Casts doubt on monster theory

Have Scientists Finally Unraveled the 60-Year Mystery Surrounding Nine Russian Hikers’ Deaths?

New research identifies an unusual avalanche as the culprit behind the 1959 Dyatlov Pass Incident

Today, the so-called Dyatlov Pass Incident—named after the group’s leader, 23-year-old Igor Dyatlov—is one of Russia’s most enduring mysteries, spawning conspiracy theories as varied as a military cover-up, a UFO sighting, an abominable snowman attack, radiation fallout from secret weapons tests and a clash with the indigenous Mansi people. But as Robin George Andrews reports for National Geographic, new research published in the journal Communications Earth and Environment points toward a more “sensible” explanation, drawing on advanced computer modeling to posit that an unusually timed avalanche sealed the hikers’ fate.

Dyatlov Pass incident – Wikipedia

For the film originally titled “The Dyatlov Pass Incident”, see Devil’s Pass.

Dyatlov Pass

The Dyatlov Pass mystery: In the dead of winter, a group of students disappeared in the Ural Mountains. Their frozen bodies – with inexplicable injuries – were discovered in locations that compounded the puzzle of how they died.