Taken entirely from Wikipedia (emphasis mine):
The Dyatlov Pass incident refers to an event that resulted in the deaths of nine ski hikers in the northern Ural mountains on the night of February 2, 1959. It happened on the east shoulder of the mountain Kholat Syakhl (Холат Сяхл) (a Mansi name, meaning Mountain of the Dead). The mountain pass where the incident occurred has since been named Dyatlov Pass (Перевал Дятлова) after the group's leader, Igor Dyatlov (Игорь Дятлов).
The lack of eyewitnesses and subsequent investigations into the hikers' deaths have inspired much speculation. Investigators at the time determined that the hikers tore open their tent from within, departing barefoot in heavy snow. Though the corpses showed no signs of struggle, two victims had fractured skulls, two had broken ribs, and one was missing her tongue. According to sources, four of the victims' clothing contained substantial levels of radiation. There is no mention of this in contemporary documentation; it only appears in later documents.[1] Soviet investigators determined only that "a compelling unknown force" had caused the deaths. Access to the area was barred for skiers and other adventurers for three years after the incident. The chronology of the incident remains unclear due to the lack of survivors
[...]
On February 26, the searchers found the abandoned camp on Kholat Syakhl. The tent was badly damaged. A chain of footprints could be followed, leading down towards the edge of nearby woods (on the opposite side of the pass, 1.5 km north-east), but after 500 meters they were covered with snow. At the forest edge, under a large old pine, the searchers found the remains of a fire, along with the first two dead bodies, those of Krivonischenko and Doroshenko, shoeless and dressed only in their underwear. Between the pine and the camp the searchers found three more corpses—Dyatlov, Kolmogorova and Slobodin—who seemed to have died in poses suggesting that they were attempting to return to the camp. They were found separately at distances of 300, 480 and 630 meters from the pine tree.
Searching for the remaining four travelers took more than two months. They were finally found on May 4, under four meters of snow, in a ravine in a stream valley further into the wood from the pine tree.
A legal inquest had been started immediately after finding the first five bodies. A medical examination found no injuries which might have led to their deaths, and it was concluded that they had all died of hypothermia. One person had a small crack in his skull, but it was not thought to be a fatal wound.
An examination of the four bodies which were found in May changed the picture. Three of them had fatal injuries: the body of Thibeaux-Brignolle had major skull damage, and both Dubunina and Zolotarev had major chest fractures. The force required to cause such damage would have been extremely high, with one expert comparing it to the force of a car crash. Notably, the bodies had no external wounds, as if they were crippled by a high level of pressure. One woman was found to be missing her tongue. There had initially been some speculation that the indigenous Mansi people might have attacked and murdered the group for encroaching upon their lands, but investigation indicated that the nature of their deaths did not support this thesis; the hikers' footprints alone were visible, and they showed no sign of hand-to-hand struggle.
There was evidence that the team was forced to leave the camp during the night, as they were sleeping. Though the temperature was very low (around −25° to −30°C) with a storm blowing, the dead were dressed only partially. Some of them had only one shoe, while others had no shoes or wore only socks. Some were found wrapped in snips of ripped clothes which seemed to be cut from those who were already dead. However, up to 25 percent of hypothermia deaths are associated with so-called "paradoxical undressing". This typically occurs during moderate to severe hypothermia, as the person becomes disoriented, confused, and combative. They may begin discarding their clothing, which, in turn, increases the rate of heat loss.
Journalists reporting on the available parts of the inquest files claim that it states:
* Six of the group members died of hypothermia and three of fatal injuries.
* There were no indications of other people nearby apart from the nine travelers on Kholat Syakhl, nor anyone in the surrounding areas.
* The tent had been ripped open from within.
* The victims had died 6 to 8 hours after their last meal.
* Traces from the camp showed that all group members left the camp of their own accord, on foot.
* To dispel the theory of an attack by the indigenous Mansi people, one doctor indicated that the fatal injuries of the three bodies could not have been caused by another human being, "because the force of the blows had been too strong and no soft tissue had been damaged".
* Forensic radiation tests had shown high doses of radioactive contamination on the clothes of a few victims.
