Hi friends! Happy Friday! :) And I know, that seems like a happy way to start this week's Freaky Friday files but it's super interesting. I don't have a life moving house update but I will be posting about it soon (so keep an eye out). Please also let me know what kind of things you want to see in these Freaky Friday Files posts (feel free to DM on IG or comment below).
Anyway, in today's Freaky Friday Files we are going to go over The Dyatlov Pass Incident - which has been covered EXTENSIVELY in the media and I don't think people will ever stop talking about this one. Arguably, I haven't seen a lot about it lately but I do remember a few years back when they allegedly "figured" out what happened so I think this case is technically "solved" but don't worry, it's still really interesting to learn about. I also have my own thoughts about what happened, but we'll keep that to the end. I even remember a Reddit no-sleep story coming out about it. I used to be obsessed with reading no-sleep stories as a teenager. I don't know why. I just liked the thrill of being scared. For those of you who don't know what the subreddit /nosleep is, it's a place for people to write scary stories where everyone has to assume that these stories are true - some are probably true but some are just also writers putting their work out there. I think it's fascinating. Although I did think that a lot more were real when I was 15 and then got disappointed when I realised writers were just using it as an advertising space but hey, it means it's good writing. I wasn't able to find the story I'm thinking of, it may have been deleted. Or I've just got a really odd false memory.
Trigger Warning before we go any further: this blog post contains graphic information, I will censor as much as I can, but if that's not for you, then don't feel as if you have to keep reading. But if you do keep reading, thank you for supporting my blogging journey.
The Dyatlov Pass Incident
Sometime between the 1st and 2nd of February, 1959, 9 Soviet hikers, unfortunately, passed away in the Ural Mountains, under mysterious circumstances. This group of hikers had set up camp for the night alongside the mountain as part of their hike, but this would be their last night alive.
This was a really experienced hiking/trekking group led by Igor Dyatlov. One night, when they set up camp on the mountain slopes of the Russian SFSR and Kholat Syaakhl, something caused the hikers to cut themselves out of the tent (while not dressed properly for the weather) and flee their campsite. But why?
After concern from the group's family members, when they did not return after their trip, a search went underway for the missing persons. The bodies were discovered in a few different places around the slopes - and Soviet authorities determined the cause of d*ath for 6 of the members to have been hypothermia and the other three being k*lled by physical tr*ama. Some interesting facts about the bodies that were found were:
4 were found lying in running water in a creek (yes, on a mountain)
3 out of 4 of the bodies had soft tissue damage
2 bodies had missing eyes
1 body had a missing tongue
1 body had missing eyebrows
The Soviet authorities determined these d*aths to be caused by a compelling natural force.
A few theories were put forward as to what went on at this hiking trip such as:
Animal attacks
An avalanche
Military involvement
Or a combination of some or all of the above.
So why were these hikers forced to leave their tent in the middle of the night? Well, originally authorities thought that an animal had clawed its way into the tent (are Yetis really real?), but after speaking with a fabrics expert, authorities were told that they had in fact cut themselves out of the tent to flee something. They left without proper clothing and were in EXTREMELY cold temperatures (lower than negative 25 degrees Celsius according to Johan & Puzrin (2021). Johan & Puzrin (2021) also suggest that katabatic winds were at play - winds that carry air down a high-density slope (so are very strong).
Bodies were found 26 days to 3 months after their hiking trips and some were even found n*ked, barefoot, and one body had traces of radioactive materials on them. This combined with missing body parts really confuzzled the authorities.
The case was re-opened in 2015 and by 2019, the cause of d*ath was said to be an avalanche. However, many authorities have continued to challenge such causes of death. There is one YouTube video that sums up what likely happened really really well. I'll post it below - it's also super quick to watch and engaging so check it out:
So the most likely explanation for this incident was that the tent was angled so that it would not withstand any snow sliding down - so if there was an avalanche or strong winds, they would have needed to get out immediately, explaining the lack of cold weather gear and why they cut out of the tent. Depending on where the people were positioned in the tent if strong snow and winds fell on them, this would explain the soft tissue damage. Some members passed away due to hypothermia + physical injury, then others would have taken their clothes for warmth, with a few members digging a hole into the snow to try their luck at survival, but unfortunately were greeted by water and passing there. Hence, explaining the lack of clothes on a few of the bodies and then animals likely taking the missing body parts as food. However, some people are still not convinced that an avalanche actually happened. You can read an amazing article "here" in The New Yorker which dives a lot deeper than I have today. It's really good and heaps of details.
Some more theories:
Paradoxical undressing - this theory fits with the fact that many of the member's cause of d*ath was hypothermia. However, as it's usually associated with people going crazy, it's unlikely as some members were sound of mind enough to take clothes from others to try and get warm. Paradoxical undressing is where people who are suffering from hypothermia start to feel a really burning warmth sensation throughout their body so they remove their clothing due to disorientation and confusion.
Psychological factors - such as the group's mental state. If one person starts experiencing paranoia, another person might too, and then it could have a catalyst effect on the others.
Radioactive contamination - this theory is interesting as there was some radioactive material found on one of the people's clothing. Because of this, many people believe that military testing was at play here. However, we do know now that one of the members used to work in a place with high levels of radiation which would explain why it was found on their clothing. If you want to learn more about this theory, check out this article "here".
Orange orbs of light were reportedly seen on the night that the 9 hikers passed away leading many people to believe that aliens or UFOs were involved somehow. But, this was debunked as on the same night the Soviet Union was testing parachute mines in the area.
Finding a military testing site and running away from b*mbs (I don't really buy this one).
My theory: Originally, I thought that it was due to the really cold weather, getting hypothermia and then actually becoming so disorientated that they took their clothes off, which would make sense for some of the crew, but not so much for the rest. How did some of them steal clothes? Why were they all found in different places? Why are there so many reputable journal sources saying that it was not possible for an avalanche to occur? I think it was most likely the kabatic winds leading to panic attacks in the crew, and then they were still sound of mind enough to work out how to escape, but unfortunately were unable to survive.
In the area, a mountain pass was named "Dyatlov's Pass" in memory of the group and is the reason why the incident is known colloquially as the "Dyaltov Pass incident".
Some other really good YouTube videos about this incident are as follows:
Some Sociological Analysis
Group Dynamics - the group dynamics may have been impacted by factors such as isolation, paranoia, extreme temperatures, fatigue, and uncertainty. A group of experienced hikers could have easily fell short of their normal solidarity and cohesion due to these extreme conditions.
Social/Cultural Context - 1959 was a prime time for the Cold War era in the Soviet Union and this one may be more for the responses of it, but if they did find something they shouldn't have, then the socio-cultural context at the time may have made things "hush, hush" so to speak. And if there was a leader of the group and someone else wanted to go against that leader's wishers, they may have followed the authority figure as that's what the social context of the time was all about.
Moral Panic and Conspiracy Theories - mainly to do with how the media reported on this incident. No one really knew what happened at the time, which in turn led to the families of the hikers being upset and many speculations about what happened.
There is also conformity and risk assessment things to think about here, which I've kinda touched on. Like wanting to follow the group's leaders orders to do the right thing and assessing risk in a deadly situation.
So there you have it, a bit of a summary of The Dyatlov Pass Incident - next week's Freaky Friday Files will hopefully be longer. But let me know in the comments what you think happened to these 9 hikers on that unfortunate night back in 1959.
That's all for now.
Much love,
Ash xx
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