hikers were interacting with the Mansi both before and during the trip.

as their journals showed they had written down various unfamiliar words and their definitions.

Even the trail they followed was described in Dyatlov's journal as a beaten Mansi ski trail.

Of course, the mere presence of natives does not explain why they might have been attacked by them.

By all accounts, the interactions with the Mansi were all mutually positive.

However, Some have pointed out that any language barrier leaves room for potential misunderstandings to get out of hand.

One sub-theory of the Mansi attack hypothesis states that Rushtem Slobodin may have done something to offend a local tribe.

After all, he had gone on a major expedition with his father years earlier, which had put him in contact with a variety of Russia's ethnic minorities, many of which were less than ideal interactions.

Is it possible he had vocalised a distaste for dealing with the tribes?

or intentionally insulted them in some way.

There's also another sub-theory involving the so-called mountain queen.

The mountain of Koyekva appears in many of the photographs made by the Diatlov group.

One of the potential translations for this name is Stop Woman, which might mean women were forbidden to ascend as it was designated a holy place.

Was the presence of Liudmila and Zena so offensive to the Mansi tribesmen that they chose to attack the group in the middle of the night?

There are many accounts of unhappy interactions between the Mansi and women, with the tribe apparently considering females unclean in some way.

There is also a counter-suggestion about the cut to the tent being made from the outside rather than the inside, which only adds more questions.

Whilst both the tribal and military attacks are indeed intriguing, Neither explains why there were no other tracks found in the area.

The same goes for an escaped convict theory, which is further compounded by the fact that none of the group's belongings were taken, not even their money.

This seems to be the issue with all theories surrounding the Dyatlov Pass incident.

Many seem fairly sound on the surface, but none of them are without their problems.

There is always something that just doesn't seem to fit.

For this reason, even rational investigators have come to embrace more fanciful explanations.

The most grounded of these alleges some sort of Soviet conspiracy.

It's no secret that the Cold War era saw a number of secretive operations, many of which were done as far away from prying eyes as possible.

Siberia, with its minuscule population, would be an ideal place for Nikita Khrushchev's regime to test all sorts of terrible weapons.

For instance, the Soviet Air Force was known to deploy floating mines over parts of the Ural Mountains.

These were explosive devices attached to parachutes, which would usually detonate about a meter above the ground.

Is it possible that one could have exploded near the tent, injuring some of the hikers in the process and causing the rest to flee.

It's hard to believe there would be no telltale signs of such an impact, given the area being combed so extensively during the search and rescue operation.

Interestingly, Yuri Yudin believes that his friends stumbled upon something they were never supposed to see and were killed by Russian special forces.

In fact, one of the lead investigators attested that the Russian military had found the abandoned campsite a full two weeks before the search and rescue team, and that the discovery of other tracks in the area was covered up.

This theory is not beyond all possibility.

After all,

how can we be certain about the extent of footprints in the area, or lack thereof, when the entire scene had been compromised by people walking all over the hillside immediately after the camp's discovery?

Some hypotheses go so far as to state that the entire hike was a ruse, so that certain individuals in the group could meet up with nefarious agents, either from the West or from the Soviet government.

It is thought that not all of them were aware of this and that a struggle broke out when the true intentions of the trip were uncovered.

We know that Zolotoriov was a former soldier, but we also know Alexander Kolevatov had a high-paying job at the Ministry of Media and Machine Building in Moscow.

Either one of these men could have had valuable information to trade, or could have known something that the Soviet government wanted kept quiet.

Though it is certainly intriguing, it still doesn't quite explain the mass exodus from the tent, unless of course a fight broke out over the plan's revelation.

Still,

there is one government-related theory that seems to fit nearly all of the missing pieces.

The hypothesis states that the Soviet government was conducting some sort of weapons test in the area, most likely one involving infrasound.

Over the years, many organizations have invested in studying the potential of infrasound weapons, which could prove beneficial in crowd control and psychological warfare.