The final verdict was that the group members all died because of a "compelling unknown force". The inquest ceased officially in May 1959 due to the "absence of a guilty party". The files were sent to a secret archive, and the photocopies of the case became available only in the 1990s, with some parts missing.
Some researchers claim some facts were missed, perhaps ignored, by officials:[2][3]
* After the funerals, relatives of the deceased claimed that the skin of the victims had a strange orange tan.
* In a private interview, a former investigating officer said that his dosimeter had shown a high radiation level on Kholat Syakhl, and that this was the reason for the radiation found on the bodies. However, the source of the contamination was not found.
* Similar "spheres" were observed in Ivdel and adjacent areas continually during the period of February to March 1959, by various independent witnesses (including the meteorology service and the military).
* Some reports suggested that much scrap metal was located in the area, leading to speculation that the military had utilized the area secretly and might be engaged in a cover-up.
Cracked (http://www.cracked.com/article_16671_6-famous-unsolved-mysteries-with-really-obvious-solutions.html) has a rather compelling explanation of why much of this may have happened, but it's fun to speculate.
I'm guessing food poisoning (ergot, maybe).
I'm not sure the kind of physical damage they suffered is definitely due to an avalanche, as Cracked's article suggests, but I'm hardly an expert.
I would be surprised, however, to discover vodka was not involved in any way.
Quote from: Cain on January 17, 2011, 04:58:25 PM
I'm not sure the kind of physical damage they suffered is definitely due to an avalanche, as Cracked's article suggests, but I'm hardly an expert.
I would be surprised, however, to discover vodka was not involved in any way.
If they were all fucked up on mold, running your ass head-first into a ravine (where the injured people were found) isn't that unusual.
The avalance fits all of the facts, and explains everything from the original reports, except for the tent not being under 4-6 meters of snow. Of course, if they were inside the tent, they might have HEARD the avalance, and not realized it was going to miss them.
TGRR,
Would rip the tent from inside and run away naked if I heard an avalance.
I was thinking more the "no external signs of damage" aspect of an avalanche. I suppose it depends how they define it, but I would expect bruising and torn tissue at the very least, especially with the impact causing that kind of damage.
And yeah, I'd run from an avalanche too, regardless of the state of undress. It is interesting though that some of the bodies were positioned as if they were to return to the camp. There are several possible explanations for that, but I need to look at the area before saying anything for sure.
I'm going to have to Google Map this, I think.
Quote from: Cain on January 17, 2011, 05:39:29 PM
I was thinking more the "no external signs of damage" aspect of an avalanche. I suppose it depends how they define it, but I would expect bruising and torn tissue at the very least, especially with the impact causing that kind of damage.
And yeah, I'd run from an avalanche too, regardless of the state of undress. It is interesting though that some of the bodies were positioned as if they were to return to the camp. There are several possible explanations for that, but I need to look at the area before saying anything for sure.
I'm going to have to Google Map this, I think.
Well, if they noticed that the avalance missed, they might try to return.
Likewise, if they came down from a possible ergot infection, they might try to return...much later, which might explain why they didn't make it, and why one guy was dead at the campfire location.
So many things can go so bad so fast in places like that.
I kind of want to go there now.
Better yet, send someone else first and have them report back.
Quote from: Sigmatic on January 17, 2011, 06:59:48 PM
I kind of want to go there now.
Better yet, send someone else first and have them report back.
Well, the teabaggers want to repeal child labor laws. We could send a few sprats to see if it's safe to investigate.
Cheaply, too!
HOT DAMN! STOP THE ABORTION CLINICS, WE NEED A PLATOON!
I read about this before in my "Unexplained Mysteries" phase.
I recall several theories including food poisoning and an avalanche, but there was not enough evidence to support either...
but then back in those days I wasn't exactly a avid skeptic ;-)
It's a lot of fun to imagine the exotic horrors that could explain all those things; Ghosts made of high air pressure sounds really exciting.
ETA: And if I went there and came back, that's exactly what the story would be.
Quote from: Sigmatic on January 17, 2011, 07:06:16 PM
HOT DAMN! STOP THE ABORTION CLINICS, WE NEED A PLATOON!
Newsfeed?
