Between February 1 and 2, 1959, nine experienced Soviet climbers set out on a trek to the Ural Mountains, but during the night, something caused them to leave their tents and flee without adequate clothing in the harsh weather of a blizzard and sub-zero temperatures. After the group was found, authorities determined that 6 of them died of hypothermia, while 3 others died of physical trauma. Strangely, after further investigation, several irregularities were found on the bodies of the climbers, some had damage to their skulls, some had internal physical trauma but no signs of external attacks were found, and some were missing several body parts, such as eyes, tongues, and eyebrows. At that time, authorities could only conclude that the main factors causing the deaths of the nine climbers were bad weather and dangerous terrain. However, there is no certainty about what actually happened, so several theories have begun to emerge, starting from natural causes such as animal attacks, hypothermia, and avalanches, to conspiracy theories such as military involvement and infrasonic sounds causing panic. Well, this terrible incident still leaves a big question mark, and for that, in this video, we will discuss what really happened behind the terrible Dyatlov Pass Incident along with some of the theories that have emerged. Welcome to the Dyatlov Pass Incident Video Game Journal. In 1959, a Soviet climbing group was formed to conquer the category III ski challenge. For those who are not familiar, category III skiing is the most difficult challenge that requires climbers to climb a distance of 300 km, of which they must cover at least 100 km to overcome natural obstacles such as climbing on steep inclines or descents, walking through dense forests with bushes, moving in treeless areas far from villages, and so on. In addition, they also have to spend at least 6 nights in the outer area in extreme cold weather conditions. This requirement forces climbers to organize as best as possible what equipment they should bring out in order to survive for 6 full nights. So out of a total of 16 days of climbing, they are required to spend the night in tents for at least 6 nights, they cannot stay in huts, shelters or abandoned houses. Category I skiing on the other hand is the easiest challenge that does not require climbers to spend the night in the outer regions, so they can stay overnight in huts or rural houses along the climb. So, the climbing group, which would later be called the ‘Dyatlov Group’, wanted to conquer the category III ski challenge in the Northern Ural Mountains, culminating in Mount Otorten. The Dyatlov Group was led by a 23- year-old man named Igor Dyatlov who was a radio engineering student at the Ural Polytechnic Institute. He gathered nine other people to join, most of whom were fellow students. Initially, the group consisted of 8 men and 2 women. They started climbing on January 23, 1959, but on the fifth day of the climb, or more precisely on January 28, one of the members named Yuri Yudin decided to withdraw due to health problems. He had sciatica, a condition affecting the sciatic nerve, and felt pain in his knees and joints. Unexpectedly, due to his health problems, Yuri Yudin was the only member of the group to survive the expedition. No one knows the details of what happened to the nine climbers who continued their journey, but through diaries and cameras found around the last campsite, investigators were able to trace the group's route up to the day before the tragic incident. On January 31, Dyatlov's group arrived at the plateau and prepared to climb further by first storing food and equipment reserves in a wooded valley that they planned to use later on the return journey. They then began crossing the mountain pass the next day, where investigators say the climbers had originally planned to set up camp on the other side, but due to worsening weather conditions – a snowstorm and decreasing visibility – they lost their way and instead veered west. After realizing their error, instead of descending 1.5 km to a forested area below that would have provided shelter from the elements, Dyatlov's group decided to pitch their tent on the mountainside. Yuri Yudin, the only survivor, assumed that it was done because Dyatlov did not want to lose the height they had gained, or perhaps he just wanted to practice setting up camp on the mountainside. Whatever happened out there, Dyatlov's group was never heard from again after that. Before leaving, Igor Dyatlov, the group leader, promised to send a telegram to his sports club as soon as they returned to the village of Vizhai. It was estimated that they would return no later than February 12, but because Dyatlov had informed Yuri Yudin that their journey was expected to take longer, when the group did not report back even after February 12, no immediate reaction was taken. Delays of a few days are common on expeditions like this. However, on February 20, the climbers' relatives began to feel anxious and demanded that a search operation be carried out immediately. Due to this, the head of the institute sent the first rescue team consisting of volunteer students and lecturers, before they later got help from the military and police who deployed planes and helicopters to carry out search operations. On February 26, the search team managed to find the Dyatlov group's abandoned tent in a badly damaged state on the slopes of Mount Kholat Syakhl. This discovery left them confused, according to