The mysterious death of nine young hikers in the winter of 1959 at a remote pass in the Ural mountains has fascinated Russia for decades and spread countless theories from monsters to botched nuclear testing.
Now research published Thursday in the journal Communications Earth and Environment has highlighted a natural explanation for the deaths of experienced climbers, whose frozen bodies were found scattered across the snowy landscape, some with horrific injuries.
With no one alive and many questions left unanswered, doubts about the “Dyatlov Pass Mystery” have subsided despite an official ruling last year that the students had died in avalanche.
The new research reveals that a combination of factors – including a cut made in the snow when the trekkers pitched their tents and the lifting of snow with strong freezing winds – triggered a delayed avalanche. which brought the outdoor students to a temperature of -25 degrees Celsius (-13 Fahrenheit).
“Several parts of the mystery of Dyatlov Pass will never be explained, because no one survived to tell the story,” said co-author Johan Gaume, who heads the EPFL’s Snow Avalanche Simulation Laboratory in Switzerland.
On the night of February 1, 1959, hikers led by Igor Dyatlov set up camp on the slope of the Kholat Saykhl, “Dead Mountain”.
Sometime after midnight something unexpected caused a trip out of the tent and an escape to a forest, more than a kilometer down the slope, without proper clothing.
Some of the bodies were found strangely colored or missing eyeshadows. Others were internally injured but had no external signs. One man’s body recorded a high level of radiation, while one woman’s tongue was missing.
A criminal case was opened and closed shortly thereafter. It was classified until the 1970s.
The Dyatlov Pass event became one of the biggest mysteries in Russia, inspiring several books, documentaries and feature films dedicated to the tragedy.
Various theories that have been circulating over the decades have included an attack by a yeti-like creature, an explosion caused by a secret weapon test, falling rocket debris, or even some unknown psychological force that caused the pedestrians kill each other.
Gaume said he was first made aware of the story in 2019, when a journalist informed him of the decision to reopen the case.
“I became very interested,” he told AFP.
He was joined by Alexander Puzrin, a professor at ETH Zurich, who had experience in forensic geotechnical investigations.
Prosecutors last year ruled that the group was killed by an avalanche and found that most had died of hypothermia.
But questions remained.
These included how an avalanche could have occurred on such a small slope; how it could be stimulated sometimes after the tent was set up; and why several of the group were seriously injured not usually seen in an avalanche.
The researchers created an analytical model to look at avalanche release under the environmental conditions in which climbers set up their tent.
Their analysis reveals that the hikers could unknowingly set up camp – dragging slabs into the frozen ground for shelter – on a weak layer of snow.
During the night, winds may have deposited more snow in a slab above the tent and researchers believe the avalanche could be triggered between 9.5 and 13.5 hours after the campers walkers to establish.
The study also used simulations of the injuries – including that the pedestrian would have been lying down when the incident occurred – and found that they responded to the autopsy reports. .
Gaume said the study was “the most interesting issue I have ever worked on.
“We felt like detectors!”
He confirmed, however, that the researchers do not say they have solved the mystery.
“I think it’s also a good story of courage and friendship against the brutal force of nature,” he said.