:lulz: Sure, just don't quote me on that.
This is very interesting. While the events seem as if they could be consistent with some kind of psychoactive poisoning, it seems odd that ergot wasn't mentioned as a possible cause, even with so many bodies autopsied.
There may be something invovled in the fact that the one group hadn't eaten in 6-8 hours. From what I know about cold weather camping and hiking, you want to be eating high calorie food just about any time you can. Keeps your energy and body temperature up.
In the case of TGRR's avalanche idea though, they could have been asleep, woken up, and bolted when they heard the snow move. So the lack of food might have jsut been a result of that, rather than a cause in itself. An avalanche could also have slammed them off a tree or rock and deposited them elsewhere, with the injuries mentioned.
The radition, and missing tongues, I have no good ideas on. Was there any mention of the other gear found around, if they had food remaining, etc?
The radiation can possibly be explained by the fact that this is the Soviet Union we're talking about. It's possible that the area had been previously contaminated and just wasn't known about by the Soviet government. Left overs from a bomb test a couple of hundred miles away that just got blown in that direction.
Quote from: Nigel on January 19, 2011, 08:42:52 AM
This is very interesting. While the events seem as if they could be consistent with some kind of psychoactive poisoning, it seems odd that ergot wasn't mentioned as a possible cause, even with so many bodies autopsied.
Maybe they didn't bother to look at stomach contents. This was during the Soviet era, right?
What is the altitude of this place?
Quote from: Richter on January 19, 2011, 02:30:15 PM
There may be something invovled in the fact that the one group hadn't eaten in 6-8 hours. From what I know about cold weather camping and hiking, you want to be eating high calorie food just about any time you can. Keeps your energy and body temperature up.
In the case of TGRR's avalanche idea though, they could have been asleep, woken up, and bolted when they heard the snow move. So the lack of food might have jsut been a result of that, rather than a cause in itself. An avalanche could also have slammed them off a tree or rock and deposited them elsewhere, with the injuries mentioned.
The radition, and missing tongues, I have no good ideas on. Was there any mention of the other gear found around, if they had food remaining, etc?
The radiation turned out to be a "fact" added later. The tongue was probably eaten by crows or whatever other scavengers they have there. The crushed bones could be weight from the avalanche, if it got a few of them, or from falling into a ravine if they had something like ergot poisoning.
Quote from: Charley Brown on January 19, 2011, 03:55:05 PM
What is the altitude of this place?
Good question. Anoxia tends to breed panic.
1. Too low for anoxia.
2. Avalanche doesn't cut it, as footprints were still visible many days after the incident. Even a near miss by an avalanche would disperse snow enough to fill footprints.
3. Ergot poisoning wearing off 6-8 hours after their last meal has the right chronology, but ergot poisoning has some physical side effects which would be hard to miss (their underwear would be full of watery shit, for example).
4. The pressure-inflicted broken bones were premortem and not fatal, and can only be explained by a huge weight of snow, etc. The bodies with broken bones were, IIRC, found under 4 meters of snow.
(http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/images/newsitems/yeti2.jpg)
Quote from: Charley Brown on January 19, 2011, 04:14:49 PM
(http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/images/newsitems/yeti2.jpg)
No evidence of ass rape was found.
The whole scene reminds me of old Wendigo stories.
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 19, 2011, 03:53:57 PM
Quote from: Nigel on January 19, 2011, 08:42:52 AM
This is very interesting. While the events seem as if they could be consistent with some kind of psychoactive poisoning, it seems odd that ergot wasn't mentioned as a possible cause, even with so many bodies autopsied.
Maybe they didn't bother to look at stomach contents. This was during the Soviet era, right?
They looked closely enough to note the time of their last meal, so it seems unlikely that they didn't analyze the stomach contents.
Maybe they took (or were dosed with) something that didn't leave a recognizable trace. Because it kinda sounds like what happened was they were all tripping balls together, and got spooked by something... maybe snow shifting, or maybe one of them thought it would be funny to go outside and pretend to be a bear. They collectively freaked the fuck out and scattered, and then proceeded to huddle naked and terrified in the snow. Some of them stumbled into a ravine, and triggered a small avalanche that fell in after them and crushed them. When the drug wore off, the survivors tried to trek back to the camp, but didn't make it.