Mikhail Sharavin, the student who first discovered the tent, "The tent was found half-collapsed and covered in snow. It was empty. All the group's belongings and shoes were left there." Investigators said that the tent was cut from the inside, and in addition, they also found footprints of nine people, some wearing only socks, some wearing only one shoe, and some even barefoot. These footprints appear to lead to the edge of the forest on the opposite side of the mountain pass, about 1.5 km to the northeast. But after 500 meters, the trail was covered in snow. Searching the area, the search team noticed the remains of a small fire under a Siberian Pine Tree. Nearby, were the first two bodies, namely Krivonishenko and Doroshenko, who were found half-naked. They were barefoot and only wore underwear. Broken tree branches indicated that one of them climbed a tree possibly to look for a tent or help. Among the pine trees and the campsite, the search team managed to find 3 other bodies, namely Igor Dyatlov as the group leader, along with 2 of his members, Kolmogorova and Slobodin. Their body positions indicated that they were trying to get back to the tent. It took more than two months to finally find the bodies of the last four members. On May 4, search teams managed to find the bodies of Dubinina, Kolevatov, Sasha, and Nikolai, in a 4-meter-deep ravine, about 75 meters further into the forest from the location of the pine tree. Three of them were found fully clothed and there were signs that they had worn the clothes of previous victims to survive. This is the starting point of the great mystery of the Dyatlov Pass Incident which is still debated to this day – what actually made the hikers rush out of their tents in panic without any clothes in the middle of a snowstorm at night? The investigation process began immediately when the first 5 bodies were found, where after a medical examination, no serious injuries were found that could have caused death, so at that time, investigators concluded that the five climbers died of hypothermia. Slobodin suffered a small fracture to his skull that is not considered fatal. However, the conclusion changed 2 months later when the search team managed to find the last 4 bodies. Three of the four climbers suffered fatal injuries – Nikolai suffered severe skull damage, while Dubinina and Sasha suffered serious chest fractures. According to forensic expert Boris, the force required to cause such injuries was enormous, equivalent to a car crash. But strangely, no signs of external violence were found on the bodies of the three climbers, as if their bodies were under high pressure from within. In addition, the four bodies of the climbers found in the steep ravine also suffered soft tissue damage to the head and face. Dubinina lost her tongue, eyes, part of a lip, facial tissue, and skull fragments ; Sasha lost an eyeball; Nikolai suffered severe damage to his skull; and Kolevatov lost an eyebrow. Forensic expert Boris stated that these injuries likely occurred after the climbers were already dead because the four bodies were found submerged in the water. One theory is that Dyatlov's hiking group was attacked by the Mansi, an indigenous people who live in the area. The reason the Mansi tribe attacked Dyatlov's group was because they thought the climbers had violated their territory. However, after interrogating several Mansi people, investigators were unable to obtain any evidence to support this theory, especially since during the search, the search team only found the climbers' footprints and no signs of hand-to-hand combat. The investigation was finally concluded with some details of the findings, including that 6 members of the climbers died of hypothermia and 3 others from fatal injuries caused by enormous force. No traces of anyone other than the group of climbers were found. The tent was torn from the inside. All members of the group left the tent of their own free will and walked. And traces of radiation were found on the clothes of one of the victims. Official documents did not mention the condition of the victims' internal organs at all, and at that time, the final conclusion stated that the Dyatlov group died due to extraordinary natural forces. The investigation was closed in May 1959 due to the absence of any guilty parties. Meanwhile, the case files were sent to the secret archives. In February 2019, Russian authorities reopened the investigation, but ultimately considered only three possible causes: an avalanche, shifting snow cover, and a powerful storm. There was a report that was not recorded in the official 1959 investigation. This report came from another group of climbers who, on the night of the incident, were 50 km south of the site. They testified about orange glowing balls seen in the sky on the night of the incident. Anatoly Gushchin summarized his research in a book entitled “The Price of State Secrets is Nine Lives,” which, despite criticism from researchers who considered its contents too focused on speculative theories about Soviet secret weapons experiments, the publication of this book sparked public discussion. Many people who had previously remained silent for more than 30 years began to reveal new facts about the incident, one of them being Lev Nikitich Ivanov, a former police officer who led the official 1959 investigation. In 1990, he published an article admitting that the investigation team had no rational explanation for what really happened behind the Dyatlov Pass