Such devices use ultra-low frequency sound waves to disrupt or harm targets, causing them to feel nausea, fear, dread and even hallucinate in some cases.

Even more compelling is the fact that this theory still holds weight even without the governmental connection as infrasound can also occur naturally, especially in mountain ranges where they're called mountain waves.

In his 2013 book Dead Mountain, Donny Icar wrote that the group were most likely affected by such a naturally occurring infrasound phenomenon.

Ikar postulates that the group became convinced of an impending doom about to befall them and left the tent without any consideration for how they were going to survive in the aftermath.

All they could think about was escape.

When they finally realised the folly of what they had done, it was far too late.

Experts in infrasound phenomena have examined the contours of Holotsiakal and have stated that if the conditions were just right, The smooth slopes would be perfect conductors for such sound waves to manifest.

So is this what caused the hikers to leave the safety of their tent in the middle of that freezing cold night, inadequately dressed and ill-equipped in most other aspects?

It's possible, but there are a few issues with this explanation.

Infrasound affects different people in different ways, so why would they all react so similarly?

Surely at least one of them would have seen reason.

Not only that, but would the effects of infrasound really be strong enough to affect a whole group of people continuously over the course of a mile?

The jury is still well and truly out.

It should come as no surprise that many theories about what happened at Dyatlov Pass have taken a distinct turn towards the paranormal.

The first of these posits that the hikers were attacked by one or more Yeti.

The local Mansi tribes tell of many legends about such creatures and absolutely believe that they inhabit the Siberian wilderness.

The hikers also wrote a small article about the Yeti in their mock newspaper.

This has led some people to put forward the possibility that the group were either spooked by one of these beings coming too close to camp or were indeed attacked by one or even several for encroaching upon their habitat.

A photograph taken by Brynyule on the 30th of January, the now infamous frame number 17, depicts what many believe to be a Sasquatch or Yeti stalking the group.

However, this brings us back to the issue that although wildlife tracks were found in the area, there was nothing significant enough to match a Bigfoot or even a bear for that matter.

Not only that, but cryptozoologists examined the image and supposedly determined that the proportions match those of a human being rather than those of a Sasquatch.

In all reality, it is most likely an out-of-focus shot of one of the other hikers.

Carrying on with paranormal or supernatural themes, The number 9 is said to have been quite significant in this case.

According to local Mansi legends, nine hunters died on the same slopes hundreds of years before in horrifying and mysterious circumstances.

Then, in 1991, an aircraft carrying nine people crashed in the same area, killing all aboard.

This has led some to suggest that Holat Siyakl is cursed or even haunted by evil spirits.

Did one of these spirits manifest in the middle of the hiker's tent on the night in question?

Did Yuri Yudin's departure from the group leave them susceptible to some sort of bad omen related to the number 9?

Perhaps the most prominent fringe theory suggests that UFOs were involved.

Although this may sound far-fetched, there may be some weight to this idea.

For instance,

Another hiking team located just a few miles away from the Dyatlov group reported seeing lights in the sky over Holat Siakal on the night of the 1st of February.

This was corroborated by several locals who also reported seeing orb-like shapes in the sky over the same area.

Mansi tribesmen would also say that this sort of phenomenon is fairly common in the Ural Mountains.

A rather chilling photograph on Krivonoshenko's camera, the final shot he ever took, shows what looks like an odd light anomaly in the night sky.

Zolotoriov's second camera seems to show more images in a similar vein, although the film was damaged, and it is hard to say exactly what they depict.

Moreover, lead investigator Lev Ivanov stated many years later that the Soviet government had pressured him to keep anything to do with supposed extraterrestrial involvement out of his reports.

Of particular note are the burn marks he found on trees at the bottom of the slope, especially the tops of some of the pines, which were singed black.

Ivanov was of the belief that these trees, or someone hiding within them, had been shot at indiscriminately with heat-based weapons.

The state of some of the bodies was also consistent with cattle mutilations found all over the globe.

although this could have been down to a combination of animal predation and putrefaction post-mortem.

