The unsolved mystery of the missing Russian hikers may have finally been solved

The Dyatlov Pass incident is a chilling story most often told in a whisper around a campfire, but this very real – and very mysterious – event has long been the subject of conspiracy theories, scientific conjecture and even a movie or two. But the truth of what prompted nine experienced hikers to sneak into the safety of their own tent and flee, half-dressed in the snow of the Ural Mountains, has remained uncertain for more than half a century.

That is, until now. After 62 years of speculation, scientists believe they have figured out what happened in the Ural Mountains all those years ago.

Through simulations, analytical models, and even borrowed Disney technology, the data indicates that an impacting force of nature may very well be the conclusive answer.

What is the mystery of the Dyatlov Pass?

In January 1959, a team of experienced Russian mountaineers was trekking the Ural Mountains – at least, until they perished under mysterious circumstances.

Personal diaries and films discovered on the spot confirm that the team had made their camp on a section of slopes known as Kholat Saykhl, or “dead mountain”. However, something caused the hikers to flee in the middle of the night, making their way out of the tent and sprawling across the mountain – barely dressed despite sub-zero temperatures and a heavy blanket of snow.

When a search and rescue team finally found them, scattered over the pass weeks later, they discovered that while six of the hikers had died of hypothermia, the other three hikers had been killed from extreme physical trauma. Parts of the body were missing – one hiker’s eyes, another’s tongue – and severe skeletal damage to some skulls and breasts.

The only problem? There was no convincing evidence to explain why or how this had happened. At the time, investigators concluded only that an unknown but powerful “natural force” had compelled them to leave their tent. The conspiracies range from katabatic winds to the attack on Yeti and even infrasound-induced panic, but no definitive conclusions have ever been made to explain the deaths.

Until, potentially, now.

Simulations, Disney and a potential answer

In an article published in the journal Communications Earth and Environment, researchers identified data supporting the theory that a small, impactful avalanche could have been the cause.

This is not the first time that such a hypothesis has arisen. In fact, that was one of the first conclusions drawn – there was simply no evidence to support it. In 2019, a team of Russian scientists also concluded that it was an avalanche, but data to support the theory was again lacking. There had been no definitive avalanche evidence – however small. The topography and snow levels did not correspond to such an incident.

Now, however, a team from the Snow Avalanche Simulation Laboratory at the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland, have been able to use analytical models, simulations and even technology from Disney’s animation studios to explain how an avalanche may have occurred without leaving any evidence. .

Reported by National Geographic, the data indicated that the avalanche would have been particularly small – perhaps as small as 16 feet of ice and snow, compacted into a solid slab. This would allow conditions to mask the phenomena over time, with snowfall masking debris, while creating a threat sufficient to force hikers to clear their way.

But that still didn’t explain the extreme trauma left on some bodies. To answer this question, the team turned to Disney’s Frozen. Johan Gaume, head of the lab, combined their simulation tools with animation models borrowed from the Frozen creative team to analyze how the impact of the avalanche would affect bodies.

Using simulation, reinforced by these animation models, the team were able to conclude that the alleged avalanche could have had enough impact if the hikers had laid out their bedding on their skis, providing a rigid base on which the force would have been exercised – crush skulls and chests between the two hard forces.

There is still little evidence of what happened next, as all of the hikers were found outside the tent, but the best theory is that they then attempted to escape the avalanche and rescue their injured teammates – although their injuries and the extreme temperature would eventually prove fatal. As for the missing body parts? Animal scavengers are probably the culprits.

So while the study largely explains a possible, if not probable, scenario of the death of hikers on the Dyatlov Pass, many questions remain.

And these questions will inevitably keep conspiracy theorists speculating for years to come.