Unsolved Mysteries: Nine Hikers Mysteriously Killed At Dyatlov Pass, Russia in 1959

A friend (hi Deb!) recently told me about the "Dyatlov Pass Incident". I cant believe I had never heard of it (since I'm usually up on such things). What a strange and intriguing story.

Per Wikipedia, the basic facts of the story are as follows: In February 1959, ten experienced ski hikers (eight men and two women) were heading to a mountain pass known as "Dead Mountain" (apparently due to its lack of game). One person (Yuri Yudin) turned back because of illness. The other nine were found several weeks to several months later. All were dead. They were not found huddled together but were in various locations. Most were either naked or partially clothed and barefoot (even though the temperatures were around -22 degree Fahrenheit). There were no signs of struggle and only the hikers footprints were visible at the scene. There were no external signs of injury although two victims had fractured skulls, two had broken ribs, and one was missing her tongue (and possibly eyeballs).



Condition of the tent as found by rescuers at Dyatlov Pass

Mysteries:

• Some persons were found wearing each other clothes. It may be that if some of the hikers died before the others, they then took their clothes in an attempt to stay warm. There is a syndrome known as "Paradoxical Undressing" in which persons become disoriented due to hypothermia and begin taking off their clothes.
• It has first been suggested that the local Mansi people may have murdered the hikers for infringing on their lands. However, no footprints existed at the site other than the hikers and there were no external signs of struggle
• Their tent had been slashed from the inside out. Why were they in such a hurry to leave?
• Some reports indicate that there was a strange orange/deep brown hue to the bodies. They also had extremely high levels of radiation present. Three articles of clothing (2 pants and one sweater) were also very radioactive.
• Strange glowing orange spheres were reported in that general area at that time. Witnesses included the military, the weather service, and a number of civilians.

Theories:

• Avalanche: The most plausible theory seems to be that an avalanche crushed their tent in the night. All had to climb their way of the tent but their clothes/shoes were still buried. At those temperatures, unclothed individuals could perish in 15 minutes. Remember that the rescue party did not arrive for several weeks. Most persons found with the crushing wounds were located in a ravine. They may have been trying to hike for help and then fell causing their injuries. Skeptics, however, point to the fact that when the tent was found, it was still upright and there was no indication that it had been under snow. Also Slobodin was one of the persons found with a skull injury and he was not in the ravine (he was on his way back to the tent when found). Additionally, natives say avalanches are very unlikely in that mountain range and, even if an avalanche were to occur, it should not have happened in the area that they camped.  
• Missing Tongue: While it is not a pleasant thought, animals will often attack the soft tissue of a body first (such as a tongue).
• UFOs: Several researchers (including the initial chief examiner Lev Ivanov) believe the incident points to contact with extraterrestrials. He said "We found that some young pine trees at the edge of the forest had burn marks, but those marks did not have a concentric form or some other pattern. There was no epicenter. This once again confirmed that heated beams of a strong, but completely unknown, at least to us, energy, were directing their firepower toward specific objects (in this case, people), acting selectively."
• USSR Military: Much of the information about Dyatlov was classified (making drawing any clear conclusions very difficult). It has been suggested the military was conducting missions in the area and accidentally killed the hikers. This was at the height of the Cold War so all sorts of military experiments would be occurring. They point to the orange spheres which were later confirmed to be missiles. There was also a large amount of scrap metal found in the area (indicating it has been used previously for testing).  
• Mansi, Escaped Criminals From A Gulag, Yetis, and Evil Spirits: Various persons have suggested all these options but the only footprints found were those of the hikers. There is also a centuries-old horror legend in the Urals which speaks of a fearsome zolotaya baba — a ‘golden woman’ — lurking in the area per: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2401175/Dyatlov-Pass-Indicent-slaughtered-hikers-Siberias-Death-Mountain-1959.html
• The Dyatlov Foundation is attempting to encourage the government to reopen the incident.
• Additional information: type in "Mysteries of Dyatlov Pass" in YouTube. It's in two parts and is in Russian (use closed caption and you'll be able to read in English).

Some of the hikers in better times

World According To GMonster
TV: Heavy On Sci Fi, Horror & Adventure; Light On Reality

September 2, 2013

10:07 PM