On the night of February 1-2, 1959, nine experienced ski hikers died under mysterious circumstances on the northeastern slope of Kholat Syakhl mountain in the northern Urals. The group, led by 23-year-old Igor Dyatlov, had cut their tent open from the inside and fled barefoot and inadequately clothed into the freezing cold. Six died from hypothermia, three from severe injuries. Soviet investigators could find no plausible explanation and closed the case citing an “unknown natural force.”

On January 23, 1959, ten students from the Ural Polytechnical Institute set out on a 16-day ski expedition. One participant returned due to joint pain, while the other nine continued under Igor Dyatlov’s leadership. On February 1, they pitched their camp on the slope of Kholat Syakhl – the “Dead Mountain” in the language of the indigenous Mansi people. It was a deliberate decision not to descend to the sheltered valley despite poor weather conditions. This decision would become their death sentence.

The discovery circumstances were disturbing: The tent had been cut open from the inside with three horizontal and one vertical cuts. The hikers had fled barefoot or only in socks into the minus 13°F (-25°C) night. Four bodies showed severe injuries – skull fractures, broken ribs, internal bleeding. Two victims were missing their eyes, one their tongue. Radioactive traces were found on clothing. One hiker had climbed 13 feet (4 meters) high up a cedar tree despite the absence of branches. The skin of some victims was unnaturally tanned, their hair had turned gray.

Anaris Incident (1978)

Eight Norwegian skiers died in 1978 in the Anaris mountains under similarly mysterious circumstances. Here too, experienced winter hikers left their protective tent and died in the cold. The parallels to the Dyatlov Pass are striking – both cases show how even experienced mountaineers can make irrational decisions under extreme conditions.

Khamar-Daban Incident (1993)

Six Russian hikers died in 1993 in the Khamar-Daban mountains after a sudden storm. The survivor reported bloody foam from the mouths of the dying and mysterious circumstances. Like the Dyatlov Pass, many questions remained unanswered and fueled speculation about unknown natural phenomena.

In 2021, researchers from ETH Zurich presented a groundbreaking study: A rare type of slab avalanche could have caused the incident. Using computer models and accident simulations, they showed that a delayed avalanche could explain the severe injuries. The avalanche would have hit the tent, forced the hikers to flee, and later caused the fatal injuries. In 2019, Russian prosecutors also concluded after new investigations that an avalanche was the most likely cause.