The coroner also reported that the bone fractures were caused by a very high pressure force, the same kinds of injuries which are seen in car crashes, particularly when an unfortunate victim has been run over.

They were not caused by blows to the body using fists or hard-edged weapons.

Finally, the radiation found on some of the clothing is also a point of contention.

It is a characteristic seen in so many cases which allegedly involve extraterrestrials, but in all likelihood, this probably had more to do with the fact that Kalevatov was a nuclear physics major.

The contamination could have occurred in one of the labs at the institute where he studied before the trip even began.

In the end, if there is a supernatural explanation, it is just as likely and just as unlikely as any of the other, more grounded theories.

Perhaps the most extensive study into the Dyatlov Pass mystery took place in 2019.

In January of that year, on the 60th anniversary of the incident, two Swedish adventurers, Richard Holm Grian and Andreas Lilia Grian, alongside two experienced local guides, Ekaterina Zemina and Artem Domogrov, set out on an expedition to Holat Siakal in an effort to uncover the truth about what exactly happened to the Dyatlov hikers.

It was an undertaking aimed at replicating the very challenges that the original group had faced.

The expedition would hike out to the site during exactly the same time of year as the original members, the week between January and February, equipped with little more than a large tent and the most essential of supplies.

What they would discover during the two-week trip through some of Russia's most lonely and isolated areas would lead Holmgrien to construct a new theory about what had taken place all those years before.

It is one of the most grounded and plausible arguments about the Dyatlov deaths to date, and one that bears a striking resemblance to another tragedy that had previously occurred in his native Sweden.

In February 1978, a group of hikers set out across the Anaris Mountains of the Valadalen Nature Reserve in central Sweden.

Tragically, eight of them would perish in similar circumstances to their Russian counterparts 19 years earlier.

They too abandoned their camp, with most of them dying from exposure and with each of their bodies being lacerated with minor injuries.

The parallels between the two incidents are so similar in fact, it is almost eerie.

Both events would involve nine hikers, seven men and two women in both cases.

They both set out at pretty much the same time of year, in similar conditions.

And the terrain of the Anaris Mountains, bald of trees and with smooth gentle slopes set against an endless undulating horizon, looks almost like a mirror image of the passes south of Otorton Mountain in the Urals, where the Dyatlov hikers met their end.

The reason this Swedish expedition didn't turn into yet another haunting and unsettling mystery is because unlike the Dyatlov event, there was a lone survivor.

We are of course excluding Yuri Yudin, as although he did survive the Dyatlov hike due to illness, he was not present at the time the incident itself occurred, and so could not shed any light on how or why his friends perished.

The survivor of the Swedish expedition, however, was able to give a first-hand account of exactly what had taken place, although this was only after he had sufficiently recovered.

For the first few weeks, at least, whilst he was heavily sedated and largely incoherent, authorities were at a loss as to explain why the rest of his team had died.

The group had been well prepared, travelling across a region far less isolated than that in which the Dyatlov pass victims were found, and they had only been missing for a relatively short period of time.

Rescuers found the bodies at intervals, leading away from a small, hastily dug ditch which was stained red with fresh blood.

It was clear that whatever fate had befallen them must have been swift and brutal in its nature, but it would be a while before that fate was fully understood.

As it transpired, The party had spent most of the day skiing and were coming to a point where they would stop to make camp, when the weather conditions swiftly deteriorated.

The group was suddenly hit by freezing cold temperatures as wind speeds drastically increased, forcing the skiers to construct a hasty shelter in an effort to shield themselves from the deadly elements.

Despite having been well equipped, they were already exhausted from their exploits earlier in the day.

The freezing temperatures created by the relentless winds meant that the beleaguered skiers were quickly incapacitated.

The conditions were torturous.

Only six of them managed to make it into the shallow trench they had dug in the snow.

The other three, including the one who would survive, were left outside for dead.