An isolated group of skiiers might seem like a good group to try an experimental drug on, such as LSD. I mean, NOT THAT GOVERNMENTS EVER DO THAT KIND OF SHIT OR ANYTHING.
While it wouldn't surprise me that the Soviet government would experiment on people, they had a large prison population plus some token political dissidents they let walk around (to prove how tolerant they were) for those kind of things. The KGB's poison and chemical warfare division made extensive use of those two populations for such experiments. While it cannot be entirely discounted, it would seem a rather long way to go to slip some people a dose, when they have entire camps of people with no rights or protection much closer to hand.
I read an alternate explanation on skeptoid that it may have been due to rising CO levels, that one of the people in the tent figured out what was going on, ripped it apart to get some air, they all kinda panicked and tried to get further down the mountain in a moment of irrationality.
Quote from: Cain on January 19, 2011, 05:06:30 PM
While it wouldn't surprise me that the Soviet government would experiment on people, they had a large prison population plus some token political dissidents they let walk around (to prove how tolerant they were) for those kind of things. The KGB's poison and chemical warfare division made extensive use of those two populations for such experiments. While it cannot be entirely discounted, it would seem a rather long way to go to slip some people a dose, when they have entire camps of people with no rights or protection much closer to hand.
This is a good point.
Quote from: Doktor Blight on January 19, 2011, 05:11:17 PM
I read an alternate explanation on skeptoid that it may have been due to rising CO levels, that one of the people in the tent figured out what was going on, ripped it apart to get some air, they all kinda panicked and tried to get further down the mountain in a moment of irrationality.
That seems like a massive stretch considering the normal effects of CO poisoning are sleepiness, disorientation, and numbness. That's why so many people with faulty heaters just go to sleep and never wake up.
Quote from: Nigel on January 19, 2011, 05:51:46 PM
Quote from: Doktor Blight on January 19, 2011, 05:11:17 PM
I read an alternate explanation on skeptoid that it may have been due to rising CO levels, that one of the people in the tent figured out what was going on, ripped it apart to get some air, they all kinda panicked and tried to get further down the mountain in a moment of irrationality.
That seems like a massive stretch considering the normal effects of CO poisoning are sleepiness, disorientation, and numbness. That's why so many people with faulty heaters just go to sleep and never wake up.
Unless someone notices what's happening. I've heard news reports of people with CO poisoning smashing windows before they pass out.
It may have been an early L.S.D test, by the Russkies.
On unwitting subjects.
Ergotism wasn't exactly unheard of at the time, and I think if it had been present, then the autopsies would have picked up on it. But whatever the exact cause, I'd bet one of my knackers on it being something to do with them all being Royally fucked up on some kind of Drug that none of them were accustomed to.
And it's not like the Russian Govt had any more scruples than the US Govt when it came to testing Drugs on unwitting citizens, just to see how fucked up it got them.
Quote from: Doktor Blight on January 19, 2011, 05:58:11 PM
Quote from: Nigel on January 19, 2011, 05:51:46 PM
Quote from: Doktor Blight on January 19, 2011, 05:11:17 PM
I read an alternate explanation on skeptoid that it may have been due to rising CO levels, that one of the people in the tent figured out what was going on, ripped it apart to get some air, they all kinda panicked and tried to get further down the mountain in a moment of irrationality.
That seems like a massive stretch considering the normal effects of CO poisoning are sleepiness, disorientation, and numbness. That's why so many people with faulty heaters just go to sleep and never wake up.
Unless someone notices what's happening. I've heard news reports of people with CO poisoning smashing windows before they pass out.
Right. Before they pass out. Not before they mass panic and go some distance from their tent and build a fire under a large pine tree.
Quote from: Nigel on January 19, 2011, 06:25:16 PM
Quote from: Doktor Blight on January 19, 2011, 05:58:11 PM
Quote from: Nigel on January 19, 2011, 05:51:46 PM
Quote from: Doktor Blight on January 19, 2011, 05:11:17 PM
I read an alternate explanation on skeptoid that it may have been due to rising CO levels, that one of the people in the tent figured out what was going on, ripped it apart to get some air, they all kinda panicked and tried to get further down the mountain in a moment of irrationality.
