Is one of these more likely?

[MDGross]

First scenario: A tree in the forest falls on the tent at night. Some are fatally injured, others escape from the tent but die of hypothermia. Political leaders in Ivdel worry that they could be implicated and punished. They "stage" the tragedy in an attempt to clear themselves of any involvement.

Second scenario: The hikers are confronted by outsiders. Some suffer severe injuries at the hands of the outsiders while others are left to freeze to death.

Third scenario: The hikers dig a trench on the slope of "1079" in which they pitch their tent. During the night, the snow wall they created from digging the trench collapses on the tent. After digging themselves out, they cut a slit in one side of the tent and make their way to the forest below. Some die when they fall into a ravine; the others perish from hypothermia.

Fourth scenario: ?????  (What do you believe happened?)

[tenne]

First scenario: A tree in the forest falls on the tent at night. Some are fatally injured, others escape from the tent but die of hypothermia. Political leaders in Ivdel worry that they could be implicated and punished. They "stage" the tragedy in an attempt to clear themselves of any involvement.

Second scenario: The hikers are confronted by outsiders. Some suffer severe injuries at the hands of the outsiders while others are left to freeze to death.

Third scenario: The hikers dig a trench on the slope of "1079" in which they pitch their tent. During the night, the snow wall they created from digging the trench collapses on the tent. After digging themselves out, they cut a slit in one side of the tent and make their way to the forest below. Some die when they fall into a ravine; the others perish from hypothermia.

Fourth scenario: ?????  (What do you believe happened?)

They don't try to finish the trip because carrying the tent that way doesn't work well in trees. They will use their holiday and go back and tell the authorities that they were unable to complete the trip and never try to claim credit for a trip they didn't do

because no one knows they are there, they are accidently wiped out by a device that isn't public knowledge (because if it was why try to cover it up?) bodies are found in a line, closest to the bomb? have the worst wounds going down to the least injured who was just knocked out and did die of hypothermia

decision is made to cover it up and the KTB? (who ever did the spy service in that era). they have the materials to do deep fakes, or the cold war stories are just that, helicopters to carry it all

tent is set up in a spot it will be found for sure, make it look like the hikers bolted.

problem? they had to use local sources for the reports i.e. autopsy and those people were forced into the cover up and being decent people, they did everything they safely could to leave a doubt in people's minds so the families knew that their children basically didn't do it, it wasn't their 'fault'

[GlennM]

Scenario 1. Let dead dogs lie. Tent relocation arouses suspicion. Nature, not man is to blame.
Scenario 2. All behavior is motivated. More indicative of the attitude of forum posters than actual events. Illogical at best.
Scenario 3. Occam's Razor.  My choice.

[Manti]

A couple of university students and recent graduates decide to go on a skiing trip. The local government inserts a KGB agent into the group because they are suspicious the group wants to emigrate to Alaska. Their trip is uneventful until one day one of them spots a Menk in the distance while doing their business in the forest. They quickly take a photo but are unsure what they saw. The next day, they get caught in a blizzard and decide to set up the tent on a windswept slope with no firewood nearby. While chewing on frozen ham for dinner in the tent, the infrasound generated by the wind over the mountain induces Arctic hysteria in one of them. They grab a knife and slash the tent open, and run out into the storm. The others are worried about their friend and run after them the way they were, without wasting time putting on coats or shoes, leaving their dinner behind. When they catch up with her and try to comfort her, suddenly they hear explosions from the sky, and the fireball of a low-yield nuclear test appears above the peak of Holat Syakl. Semyon snaps a few photos of this phenomenon, the others start running away as fast as they can, leaving 8 set of raised footprints in the snow. They stumble upon a Mansi shaman and his hunting pals in a delirious trance around a campfire under an old cedar tree. They join the dance, but are interrupted an hour later by armed men in police uniform. These men try to subdue and arrest everyone, as animistic rituals are illegal in the Soviet Union, furthermore they suspect the group have been hunting brown bears as they spot the fresh hide of a cub in the snow. Bears are protected as an endangered species in Russia. A chaotic fight ensues, Tibo is hit on the head with the butt of a shotgun and falls, rolling down into a ravine. Rustem tries to produce the letter he happens to have in his trouser's pockets, which explains they are on an authorized hiking trip, however, the policemen assume he is trying to draw a knife and hit him in the head too. He crawls away injured, and succumbs to the cold. At this point, everyone is startled by another explosion, this time from the forest. The force of the blast throws Sasha into the air and breaks several branches off the cedar which fall on Lyuda and Semyon, breaking their ribs. The Mansi take advantage of the confusion and speed away on their husky-drawn sled. The policemen quickly discuss the situation and decide to investigate the source of the blast. The two Yuris are injured and can barely stand, as they stepped on the fire during the fight. Igor and Zina try to keep the fire going but soon realize that Rustem is missing. They set out to find him in the moonless, frigid night.

