February 17, 2021

Dyatlov Pass Conspiracy Theories Laid to Rest... Or Not?


Dyatlov Pass Conspiracy Theories Laid to Rest... Or Not?
This statue in Yekaterinburg honors the nine victims of the mysterious Dyatlov Pass incident. Wikimedia Commons user Dmitry Nikishin.

The mystery of what happened to the nine Dyatlov Pass hikers remains popular despite happening over 60 years ago – in 1959. Russians love a good conspiracy theory and have proposed that the group was killed by yetis, UFOs, or Soviet nuclear experiments. But a paper released in the journal Communications Earth & Environment supports authorities' 2020 conclusion that it was probably just an avalanche.

First, why do Russians doubt it was an avalanche? When authorities first arrived on the scene, there was no evidence of one. The mountainside the group camped on had a slope of less than 30°; most experts agree that bunny hills do not have avalanches. Injuries were inconsistent with avalanche: missing eyeballs, eyebrows, and tongues, and radiation on clothing. Locals reported seeing "glowing orange spheres" over the site.

Scientists Johan Gaume and Alexander M. Puzrin concluded that a slab avalanche likely led to the hikers' demise. The group carved out a place for their campsite in the snow, and higher snow could have weakened enough to slide over snow below it, especially in high winds. The researchers modeled 400 kilos (880 pounds) dropping on the sleeping campers.

Lucy Ash of the BBC contacted hikers' family members to discuss these findings – none of whom accepted them. They are convinced that the hikers were so skilled that they would not have set up camp so irresponsibly.

Something tells us that we have not heard the end of the Dyatlov Pass mystery.

Just in case the researchers are correct, if you are ever stuck on a snowy mountain and need to make camp, make yourself a "snow cave" rather than cutting into the slope.

You Might Also Like

Cold Case
  • March 01, 2019

Cold Case

A mysterious tragedy that killed nine students in the Urals in 1959 is suddenly making headlines in Russia.
Case Closed on Dyatlov Pass?
  • July 20, 2020

Case Closed on Dyatlov Pass?

Was it aliens? Secret nuclear testing? Bigfoot? The Russian Prosecutor-General's office claims to have solved one of Soviet Russia's most perplexing mysteries.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955