That seems like a massive stretch considering the normal effects of CO poisoning are sleepiness, disorientation, and numbness. That's why so many people with faulty heaters just go to sleep and never wake up.
Unless someone notices what's happening. I've heard news reports of people with CO poisoning smashing windows before they pass out.
Right. Before they pass out. Not before they mass panic and go some distance from their tent and build a fire under a large pine tree.
Hmm. Fair enough.
Nothing actually fits. This may just be one of those WTF things.
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 19, 2011, 07:06:55 PM
Nothing actually fits. This may just be one of those WTF things.
It's the crushing and missing parts that really muddy the water.
Quote from: Charley Brown on January 19, 2011, 07:08:38 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 19, 2011, 07:06:55 PM
Nothing actually fits. This may just be one of those WTF things.
It's the crushing and missing parts that really muddy the water.
Nope. 4 meters of wet snow is enough to crush someone, and scavengers eat the soft bits first.
I'm glad I finally know what the incident was called though. I heard about it word of mouth a couple of years ago, but with less detail.
Quote from: Charley Brown on January 19, 2011, 07:08:38 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 19, 2011, 07:06:55 PM
Nothing actually fits. This may just be one of those WTF things.
It's the crushing and missing parts that really muddy the water.
I saw one suggestion in further reading that the woman bit her tongue off, which is unlikely considering they seem to have examined stomach contacts. Animals don't make sense to me because that victim was one of the ones buried in the snow.
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 19, 2011, 07:10:15 PM
Quote from: Charley Brown on January 19, 2011, 07:08:38 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 19, 2011, 07:06:55 PM
Nothing actually fits. This may just be one of those WTF things.
It's the crushing and missing parts that really muddy the water.
Nope. 4 meters of wet snow is enough to crush someone, and scavengers eat the soft bits first.
I thought footprints were still visible.
Quote from: Charley Brown on January 19, 2011, 07:11:19 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 19, 2011, 07:10:15 PM
Quote from: Charley Brown on January 19, 2011, 07:08:38 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 19, 2011, 07:06:55 PM
Nothing actually fits. This may just be one of those WTF things.
It's the crushing and missing parts that really muddy the water.
Nope. 4 meters of wet snow is enough to crush someone, and scavengers eat the soft bits first.
I thought footprints were still visible.
They weren't near the other ones though. I think the footprints were the ones who made the campfire.
Quote from: Doktor Blight on January 19, 2011, 07:10:48 PM
I'm glad I finally know what the incident was called though. I heard about it word of mouth a couple of years ago, but with less detail.
Quote from: Charley Brown on January 19, 2011, 07:08:38 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on January 19, 2011, 07:06:55 PM
Nothing actually fits. This may just be one of those WTF things.
It's the crushing and missing parts that really muddy the water.
I saw one suggestion in further reading that the woman bit her tongue off, which is unlikely considering they seem to have examined stomach contacts. Animals don't make sense to me because that victim was one of the ones buried in the snow.
Ice weasels.
We should ask that Watson robot that beat everyone at Jeopardy. It might be able to make sense of this.
Unless it was the culprit, obviously, in which case we would be hilariously, utterly, doomed.
So either the aliens got them or we've got incompelte / inacurrate info. My money's on the info being off.
My money is on them actually having been a group of Illuminati agents that got offed by some eldritch horror.
"The Dyatlov Pass Incident" sounds like the title to a Lovecraft story to me....
The way the Wiki article reads it's any story with Ithaqua.
Quote from: Richter on January 19, 2011, 08:53:51 PM
The way the Wiki article reads it's any story with Ithaqua.
Sounds about right...
Quote from: Sigmatic on January 19, 2011, 07:16:08 PM
We should ask that Watson robot that beat everyone at Jeopardy. It might be able to make sense of this.
Unless it was the culprit, obviously, in which case we would be hilariously, utterly, doomed.
Sounds like a plan.
But I think it's more likely that it's that new language-learning sensor project from the DOD*. And we're going to need Watson as an ally because it's the only thing that can think fast enough to out-think our upcoming Skynet-overlord.
