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[Darkmakaimura]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyatlov_Pass_incident

The Dyatlov Pass incident generally refers to the mysterious deaths of nine ski hikers in the northern Ural mountains on the night of February 2, 1959. The incident happened on the east shoulder of the mountain Kholat Syakhl (Холат-Сяхы&#1083 (a Mansi name, meaning Dead Mountain due to lack of game, not "Mountain of the Dead" as some suggest). The mountain pass where the incident occurred has since been named Dyatlov Pass (Перевал Дятлов&#1072 after the group's leader, Igor Dyatlov (Игорь Дятло&#1074.

The lack of eyewitnesses has inspired much speculation. Soviet investigators simply determined that "a compelling natural 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 because of the lack of survivors.

Investigators at the time determined that the hikers tore open their tent from within, departing barefoot into heavy snow and a temperature of −30 °C (−22 °F). Although the corpses showed no signs of struggle, two victims had fractured skulls, two had broken ribs, and one was missing her tongue.

I was listening to Coast to Coast AM last night about this and man, did it spook me out. The guy on the show had done extensive research on the matter and was using it as an outlet for his book (of course) but he had come to the conclusion that this was not a man-made or supernatural cause. Instead, it was apparently a "compelling natural force". He didn't fully give away what he thought it was because he wanted people to read his book, but listening to the show carefully it seems he was implying it was the blood-curdling sounds of the howling winds throughout the mountain that scared the living you-know-what out of the campers which drove them to flee and eventually die as a result of the freezing temperatures.

You can also hear the show here (before video is pulled): http://youtu.be/ac3kOjYQVhc?t=1h14m54s

 

[Solo]

I'm not saying it was a yeti, but.....it was a yeti.

 

[Martian]

I believe someone figured it out last year (or at least found a very plausible solution).

I dont recall the specifics, but it was suggested that they had an avalanche upon them, which made them shelter from it. I'll try to find the findings someone made

 

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

Even if it was just an avalanche, the weirdness of the story has always creeped me out.

 

[Rapstah]

I believe someone figured it out last year (or at least found a very plausible solution).

I dont recall the specifics, but it was suggested that they had an avalanche upon them, which made them shelter from it. I'll try to find the findings someone made

At the very least some site showed that a lot of the claims about how they were found were very dubious, and the claim that they were all irraidated was a confirmed fabrication (no shit).

 

[Darkmakaimura]

I believe someone figured it out last year (or at least found a very plausible solution).

I dont recall the specifics, but it was suggested that they had an avalanche upon them, which made them shelter from it. I'll try to find the findings someone made

That was brought up last night with the guest and he concluded it was not an avalanche due to the evidence.

It may have been wind making either what sounded like an avalanche or a terribly scary noise. Apparently, the tribesman who live near the mountain say the wind makes horrible noises and they refuse to go up there. The campers may have not known about this and the howling of the winds, maybe due to the way the rocks are formed, created a sound so horrifying it scared the living crap out of them. That's what seemed to be implied in the interview.

At the very least some site showed that a lot of the claims about how they were found were very dubious, and the claim that they were all irraidated was a confirmed fabrication (no shit).

Yup. That was brought up too and the guest said that there was no radiation despite the claims.

He also said the girl's tongue was rotted off by some fungal infection from the ravine she fell in and wasn't bitten off.

 

[ezekial45]

Yeah, the irradiated clothing bugs me out the most.

 

[ghst]

probably my favourite creepy story. if there's a logical explanation, i think i'd rather not know it.

 

[jamesinclair]

Season two of Siberia should clear things up

 

[Cyan]

Soviet investigators simply determined that "a compelling natural force" had caused the deaths.

Pretty good description of an avalanche.

 

[bengraven]

Cracked had a really good explanation for it several years ago.

http://www.cracked.com/article_16671_6-famous-unsolved-mysteries-with-really-obvious-solutions.html

The Obvious Answer:

So there's six things that freak people out about this one:

1. The no-tongued woman

2. A mysterious orange tan on the dead bodies

3. The ripped tents

4. The hikers' lack of clothing

5. The crushing damage done to three of the hikers

6. The traces of radioactivity

The big fact that gets lost in the re-telling of this story is that the bodies weren't found until weeks later. It's not like somebody turned their back, then five minutes later all their friends were dead and half naked.

