Night at the Dyatlov Pass
12-12-2024
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Elena Kolevatova's letters
27-06-2014
"The studies were coming to an end, and his assignment to a closed city was approaching. This upset Sasha, because it meant the end of the hikes. That is why he decided to go on a hike for the last time, although he did not particularly want to go under Dyatlov's leadership. He was too authoritarian. But the guys were experienced, responsible, and could cope with almost any problem. The group didn't return on time, which was unusual. After a while, relatives started contacting the hiking club, but they couldn't tell me anything either. Relatives were at a loss, because in winter hikers couldn't stay in the forest for long, and if one of them had come out to people, he would have definitely told them. And the days of waiting and despair dragged on."
Determining where Dyatlov tent was found in 1959
09-10-2024
This is a chronological account of the efforts of Russian researchers to find the exact location of the Dyatlov group's tent on the slope of 1079. Today we have the testimonies of the searchers who found it in February 1959 and photographs. The tent's location is at the heart of many debates, especially the avalanche. Russians have put a lot of effort into engaging strategies, science, and field research. They have even named the stones on the slope and know every curve of the ridge. Cairns and poles with signs have populated the area of 10 m2 where the terrain is disturbed by ATVs, and throughout the years the passion with which the pretenders defend their claims are not dying down
Money in Dyatlov group
30-09-2024
Counting the money found on the Dyatlov group. It was obviously not a robbery, but why was some money missing and the big money left behind? Could an impulsive purchase of 5m of a fancy fabric with the funds for the expedition be the reason why Lyuda was sulking? Did she tell Dyatlov? That has hardly caused friction in the group, let alone their demise. But something else was and I will point to yet another thing that does not add up in this complicated case.
Money is left at the scene i.e. robbery is not the motive. But how come Krivonischenko, Kolevatov and Zolotaryov have no money on them, none whatsoever? Unless they were misplaced prior to the official discovery of the tent and bodies. For example when they were brought to the Ivdel morgue, undressed, examined, and then returned back to be officially found again.
Expedition 2024 - Askinadzi
25-08-2024
Vladimir Askinadzi, the searcher who found Lyudmila Dubinina and the other three bodies in the creek in 1959, has lived in Sevastopol with his family since 1973. At the time of my visit he is 87 years old. Remembering objectively firsthand, and still keeping the spirit of mountaineering from that era is essential to understanding the decisions and behavior of the members of the Dyatlov group and what might have led to their demise. Askinadzi is a great man who not only agrees to repeat what he remembers for decades but also takes to heart our new attempts to unearth new evidence.
Ivdel museum of local lore "Uvarov"
06-09-2024
The museum building dates from 1847. Since then it has been reconstructed many times, now it is a heavily renovated building. Before the revolution it was residential, intended for the head of the gold mines. The museum exists since 1929, and it was relocated in this building since 1973. The founder of the museum is Ivan Evlampievich Uvarov (1884-1965). He was an excellent public education worker, awarded the Order of Lenin, the first teacher of the Mansi in the territory of the Ivdel urban district.
Ivdel
07-09-2024
On Jan 25, 1959, the Dyatlov group arrived in Ivdel on train №81, stamped their route book, and took a bus GAZ-51 to Vizhay. They didn't mention or see the Ivdellag. There is another world they were living...
Expedition 2024
31-08-2024
It was obvious from the moment Fedotov delayed our expedition that I would not make it to Otorten. I could not change my ticket to Sevastopol where I was meeting with Askinadzi, and there were no more tickets for the train to Crimea within the time frame of my visa. Shamil hurt his foot, then fell into the river, so he felt there were enough signs from above not to attempt Otorten this year.
In the end, we were all good. Everyone got what he deserved. I had my private rendezvous on Kholat Syakhl, and the most valuable thing I brought back from the Dyatlov Pass this year were my new friends.
Expedition 2024 - Preparation
13-07-2024
This year nothing went according to plan. The important thing is how you react when things don't go your way. Do you adapt and make the best of the situation, try to see what opportunities remain at hand, or do you sulk and blame the universe for not meeting your expectations?
Why is the date February 6 on the cover of a criminal case?
13-07-2017
When the tent of the Dyatlov group was discovered there was a planned aerial survey photography from aircrafts flying at an altitude so they could see and take pictures of the terrain. If such an aircraft flew over the dead bodies and sent the information to their superiors then the tent could have been discovered as soon as February 4-5 and a criminal case would have been opened on February 6. What happened then we don't know, but one document in particular made its way into the new criminal case opened on February 26. This document, the testimony of Vasiliy Popov, is dated February 6 hence the date on the cover of the case files.
Lake Bodom Murders
11-07-2024
A lakeside murder, in which three teenagers on a camping holiday were bludgeoned with rocks and stabbed in their tent, has haunted tranquil Finland for 45 years, spawning books, conspiracy theories and even the name of a rock band. The similarities with the Dyatlov Pass incident are torn tent, the year is 1960, KGB agent, military involvement, a survivor, two dead girls, authorities were careless with their treatment of the murder site, but most of all the trail goes cold as ice.