*that travelled back in time to make this happen
Bump.
Found some pictures of where the incident took place. Avalanches can be ruled out, for sure.
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/53210514
The whole region is full of gently sloping hills.
This is... weird.
My money is on some four-dimensional Lovecraftian Ice demon.
In a proper world, this would be the case.
However, they probably ate bad food or something.
This depresses me.
Something fucking weird happened. There's just enough detail to crowbar your favourite conspiracy theory around it. Then LoF it until the tit squeaks. I love stuff like this.
That's an incredibly beautiful region.
So here's an interesting thing I didn't know about the guide for the group involved in this incident:
QuoteSemen Zolotarev was born in 1921 and was the oldest in the group at 32. He was a Cossack, and served in World War II from October 1941 till May 1946. Survival rate for his generation born in 1921/22 was 3% so Zolotarev was very very lucky man. Additionally he introduced himself as "Sasha" or "Alexander", instead of his real name. There is no credible evidence of why he chose to do this. It is known that he joined a Communist party after the war, and it is noted being a Cossack from the South it is highly unusual that he never got married, never had any kids and had numerous strange tattoos that he hid under his clothing. These tattoos included his birth year "1921", a military slogan as well as letter Г+С+П=Д. The last was common among Soviet soldiers who served together for a long time. Russian letter "Д" could stand for "friendship". Three letters were first letters of the three soldiers. "С" stood for "Семен" or "Semen" in Russian. Others two names are unknown. Another unusual fact is that records show Zolotarev received a full six months of training in 1941, at a time during the war when most soldiers were given a few days at most then rushed to the front, and officers three months to train. He not only survived but won 4 medals, which was unusual as the Kremlin did not honor many Chechens or Cossacks, deeming them too politically volatile. If things weren't odd enough, after investigators looked into his official records they discovered that while he mentioned these medals on his job applications, he did not include the serial numbers, names, locations of the battles, or units he served with... and yet the papers were accepted and filed despite these numerous omissions.
The obvious conclusion is that he was either a political officer of some kind, or else possibly military intelligence. Maybe, at the outside, some kind of Red Army early commando unit formation.
That may account for some of the military interest in the case, perhaps.
This has been my favorite "unexplained weird shit" thing for years now.
Having read through the thread and analyzed the information present I have come to the following conclusion:
Nuclear Yetis. Yep.
The broken bones, displacement of the group and missing tongue? Yeti attack.
The radiation? Also, the yetis. All fantasy creatures are horribly radioactive, don't you know.
That's why we keep them in Imaginationland.
Quote from: Ⅎuᴉzz on February 17, 2015, 10:44:48 PM
Having read through the thread and analyzed the information present I have come to the following conclusion:
Nuclear Yetis. Yep.
The broken bones, displacement of the group and missing tongue? Yeti attack.
The radiation? Also, the yetis. All fantasy creatures are horribly radioactive, don't you know.
That's why we keep them in Imaginationland.
Actually, they're in Cleveland Heights.
Quote from: Doktor Howl on February 18, 2015, 12:08:09 AM
Quote from: Ⅎuᴉzz on February 17, 2015, 10:44:48 PM
Having read through the thread and analyzed the information present I have come to the following conclusion:
Nuclear Yetis. Yep.
The broken bones, displacement of the group and missing tongue? Yeti attack.
The radiation? Also, the yetis. All fantasy creatures are horribly radioactive, don't you know.
That's why we keep them in Imaginationland.
Actually, they're in Cleveland Heights.
That explains a lot.
Turns out it may have been ultra-low frequency sound caused by winds. The right frequency can make people display aberrant behavior, from depression to panic attacks to outright hallucinations.
Sound caused by wind on the mountain.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%A1rm%C3%A1n_vortex_street
On the other hand, the katabatic wind idea is far more likely, and is known to have happened at least once in similar surroundings.
https://dyatlovpass.com/swedish-russian-expedition-2019
Video's a few years old, and is really more of an overview and surface level analysis than anything, but it's not every day a thread as topical as this shows up. :lulz:
https://youtu.be/Y8RigxxiilI