That makes the missing tongue a lot easier to explain. As disturbing as it may be, the first thing a scavenging animal is going to go for is probably the soft tissue of an open mouth, especially if it still smelled like the burrito the hiker just ate. Laying out in the sun surrounded by white snow for days also accounts for the weird tan.

The trauma and the destroyed tent points to an avalanche. Their state of undress can be explained by paradoxical undressing, a known behavior of hypothermia victims when their brains start to freeze and malfunction. In other words, it's the kind of behavior you'd expect from a group of injured avalanche victims wandering around in the middle of the night in the freezing cold.

What about the radioactivity? Or stranger details that turn up in some accounts, like orange lights in the sky? Well, there's the fact that none of that stuff turns up in the original documents from the incident, and appears to have been added later by people who just can't resist making things spookier than they are.

It's those later accounts that have stuck in the public memory, because so many of the original reports were destroyed (this was the Cold War-era Soviet Union, which treated casserole recipes as state secrets).

So none of the details on their own prove anything other than a tragic hiking accident. The conspiracy-loving public widely reject this, too busy lighting their torches and getting their pitchforks to go hunt down an, "unknown compelling force."

 

[forgeforsaken]

People suffering from hypothermia are known to suffer from paradoxical undressing.

 

[Enduin]

Weird, just saw this mentioned on an episode of Ancient Aliens the other day when I was packing up my house. Sounds to me like it's just one of those odd things that in the end have a pretty bland and simple explanation.

 

[DarkKyo]

People suffering from hypothermia are known to suffer from paradoxical undressing.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

People suffering from hypothermia are known to suffer from paradoxical undressing.

They were experienced hikers and there was no evidence of hypothermia. That was brought up on last night's show as well.

I'm gonna go with the guest on this and say it was a "compelling natural force" that frightened the hikers. It was something they weren't prepared for or hadn't experienced before. He did say this circumstance in nature was 'very rare'. I wish the guest would have just revealed, through all the evidence he collected, what it was but he was stubborn about revealing it on the air although Noory and a guest pretty much guessed it and he kind of tip toed around it which seemed to indicate it was the sounds of the howling wind that drove them into panic. My other guess would be a flying animal of some sorts, since no other footprints except the hikers were found. Maybe they got scared off by some kind of large bat they had never seen. I'm gonna stick with the wind theory.

Again, great show with the guest and you should listen to it. He brings up most of the things being mentioned here.

 

[Noks415]

Does anyone know what Donnie Eichar's theory was as to what happened to the hikers? I've been listening to the interview for about an hour, he doesn't seem to want to give it away, which is understandable.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

Does anyone know what Donnie Eichar's theory was as to what happened to the hikers? I've been listening to the interview for about an hour, he doesn't seem to want to give it away, which is understandable.

I've been mentioning it since the beginning of this thread. lol.

He didn't fully give away what he thought it was because he wanted people to read his book, but listening to the show carefully it seems he was implying it was the blood-curdling sounds of the howling winds throughout the mountain that scared the living you-know-what out of the campers which drove them to flee and eventually die as a result of the freezing temperatures.

However, I'll reiterate it again. He didn't want to give out what he thought in the book in the interview but pretty much strongly hinted at it when he mentioned the tribesman and then Noory and a caller near the end of the show guessed it. Basically, the winds that blow through the mountain occasionally sound horrific. My personal guess is that it's due to the formations of the rocks or whatever. Anyways, the hikers probably heard whatever blood-curdling sounds the wind makes in the middle of the pitch black night, freaked out really bad and ran. Think of that scene in Blair Witch Project where they hear the baby crying in the woods and shit their pants and run. That's probably similar to what happened here.

 

[AkuMifune]

Reading this thread while answering my own compelling natural force.

 

[FStop7]

Sounds to me like they were unwittingly in the way of some sort of nuclear test.

The radiation made them feel like they were on fire, hence running out barefoot or in socks.

 

[Thriller]

I thought this was about the movie. steer clear of that piece of shit movie.

 

[wsoxfan1214]

Sounds to me like they were unwittingly in the way of some sort of nuclear test.

The radiation made them feel like they were on fire, hence running out barefoot or in socks.

Any sort of proof to back this up?

 

[SUPREME1]

Avalanche? Unlikely.


Aliens seems like the more likely scenario.

 

[gamma]

I've been mentioning it since the beginning of this thread. lol.