incident. He also stated that after his team reported the accounts of glowing orbs in the sky, he received direct orders from high-ranking regional officials to ignore the reports. On July 11, 2020, Andrey Kuryakov, deputy head of the Ural Federal District Directorate of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office, officially announced that the cause of the Dyatlov group's death was an avalanche. Kuryakov noted that although the climbers made a mistake in choosing a tent location, all their subsequent actions were in accordance with standard safety procedures, they carried out an emergency evacuation to an area considered safer from potential avalanches, sought shelter in the forest, lit a campfire, and dug a snow cave for shelter. But ironically, precisely because the climbers were very experienced people, they ended up tragically. If they had been less experienced, they might have stayed near the tent and managed to survive. This can happen because the more experienced a person is, the greater their fear of avalanches. An American investigator named Benjamin Radford agreed with this official statement, that the cause of the climbers' deaths was an avalanche. He imagined what would happen if an avalanche occurred while the climbers were sleeping in their tents. With a scenario like this, it makes sense why the tent was found cut from the inside. Fearing an avalanche that might have already begun to cover the tent entrance, the climbers were forced to cut open the tent from the inside and escape before they could get fully dressed. In the darkness of the night, they then separated into 2 or 3 groups. One group made a campfire, while the other tried to return to the tent to get clothes after realizing the danger had passed. However, due to the extremely cold temperature, estimated to reach -30°C, they all died before they could reach the tent. The last four climbers found were seriously injured and were likely swept away by the storm and fell into a 4-meter-deep ravine. Dubinina's tongue could have been lost due to being eaten by wild animals or the natural process of decay. Although the avalanche theory is the most plausible and closest to reality, there are several arguments against this theory. First, during the investigation, no signs of an avalanche were found at the scene. If an avalanche had indeed occurred, there would have been widespread damage in the surrounding area, and if the avalanche had been strong enough to drag the bodies of 4 climbers, the bodies of the other victims would have also been dragged along and suffered equally fatal injuries. The trees around the location were also not affected at all. Second, there has never been a history of avalanches in the Ural Mountains region that the Dyatlov group climbed. Previously, there had been more than 100 climbers who had climbed the area and none of them had reported any conditions that would have allowed an avalanche to occur. Third, recent studies utilizing modern terrain physics and topographical contours indicate that the location of the incident does not naturally support the occurrence of avalanches. Fourth, the direction of the avalanche did not correspond to the damage to the tent. Analysis of the terrain and slope shows that even if a landslide occurs, the direction of movement will not affect the tent. The tent appears to have collapsed from one side, not due to a strong horizontal push from above or the front. Fifth, Dyatlov's group consisted of 2 very experienced people. Igor Dyatlov, the leader, is an experienced ski climber, while Sasha, who is much older, is pursuing master-level certification in ski instruction and mountaineering. It is highly unlikely that they would set up camp on a potentially landslide-prone route. And finally, when the investigation was carried out, the climbers' footprints did not show any signs of panic. All the tracks found showed a relaxed walking pattern, consistent with people walking calmly and in order – not fleeing from an imminent threat. In 2015–2019, at the request of the victims’ families, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) conducted a re-examination of the investigation conducted in 1959. The results reaffirm the truth behind the avalanche theory with some additional important details. One of the ICRF investigators, an experienced mountaineer, confirmed that the weather on the night of the incident was extreme; Wind speeds reached 20-30 meters per second or the equivalent of 72-108 km/hour, snow storms occurred, and temperatures were expected to drop to -40°C. This extreme weather was never considered by the 1959 investigation team because they only arrived 3 weeks after the incident, when the weather had improved and the remains of the avalanche had already been covered by new snow. The ICRF also reconstructed the tragedy of that night: On February 1, Dyatlov's group arrived at Mount Kholat Syakhl and set up a large tent for 9 people on an open slope without any natural protection such as forest. Heavy snow had begun to fall several days earlier, accompanied by strong winds and extreme temperatures. According to procedure, the climbers then dug the tent foundation, but without realizing it, their activities caused the bottom layer of snow to weaken. At night while they were sleeping, as a result of the continuous heavy snowfall, the layer of snow on top of the tent that had accumulated quite a lot fell down covering the entrance of the tent. The group woke up in a panic, saw the tent door