All attempts to fix some form of roof or cover over the trench failed.

as the lashing winds ripped and tore away at whatever they tried to utilize.

With their hands frozen and bleeding profusely from digging the furrow, they were unable to retrieve vital clothing or equipment from their bags, and one by one they eventually succumbed to the effects of hypothermia.

The shelter they had created in order to survive, instead, became their grave.

During Holm Grian and Lilia Grihan's 2019 expedition to Dyatlov Pass, the anniversary visit would also fall victim to several sudden and violent changes in weather patterns, resulting in low temperatures and short but dangerous periods of extreme conditions.

The team would later learn that in the nights immediately after they had left the area, temperatures had rapidly dropped to further 15 degrees centigrade, leading Holmgrien to theorise that the Dyatlov hikers may have been killed by the same thing that took the lives of the Swedish skiers almost 20 years later.

Something known as a katabatic wind.

Catabatic translates from the Greek word katabatakos, meaning descending.

It is also known as a gravity wind or a downslope wind.

This occurs when air of a higher density is carried down the slopes of a glacial area, rapidly cooling and increasing in intensity as it moves.

In most cases, Catabatic winds are rather mild, but if the conditions are just right, they can turn into into hurricane force onslaughts, which are far more deadly.

They are also difficult to predict as they are localized events often missed on wider forecasts, and do not require any other type of accompanying weather condition in order to form.

With this in mind, Holmgrien would go on to propose the following scenario.

All available evidence suggested that the Dyatlov group had travelled a great distance on the 1st of February and had not stopped to rest until late in the afternoon.

When their tent was eventually located, it was clear that it had been pitched laterally to the ground as opposed to angled towards the gradient and had been fastened in place with standing skis rather than anything heavier or more secure.

As the group settled in for the night, The first they would have known about any sudden and unexpected weather event would have been an immediate onslaught onslaught of wind on the canvas.

The murderous conditions would likely have collapsed the supports.

The tent was almost certainly in danger of blowing away in the hurricane force winds, so they made the decision to leave and search for sturdier refuge.

Instead of wasting time fumbling with the buttoned entrance, They more than likely cut their way out for the sake of speed, knowing full well that they could repair it later on.

The group would then have used their hands to shovel snow on top of it in an effort to prevent their only shelter from being carried away.

In fact, the rescue team found a torch on top of this piled snow, which they believed was used as a beacon so that the group could find their way back to camp after the storm had abated.

They then made their way down the slope to seek shelter in the trees, not knowing how long the conditions would last.

Some might question why they would have left their only shelter in such circumstances, but in reality, a tent would be nowhere near sufficient to protect anyone against such a force of nature.

It certainly would not have saved the hikers from the 100mph winds nor the freezing temperatures which accompany them.

The ferocity and strength of the onslaught may even have been substantial enough to pick up loose items on the ground, such as small rocks and foliage, hurling them towards the fleeing hikers.

This would account for the minor injuries to the faces and upper bodies of the five members found in the vicinity of the tree line.

In any case, the group now found themselves a mile away from their tent, dressed in little more than light clothing,

and by this point,

their fate had already been sealed.

Holmgrien points to the fact that three of the bodies, those of Kolmogorova, Slobodin and Diatlov himself, were found with the snow surrounding them packed in very tight layers.

He theorises that this may indicate the three hikers had collapsed out in the open, while still being relentlessly battered by the heavy winds that were descending upon them from above and had frozen to death where they fell.

Working on the assumption that the other members of the group had managed to push on, Holmgrian goes on to divide the fate of the last six into two distinct subgroups.

He believes that after pausing for a short time under the shelter of the nearby cedar trees, Doroshenko and Krivonoshenko must have taken responsibility for the construction of a fire, whilst the other four hikers set to building two bivouacs after descending into the ravine.

which would shelter them until after the unexpected winds had finally subsided.

With their unprotected limbs and extremities half frozen by the biting weather conditions, the chances of the two men having been able to build and light a fire would have been minimal, yet both of their bodies were found with significant burns, which indicated they had successfully achieved this goal prior to passing away.