However, I'll reiterate it again. He didn't want to give out what he thought in the book in the interview but pretty much strongly hinted at it when he mentioned the tribesman and then Noory and a caller near the end of the show guessed it. Basically, the winds that blow through the mountain occasionally sound horrific. My personal guess is that it's due to the formations of the rocks or whatever. Anyways, the hikers probably heard whatever blood-curdling sounds the wind makes in the middle of the pitch black night, freaked out really bad and ran. Think of that scene in Blair Witch Project where they hear the baby crying in the woods and shit their pants and run. That's probably similar to what happened here.

wat

They heard a horrific sound and then what? Just ran out in the cold and died? Killed each other?

On a related note, a B-movie came out this year about this. Obviously it has it's own explanation...

 

[Soyongdori]

They stumbled upon some kind of Soviet experiment and got silenced. So much for alien conspiracy theories.

 

[livestOne]

Even if there's a sensible explanation for everything that happened, I think we can all agree that was one weird fucking night in the snowy mountains of russia.

 

[BigDes]

Avalanche? Unlikely.


Aliens seems like the more likely scenario.

Oh please like aliens could do it themselves, it was clearly the Rand Corporation in conjunction with the saucer people and under the supervision of the reverse vampires.

 

[SUPREME1]

Oh please like aliens could do it themselves, it was clearly the Rand Corporation in conjunction with the saucer people and under the supervision of the reverse vampires.

Except Rand Corp doesn't exist.

 

[Faaip]

I thought they were found at their campsite?

If it was an avalanche then wouldn't the campsite have been buried?

 

[Darkmakaimura]

Sounds to me like they were unwittingly in the way of some sort of nuclear test.

The radiation made them feel like they were on fire, hence running out barefoot or in socks.

There was no radiation. False claim.

wat

They heard a horrific sound and then what? Just ran out in the cold and died? Killed each other?

On a related note, a B-movie came out this year about this. Obviously it has it's own explanation...

They never killed each other. Another false claim. The bodies were found close but quite separate from one another. The guest explains how the girl lost her tongue as well, for instance.

If you want good updated information regarding this, I really do suggest listening to the guest in the link I provided. Although it's on Coast to Coast AM, the guest does make it clear this was a natural phenomenon and not man-made or supernatural. He says it is weather related but rules out an avalanche.

 

[ConfusingJazz]

They were experienced hikers and there was no evidence of hypothermia.

Why would that matter after an avalanche? Training and experience doesn't mean squat after your brain starts to malfunction.

 

[RustyNails]

It was ManBearPig

 

[FyreWulff]

They were experienced hikers

Experience doesn't mean much when the brain is doing something essentially via autopilot.

This guy is pretty smart. See what happens when they subject him to hypoxia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTNX6mr753w

 

[KHarvey16]

They were experienced hikers and there was no evidence of hypothermia. That was brought up on last night's show as well.

The autopsy on the first 5 bodies they found concluded they died of hypothermia. The other 4 weren't found for months and were buried under 4 meters of snow.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

Why would that matter after an avalanche? Training and experience doesn't mean squat after your brain starts to malfunction.

There was no evidence of an avalanche accordibg to Eichar.

The autopsy on the first 5 bodies they found concluded they died of hypothermia. The other 4 weren't found for months and were buried under 4 meters of snow.

I'm guessing the hypothermia was after they had fled the tent. I believe the guest (Eichar) talks about how they did not have this prior to fleeing. Again, I could only suggest listening to the show (as unbearable as Noory is especially in this segment) to see what the guest has to say. He's done crazy amounts of research on this which of course included him visiting the site in Russia itself and conducting interviews.

 

[ConfusingJazz]

There was no evidence of an avalanche accordibg to Eichar.

Of course he would say that, ignoring people buried in snow and having torn up tents probably points to an avalanche rather than something else.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

Of course he would say that, ignoring people buried in snow and having torn up tents probably points to an avalanche rather than something else.

The tent was in perfect condition (except for the cut they made on the inside) including all the belongings inside of it even after they died.

 

[Ty4on]

Experience doesn't mean much when the brain is doing something essentially via autopilot.

This guy is pretty smart. See what happens when they subject him to hypoxia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTNX6mr753w

Really explains the Helios crash.

 

[KHarvey16]

I'm guessing the hypothermia was after they had fled the tent. I believe the guest (Eichar) talks about how they did not have this prior to fleeing. Again, I could only suggest listening to the show (as unbearable as Noory is especially in this segment) to see what the guest has to say. He's done crazy amounts of research on this which of course included him visiting the site in Russia itself and conducting interviews.