"Footprints in the snow"
04-07-1999
Evgeniy Zinovyov was with Sergey Sogrin on a simultaneous trek to the Subpolar Urals at the time of the tragedy with the Dyatlov group in the Northern Urals. Zolotaryov was enlisted in this trek, Zina was invited on this trek, but both decided to go with Igor Dyatlov. They were so close to missing this dire fate. The expedition had so many misfortunes, including burning down their only tent on the first days of the trek hence they spent the remaining 13 nights in snow bivouacs, many days blizzard, one of the hikers fell sick, couldn't walk, another burned his boots and had to traverse in valenki, same thing Thibeaux-Brignolle was wearing when he was found dead. Nevertheless, Sogrin's group was the world's first winter ascent on Sablya and Neroyka. Judging by what the hikers were capable to overcome, what could go wrong with the Dyatlov group?
The note found on Otorten
21-06-2013
At the beginning of the search for the Dyatlov group, it had to be established if they reached Otorten. The ascent of a peak back then was proved by leaving a note at the top, taking the one left from the group before them back, and mailing it to the appropriate city hiking club. Akselrod's group found a note left by Gudkov's group dated July 26, 1956, from the Faculty of Chemistry of Moscow State University. In 2013, Maya Piskareva took an interview from Boris Gudkov, including the diary of their hike, which included Otorten, but it was not their main goal. Otorten is not interesting in the summer, the Dyatlov group wanted to be the first to climb it in winter when the weather is brutal. The interview offers insights into hiking practices and group dynamics in the 60s.
"Appendix zone"
20-08-2020
An anomaly is recorded on Kholat Syakhl, near the location of the tent found in 1959. The anomaly is called the "Appendix" zone. It is said by a professional geologist to be typical for the Ural fold system. Asked if there could be gas deposits that might have exploded, the expert answered that it is not likely but "who knows". I do not know how much truth there is in the statement that magnetic anomalies can interfere with people's behavior, I have read that people have felt strangely on the pass, but no one has ever done something so outrageous as to explain the tragedy in 1959.
Threat from the air
29-04-2024
Туристы, по мнению Павлова и Хаджийска, поставили палатку рядом с тем самым кедром, где будут позже найдены трупы Кривонищенко и Дорошенко. Место очень удобное, непродуваемое, рядом ручей Лозьвы, есть где взять дрова для печки. Ребята обустроились, поужинали и легли спать. Массивный ствол упал на переднюю часть палатки, сминая находившиеся там котелки и ломая ребра Дубининой и Золотареву. Тибо, Слободин, Кривонищенко и Колеватов, находившиеся дальше от входа, получили удары только толстыми сучками и ветками.
Medical Dynasty. Boris Vozrozhdenniy
04-03-2024
In 2023, a unique five-volume publication was presented in Yekaterinburg "Medical dynasties of the Middle Urals".
Each volume consists of a collection of biographical essays about the families of Ural doctors of various specialties. And the very first volume of the "Dynasties" was published back in 2018, in which an essay was published about the medical dynasty of the Padlovskiy - Yaroslaviy - Vozrozhdeniy - Kuznetsov. If you expect to find out details about Boris Alekseevich’s criminal record, then you are definitely going to dissapointed, because there is not a word about this in journalist Liya Ginzel’s essay "Warm Home". However, this publication is interesting in that it contains many clarifications and details about the family of Boris Alekseevich in his second marriage, with Rosa Vyacheslavovna Padlovskaya, who came from a family of hereditary doctors.
Teterkin group attempting Otorten in March 1992
14-03-1992
The group of Andrey Teterkin (6 men and 2 women) attempted Mt Otorten in March 1992. We can learn a lot from the circumstances. Their documentation answers a lot of questions about the route, how do you climb Mt Otorten in winter, which way do you take, where do you camp, how do you make the labaz, do all the hikers climb the peak etc. Here is only the part of their travel notes from March 15 to March 18. This is the loop where they fail to climb Mt Otorten, and there are links to the whole map and all the notes and photos.
Could geologists be involved in the deaths of the hikers at the Dyatlov Pass?
02-02-2024
The hikers, according to Pavlov and Hadjiyska, set up a tent next to the very cedar tree where the bodies of Krivonischenko and Doroshenko would later be found. The place is very convenient, windproof, next to the Lozva tributary, there is plenty of firewood for the stove. The guys settled in, and were getting ready to go to bed. A massive trunk fell on the front of the tent, breaking the ribs of Dubinina and Zolotaryov. Thibeaux-Brignolle, Slobodin, Krivonischenko and Kolevatov, who were further from the entrance, were hit only by thick twigs and branches. The stove went down.
Conversation with searcher Brusnitsyn 2007
01-05-2007
Vadim Brusnitsyn took the items out of the tent. He was constantly distracted and did not protocol what he was doing. Soon after they began stripping down the tent there was an order to to put everything back inside the tent and bring it to the landing site. Brusnitsyn and Sharavin dragged the tent with its contents for half a mile towards the rock outlier where now hangs the memorial plaque. As he took most of the photographs, he is rarely pictured in any.
