Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident

In February 1959, nine hikers disappeared from their camp deep in the Ural Mountains, their bodies days, weeks, and even months later across the desolate Siberian landscape, a mile or more from their tent, which remained intact, anchored to the mountainside. What made them flee the warmth and comfort of their tent into 40 mile-an-hour winds and temperatures of 40 below? With no shoes? Soviet officials ruled it was "an unknown compelling force." And so the mystery grew. UFOs. A band of crazed, heavily armed men. A radiation experiment or missile launch gone bad (hey, it was the Soviet Union we're talking about). All of these and other theories were put forward, but nothing could be convincingly proven.

Fifty-plus years passed and then American author and filmmaker Donnie Eichar decided to have a go at solving the mystery. Doggedly, he tracked down the one survivor of the hiking party (he'd turned back at the end of January owing to chronic pain), as well as the elderly prosecutor and younger sister of the group's leader, Igor Dyatlov. Eichar spoke no Russian and most of his contacts spoke no English. Painstakingly he translated documents, pieced together the group's movements and even - heavens above! - retraced their footsteps with a winter foray deep into Siberian wilderness where the group disappeared. (Technically it wasn't Siberia, Eichar explained, but I fully believe him when he says that Siberia is a state of mind or at a minimum, climate conditions, rather than an exact point on a map. In that case, it was definitely Siberia.)

Eichar also consults numerous scientists, from those who study radiation to those who study rock formations and wind. Gradually and then suddenly he arrives at the solution. While there may be some he will stick with earlier theories (extraterrestrial attack, for example), Eichar's evidence is solid and his conclusions make good, sound, scientific sense. I enjoyed following along as he discovered what became of the hiking party. Those who enjoy scientific reading and investigative journalism will appreciate what Eichar has done here.