Of course it was after they fled the camp. The tents were covered with snow, you can see pictures, and opened by the people inside them from the inside. This obviously makes sense if they were under some amount of snow. They all group up away from the camp and four of them leave with bits of clothing taken or borrowed from the other five, who were dead from hypothermia already or didn't want to go with them. The four that left fall into that ravine and die. The five are found at the spot they grouped up and the other four are discovered 2 months later at the bottom of the ravine.

 

[Jay Fray]

The tent was in perfect condition (except for the cut they made on the inside) including all the belongings inside of it even after they died.

I don't know if I'd call this perfect condition.

 

[Schadenfreude]

This thread is making me sad because the Dyatlov Pass Incident was my favorite real life horror story and now it's gone.

 

[BigDes]

This thread is making me sad because the Dyatlov Pass Incident was my favorite real life horror story and now it's gone.

You can still have the one about the German farm with the crazy murderhobo living in the attic for like a week that they knew about and did nothing about it

 

[Darkmakaimura]

Of course it was after they fled the camp. The tents were covered with snow, you can see pictures, and opened by the people inside them from the inside. This obviously makes sense if they were under some amount of snow. They all group up away from the camp and four of them leave with bits of clothing taken or borrowed from the other five, who were dead from hypothermia already or didn't want to go with them. The four that left fall into that ravine and die. The five are found at the spot they grouped up and the other four are discovered 2 months later at the bottom of the ravine.

There was regular consistent snow fall, yes, but no signs of an avalanche. The tent was found in near perfect condition.

I haven't read the book so I really am not entirely sure what Eichar believes but even he stated that at the end of the book, he gives what he believes was the reason and never fully revealed it in the interview. It seemed he strongly hinted at something to do with the wind. He did say one of his initial guesses was an avalanche as well but after further research, he believed that was not the case.

I'd love to pick up the book sometime and check out what he believes. The whole thing is fascinating and really creepy, even if it is a down-to-earth explanation for what happened.

I don't know if I'd call this perfect condition.

I don't know when that photo was taken. I'm going by what the guest, who has spent years researching this topic on and off site, talked about in the interview. Again, don't take my word for it. Listen to the link I provided with the actual researcher and make your conclusions from there.

 

[KHarvey16]

There was regular consistent snow fall, yes, but no signs of an avalanche. The tent was found in near perfect condition.

But they weren't, as you can see in the image linked above. And the camp was literally on a slope. What qualifies as evidence of an avalanche if not buried tents?

 

[Schadenfreude]

You can still have the one about the German farm with the crazy murderhobo living in the attic for like a week that they knew about and did nothing about it

Ooh. Link?

 

[Darkmakaimura]

But they weren't, as you can see in the image linked above. And the camp was literally on a slope. What qualifies as evidence of an avalanche if not buried tents?

Once again, don't take my word for it. Listen to the researcher himself on the link I provided.

 

[KHarvey16]

Once again, don't take my word for it. Listen to the researcher himself on the link I provided.

The volunteer rescuers found the abandoned camp on Feb. 26.

“We discovered that the tent was half torn down and covered with snow. It was empty, and all the group’s belongings and shoes had been left behind,” Mikhail Sharavin, the student who found the tent, said by telephone from Yekaterinburg.

http://www.sptimes.ru/story/25093?page=2#top

 

[Darkmakaimura]

http://www.sptimes.ru/story/25093?page=2#top

That article also mentions the radiation, which has been apparently been proven otherwise.

 

[ConfusingJazz]

I don't know when that photo was taken. I'm going by what the guest, who has spent years researching this topic on and off site, talked about in the interview. Again, don't take my word for it. Listen to the link I provided with the actual researcher and make your conclusions from there.

He is trying to sell his book, and probably get funding for a film about it.

Donnie Eichar isn't a researcher, he is a director.

Here is his other work:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMLOPHzH-fc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKHuBmapTVI

More importantly, he uses quicktime on his website: http://www.donnieeichar.com/home.htm

I do not trust this man.

 

[SUPREME1]

More info about murderhobo please.

 

[KHarvey16]

That article also mentions the radiation, which has been apparently been proven otherwise.

I pulled a direct quote from the man who found the camp. His description matches the images we have.