Igor Alekseevich Dyatlov

Born on 13 Jan 1936, USSR.

Igor was the leader of the ill-fated hiking group; the whole incident is named after him. He was a student of the 5th Faculty of Radio Engineering at UPI university. A talented engineer, he designed and assembled a radio during his 2nd year that was used during hikes in 1956 in the Sayan Mountains. He also designed a small stove that he used after 1958 by Dyatlov himself and that he had brought with him on this trip.

While still a schoolboy who had just finished 7th grade, he, along with his brother Vyacheslav, a student of UPI, participated in trips with hikers from UPI. He was remembered for taking a makeshift portable radio with him on a trip, while in 1951 it was a rarity. It was amazing that he made this radio himself. From the first days of study at UPI, he was actively involved in mountaineering life. He was distinguished by thoroughness in carrying out any tasks, great physical shape, balanced character, and friendly attitude towards people. He mastered the ability to do any job well, sensibly, often originally. Not only was he a skilled radio amateur, he designed and assembled a shortwave radio transmitter and established communication with the country's shortwave, he was a good photographer.
Once on a trek, one participant, tempted by the thought of the condensed milk in his backpack, secretly from the group ate one can. Regretting afterwards, he told Igor about this. Igor did not scold or shame him. He kept silent. And then he said: "When we return to Sverdlovsk, you will pay the cost of the condensed milk to the group’s cash desk." This case was remembered for many years... From Ural Stalker 2009 №1

He was 23 years old when he died. Dyatlov is buried on March 10, 1959, in Mihaylovskoe cemetery, Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia. The funeral »

Hiking experience

For Igor Dyatlov the Mountains were calling, and he had to go (rephrasing John Muir). Igor Dyatlov was brave, confident, experienced and passionate. I know the kind - they can be wild when alone but they always take care of their fellows. Igor had sense of responsibility. Being a leader is a quality that can not be acquired but comes from the core of your heart. Mountaineering you can learn if you feel the tug. But you can't make people follow you and trust you with their lives. This is a talent that Igor had, he was a leader.

Dyatlov group diary

Igor Dyatlov last post card

Vizhay Post Office 1959

On January 26, 1959, around 2 pm, the group arrived in Vizhay. Dyatlov, as the leader of the trek, went to the local post office to send a telegram about their arrival at the checkpoint of the route. After checking in with AltaMater and the Sverdlovsk Political Bureau of extreme sports Igor asked the operator for a postal card form. He sent to his father Aleksei Alekseevich Dyatlov in Pervouralsk his last message written on the back of a postal card. Rufa (Ruffina Alekseevna) is Igor's sister, a pupil in school №12 in Pervouralsk.

Same day Zina also went to Vizhay Post Office to sent her last letter to her family. See more photos from Vizhay →

Where: Sverdlovsk Region
city of Pervouralsk, Sotsgorod
Sadovaya, 13.
To: A.A. Dyatlov
Sender's address: Vizhay
Dyatlov

Hello everyone.
Today, 26, we leave on the route, we arrived well.
On February 12-15 I will visit Sverdlovsk. I probably will not go home, so let Rufa bring linen to our room for a trip to Penza.
From there I will return on March 5-7.
Greetings, Igor.