Yuri Koptelov excerpts from an interview with Channel 1, 2013
03-11-2011
"We began to rise, and there we saw a clearing, a cedar tree, and in the clearing lay two corpses and a fire between them. Everything is clean, white, powdered, just a little bit of snow lies on top of the corpses, on the ground and on the fire. I think that people put them here because... When they died, naturally, no one could have been there. People laid them down. But who, I don’t know. There were no traces."
Yuri Koptelov recollections 2011
03-11-2011
"At the edge of the clearing stood a tall tree. In the middle of the clearing we saw traces of a fire. Two bodies lay on the ground with their heads facing each other (at right angle) near the fire. In underwear, on their back. The one who was lying barefoot towards us had a brown-red face! The nose was dark, as if bitten by nutcracker. But most importantly! Almost a month passed, and they lay on the ground only slightly dusted with snow! And there was no snow under them! This was evidenced by the position of the fire, also slightly dusted with snow. But around this clearing the snow was quite deep!"
Interview with Koptelov 2008
01-02-2008
The story behind this picture is in Koptelov's recollections. The dating of the photo is also now possible because Koptelov was at the tent with Karelin when the latter just arrived on the pass with a helicopter on February 27. Koptelov didn't know Karelin. He only learned after the photo was published in the public domain who he took to the tent right after he found and reported that he and Mihail Sharavin had found the first bodies. Isn't it strange that they asked him to take them to the tent and not the bodies since the tent was visible from the landing site and the bodies were somewhere in the ravine? No one knew about the cedar or where to look. In the following days the mystery will deepen.
Dead Cedar
30-12-2023
A 10 m tall cedar lying on the ground 5m away from where the bodies of Doroshenko and Krivonischneko were found was analyzed by an expert dendrologist Assoc. Prof. PhD Momchil Panayotov. and the last ring is from 1958. In the photos from February 1959, this tree is already on the ground, covered with snow, so much that it can not be seen. The dating shows the tree fell after the end of 1958 and before the first bodies of the Dyatlov group were found.
Shumkov group
25-03-2023
Our fire burned all night. We survived thanks to the fire and the persistence with which we padded each other, not letting anyone fall asleep. After this cold night it was a quiet, sunny and very frosty day. After 15 hours of "running" on skis down to the people and warmth, we reached the district 41. "We weren’t expecting to see you anymore", the workers greeted us.
Correspondence with the granddaughter of forester Rempel
01-01-2024
"When the guys went hiking anyway, in the area where the group was in the mountains, and it was at that time when my mom and dad saw a very bright light of an explosion in the sky. It was unmistakably an explosion, early in the morning and it was still dark, so it was clearly visible from our porch. After that the group did not go to the check point at the appointed time and immediately a group with foresters gathered to search."
V.M. Askinadzi. Selected passages from 10 years of correspondence with Galina Sazonova
22-10-2023
"People stopped believing in the official information, and then they used us as news bearers. Our arrival was eagerly awaited. What new will the next group bring? Therefore, we were always surrounded by a large number of curious people. The people accepted everything that came from us with faith. But they had no idea (and neither did we!) that we were telling what they had skillfully put into our brains. This understanding came much later."
What secret informants wrote about the Dyatlov group
25-03-2023
The senior lieutenant's operational group (white out) inspected an abandoned house in the 2nd Northern mining village, where the hikers spent the night. When examining the house, traces of hikers' presence about a month ago were found. During the inspection, part of a note was found on a piece of student’s notebook with the following content: "Igor, let’s talk!!!" Presumably written by Z. Kolmogorova, as well as two wrappers from foreign sweets, presumably made in the GDR.
Remembering Sasha Kolevatov
17-10-2012
A book signed by Kolevatov as a gift to a girl who went on treks under his leadership: "I give this book as a token of my great respect. May your life, Valya, be full of questions and endeavors, with many adventures, quests and challenges; remember your friends, travel and get to know your vast Motherland! It has no boundaries! Only forward! May 27, 1958 A. Kolevatov"
Askinadzi. Selected passages from letters - part 2
19-11-2020
"I read your questions and counter questions involuntarily arise - why did they suddenly interest you? After all, any question should be, at a minimum, the beginning of some "path that leads to the temple", to the solution to the "mystery of the century". As I understand it if someone has their own interpretation of the incident and is missing "a little something" - maybe this "guru" will explain. Then the question make sense and it is clear how to answer it. But no offense! Unfortunately, I sometimes receive completely ridiculous questions. I will answer only in a manner that is clear to me, don’t blame me!"
Askinadzi. Selected passages from letters - part 1
10-09-2014
These are a selected letters that Vladimir Askinadzi sent to Maya Piskareva in the span of 5 years. Askinadzi is one of the remaining searchers who is direct, frank and doesn't invent facts or repeat half truths. Vladimir Askinadzi says what he remembers, doesn't repeat facts he only heard about, and as a witness to the events from 1959 he is as good as it's gonna get. This is a unique opportunity to hear from him what happened on the Dyatlov Pass while the bodies were being discovered. Vladimir Askinadzi is grounding all the theories to the facts he witnessed first hand. And he is being honest, to this day he is racking his brain with no explanation to the tragedy.