covered in snow and decided to cut the tent fabric from the inside so they could escape before the tent was buried by the snow. They hurriedly walked out of the tent and down the slope about 1,500 meters towards the forest, a place considered safer from avalanches. Here, because there were several climbers who were not wearing complete clothing, the group split up. Two of them, wearing only underwear and pajamas, were found under a Siberian pine tree near a campfire. Both were confirmed to have died of hypothermia. Three other climbers, including Igor Dyatlov, tried to return to the tent, possibly to get their sleeping bags. They wore warm clothes but they were not adequate to withstand the extreme temperatures. The bodies of the three climbers were found dead at a distance of about 300-600 meters from the campfire. Their poses show that they are exhausted from trying to climb through the thick snow in the extremely cold weather. The last four survivors who had the most adequate clothing and shoes tried to find or build shelter further into the forest. They were found 2 months later in a steep ravine with severe injuries most likely caused by an accidental fall. However, there is another assumption which says that the main cause of the Dyatlov Pass incident was not an avalanche, but rather Katabatic winds. In 2019, a joint Swedish-Russian expedition was conducted to the site of the Dyatlov tragedy, and the results of the investigation stated that very strong katabatic winds were a plausible explanation for the incident. Katabatic winds are a rare natural phenomenon where cold gusts of wind flow rapidly down a mountain slope. Although rare, these winds can be very deadly. For example, in the Anaris Mountains, Sweden, in 1978, katabatic winds killed eight climbers and seriously injured one. The 2019 expedition also noted that the topography of Mount Kholat Syakhl and Anaris is similar, supporting this hypothesis. Those were some of the official conclusions drawn by the investigators, conclusions that put more emphasis on natural events as the main cause of the Dyatlov Pass incident and at the same time to refute all the conspiracy theories that have emerged. Next we will discuss several other hypotheses and conspiracy theories that have emerged since the Dyatlov Pass incident occurred in 1959. One hypothesis popularized in Donnie Eichar's 2013 book Dead Mountain states that the wind flowing around Mount Kholat Syakhl forms the Kármán vortex street phenomenon, a phenomenon where the pattern of wind vortices produces infrasonic waves. For those who are not familiar, Infrasound is a very low frequency sound wave, below the threshold of human hearing, which can cause physical discomfort and psychological distress, including extreme anxiety and panic without any apparent cause. According to Eichar's theory, strong winds passing over Mount Kholat Syakhl create infrasonic waves and disrupt the climbers' nervous systems, causing sudden nausea, disorientation, and panic. In such conditions, they got out of the tent in a hurry, no matter what, including cutting the tent cloth from the inside. After descending the mountain slope, the climbers managed to get out of the range of the infrasonic waves and it had most likely become calm again. However, due to the total darkness and extreme temperatures, they could not find their way back to the tent and eventually died of hypothermia. The four victims who suffered serious injuries are thought to have been caused by tripping over the edge of the cliff and falling onto the rocks below. Another speculation is that the Dyatlov campsite was on the test track of a Soviet military parachute bomb. It is alleged that on the night of February 1, the climbers were awakened by a loud explosion and fled the tent in a panic to the point where they did not have time to put on their full clothes or shoes. But what is a parachute bomb? Parachute bombs are bombs that explode in mid-air, and their explosion can generate shock waves that cause severe internal injuries but do not always leave noticeable external wounds, similar to the condition of some climbers who are found to have internal physical trauma but no signs of external violence or external wounds. Now this theory claims that some climbers died from hypothermia, but others died from the shock wave coming from the parachute bombs tested by the Soviet military. Some evidence that can strengthen the suspicion is the existence of official documents that record the testing of parachute bombs in the area at the same time as the climb and reports of sightings of glowing orange balls in the sky that are believed to be Soviet military aircraft or parachute bombs being tested. Yuri Yudin, the only surviving member of the Dyatlov group, adheres to this theory. He believes his friends died as a result of military testing. Another related theory states that the Soviet Union was possibly testing radiological weapons based on two reasons: the discovery of traces of radiation on the clothing of one of the victims and the description from the victim's family that the body had orange skin and grayish hair. However, there is a scientific explanation that can refute this theory. If there were indeed radiological weapons, radiation exposure should have been detected in all members of the group, including all their equipment, not just a small portion. Meanwhile, the changes in skin and hair color were most likely caused by a natural mummification process because the climbers' bodies