It's likely that even with the amount of heat and warmth that the fire was generating, Their bodies were already too damaged and paralyzed by the cold to ultimately survive.

One of Krivonoshenko's knuckles was torn and bloody where he had been biting it in an apparently unsuccessful attempt to stay conscious.

Both had suffered head and facial injuries from where they had eventually slumped lifelessly forward into the flames, which they had hoped would be their salvation.

In contrast to the futile efforts of the Anaris victims in 1978, the snow shelters that were constructed by the remaining Dietlov group members would have provided them with an effective means of waiting out the howling gale that had descended upon them.

Rather than simply digging into the first loose snow that they found, they had instead climbed down into the cover of the ravine.

They probably would have been unaware of the deaths of their two companions, as they had laboured to hollow out two good-sized bivouacs in the snow.

It is likely that they had all been huddling together inside one of the shelters, trying to seek some immediate respite from the situation, when fate struck them one of the cruelest of blows.

In a heartbeat, the bivouac ceiling collapsed under the weight of the tightly packed snow that lay on top of it, crushing and killing the last remaining team members.

From the frozen and well-preserved positions of the four hikers when they were recovered, still buried deep under four meters of snow, it was clear that they would have had no time to react to the tragedy that befell them.

Zolotoriov was found still holding a pen and paper in his hands, killed before he even had time to write down whatever he had been hoping to commit to posterity.

The remains of Kalevatov and Tibu Brynyul were lying right alongside him, also killed instantly by the crushing pressure of the falling snow.

Dubanina's body was found a short distance away from the others, having sustained catastrophic injuries to her chest and rib cage.

Holmgrian theorises that she must have been leaning halfway into the entrance to the bivouac, possibly in the act of crawling inside, when the collapse occurred.

Her entire upper torso was crushed, but her body subsequently slipped back and had been washed by meltwater away from the others, before freezing again.

The scenario presented by Holmgrian comfortably accounts for the injuries which were found on each of the bodies, their severity dependent upon which group they had been a part of.

For the first three, the injuries were relatively light and mainly sustained to the exposed parts of their body due to debris from the howling gale.

The next two bodies displayed a combination of minor injuries and fire damage which had occurred after they had expired.

For the final victims, the sudden sudden and crushing force of the roof collapse caused the worst injuries to be found at the scene.

The apparent removal of softer tissue such as the eyes and tongue are a natural occurrence during decomposition, especially when submerged in water, or may have been the result of limited animal predation.

There will of course be commentators who pick faults in the Holme Grian hypothesis and seek to push their own theories about what they believe actually took place.

But much about this theory is compelling, accounting for the lack of snow cover on the abandoned tent, which suggests that an avalanche did not actually take place,

and also accounting for the instantaneous high-pressure injuries inflicted upon some of the victims, rather than the blunt force trauma that might have been expected.

The fact that these arguments are based on observations carried out in near-identical weather conditions at the exact scene of the tragedy should add more weight weight to them.

The people involved in the 2019 expedition have displayed a passion and drive to understand the Dyatlov Pass incident above and beyond mere conjecture or speculation.

They seek not to shock or provoke with their findings,

only to find a much needed understanding and closure for those closely connected to the tragedy.

But as fascinating as this theory is, after all these years, we still don't know for certain what incident drove so many people to act so recklessly, and unfortunately, we may never know the truth.

It seems the secrets of Dyatlov past died on the slopes of Holat Siakal, along with the young men and women who undertook such a difficult assignment.

Whatever happened, it was such a tragic waste of life.

Truly, our hearts are with their loved ones.

These once vibrant and talented individuals should never be forgotten.

If we are to have any hope of solving this case, we should never stray from the curiosity we all feel regarding their final moments.

The sounds of their toil, laughter, and even their horror will forever echo through the lonely mountain pass where they spent their final days.

May their brave souls live on forevermore.

Bedtime is for us.