had been exposed to extreme cold weather for 3 full months. This conspiracy theory arose as a result of allegations that the Soviet government was hiding documents regarding the Dyatlov tragedy, but this practice was common in the Soviet era. Since the 1980s, all files related to the Dyatlov case have been gradually released to the public. Some people believe that Paradoxical Undressing is the main reason behind the discovery of the body of a climber who is not wearing any clothes. As is known, 6 out of 9 climbers died due to hypothermia, but in fact, hypothermia that is too severe can trigger strange behavior called Paradoxical Undressing. The victims seemed to be deceived and felt the heat in the extremely cold weather, so they decided to take off their own clothes. This is what is thought to have happened to the 2 victims found first. After discussing all the theories that have emerged, let's discuss one of the most mysterious members of the Dyatlov group. Semyon Alekseevich Zolotaryov, usually called Sasha, was the oldest member of the Dyatlov climbing group. He was 38 years old when the climb was made. Born into a family of medical personnel, Sasha belonged to the generation most affected by the Great Patriotic War, during which time, he served the entire war as a member of the Armed Forces and received 4 medals for his bravery. After the war ended, he moved from one military school to another, which were then suddenly closed or disbanded. Because of this, he eventually switched to working as a tour instructor, something very different from his military career. Many speculate that Sasha was once part of a special unit, intelligence, or covert Soviet military operation. In 1959, Sasha left his job as a tour instructor and joined the Dyatlov climbing group at the last minute. So actually he was not a member of Dyatlov. He was also much older, between 37 or 38, while the other members were still in their 20s, and no one recognized him. Many people suspect that Sasha's participation was not a coincidence, but had a hidden purpose. Sasha's identity is not fully known, other than that he was single, something that was unusual at that time in the Soviet era, and he had unusual tattoos on his body. Some tattoos show star symbols, random letters, and letter combinations believed to be codes for military ties. Well, the tattoos on his body are always hidden under his clothes, so that other climbers never know of his existence. When found, Sasha had a broken chest, which is common when someone is hit by a car or experiences very high pressure on the chest, but strangely, there were no visible external injuries. He also lost an eye and had gold-plated teeth, which was uncommon in Soviet times for ordinary soldiers. Many suspect that he died from a secret weapon or perhaps was tortured after his death. The burial of Sasha's body was felt to be too strange. There is no official record of when he was buried, and when his remains were exhumed by investigative journalists in 2018, forensic results showed that his skull did not match 100% with his medical records. This raises the question of whether the body in the tomb is really his or not. Taking Sasha's military background, his older age than the other climbers, his last-minute involvement in the Dyatlov group , and the unusual nature of his injuries into account, many researchers and theorists have suggested that Sasha was likely a KGB agent who was monitoring and infiltrating the climbing group. Perhaps the Dyatlovites accidentally saw or came close to the secret Soviet test, and Sasha was sent to eliminate them to prevent any information from leaking. The horrific case of the Dyatlov Pass Incident has received various adaptations, including films, games, and books. Three films that are quite well known are the 2013 release Devil's Pass which takes the theory of Soviet military testing; Dead Mountain, a 2020 release that combines historical facts with personal stories and conspiracy theories; and 2021's An Unknown Compelling Force, which focuses on a scientific approach, featuring witness interviews, scientists, and current theories. Meanwhile, there are also 3 books, including Dead Mountain by Donnie Eichar which presents the theory of infrasound; The Overwhelming Force of Dyatlov which is based on official documents; and The Dyatlov Pass Mystery: Not a Cold Case which presents alternative theories. For video games there are Kholat, Expedition Zero, and Tales Beyond the Tomb Episode 4 White Silence. Kholat places players in the Dyatlov Pass, where they will learn what really happened through various records left behind; Expedition Zero is a survival horror game inspired by the Dyatlov Pass Incident; Meanwhile, TBT Episode 4 White Silence takes a supernatural theory, where the game tells the story of how mountains have some kind of ancient power unknown to humans. Anyone who goes there will never come back the same. However, no one knows the truth except those who struggled together to climb the Ural Mountains and ended up dying under strange circumstances. The Dyatlov group received a number of honors, such as the unveiling of a new monument on the Ural Federal University campus featuring the names of the nine climbers, the establishment of the Dyatlov Foundation in 1999, and an annual commemoration on February 1-2. So what do you guys think? Which theory makes the most sense? Please share your opinion in the comments column below. 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