Two weeks later, a hungry, pregnant wolverine happens upon the tent while looking for food. While munching on some ham, it is startled by the shouts of escaped zeks in the distance. In its confusion, it steps on and breaks a ski pole in the tent, and sprays the blankets on the floor. Then, as the zeks pass, it slowly follows them up the slope towards the freedom of the independent republic of Perm, hoping to steal some food from their backpacks when they stop to rest later on...

I hope this explains everything.

[Зайцев]

A couple of university students and recent graduates decide to go on a skiing trip. The local government inserts a KGB agent into the group because they are suspicious the group wants to emigrate to Alaska. Their trip is uneventful until one day one of them spots a Menk in the distance while doing their business in the forest. They quickly take a photo but are unsure what they saw. The next day, they get caught in a blizzard and decide to set up the tent on a windswept slope with no firewood nearby. While chewing on frozen ham for dinner in the tent, the infrasound generated by the wind over the mountain induces Arctic hysteria in one of them. They grab a knife and slash the tent open, and run out into the storm. The others are worried about their friend and run after them the way they were, without wasting time putting on coats or shoes, leaving their dinner behind. When they catch up with her and try to comfort her, suddenly they hear explosions from the sky, and the fireball of a low-yield nuclear test appears above the peak of Holat Syakl. Semyon snaps a few photos of this phenomenon, the others start running away as fast as they can, leaving 8 set of raised footprints in the snow. They stumble upon a Mansi shaman and his hunting pals in a delirious trance around a campfire under an old cedar tree. They join the dance, but are interrupted an hour later by armed men in police uniform. These men try to subdue and arrest everyone, as animistic rituals are illegal in the Soviet Union, furthermore they suspect the group have been hunting brown bears as they spot the fresh hide of a cub in the snow. Bears are protected as an endangered species in Russia. A chaotic fight ensues, Tibo is hit on the head with the butt of a shotgun and falls, rolling down into a ravine. Rustem tries to produce the letter he happens to have in his trouser's pockets, which explains they are on an authorized hiking trip, however, the policemen assume he is trying to draw a knife and hit him in the head too. He crawls away injured, and succumbs to the cold. At this point, everyone is startled by another explosion, this time from the forest. The force of the blast throws Sasha into the air and breaks several branches off the cedar which fall on Lyuda and Semyon, breaking their ribs. The Mansi take advantage of the confusion and speed away on their husky-drawn sled. The policemen quickly discuss the situation and decide to investigate the source of the blast. The two Yuris are injured and can barely stand, as they stepped on the fire during the fight. Igor and Zina try to keep the fire going but soon realize that Rustem is missing. They set out to find him in the moonless, frigid night.

Two weeks later, a hungry, pregnant wolverine happens upon the tent while looking for food. While munching on some ham, it is startled by the shouts of escaped zeks in the distance. In its confusion, it steps on and breaks a ski pole in the tent, and sprays the blankets on the floor. Then, as the zeks pass, it slowly follows them up the slope towards the freedom of the independent republic of Perm, hoping to steal some food from their backpacks when they stop to rest later on...

Вот что значит западная демократия. А на русскоязычном форуме, по теме перевала, вас бы уже давно забанили за весь этот спам и отправили бы туда, куда Макар телят не гонял. На кудыкину гору. К чёрту на кулички. За семь вёрст киселя хлебать.
Всё это на английский язык не переводится. Пусть будет на русском.

[ilahiyol]

It seems to be the only option. UNKNOWN FORCING POWER. It is not possible to have other options....May be in jinn.None of the other options are consistent. They do not fully explain the event. The option that best describes it is "UNKNOWN FORCING POWER"

[Manti]

That's what Western democracy means. And on the Russian-language forum, on the topic of the pass, you would have been banned long ago for all this spam and sent to where Makar did not drive calves. On Kudykin mountain. To hell with the cakes. For seven miles of jelly slurp. All this is not translated into English. Let it be in Russian.

I apologize that I left out the food poisoning plotline. My mistake.

[Зайцев]

That's what Western democracy means. And on the Russian-language forum, on the topic of the pass, you would have been banned long ago for all this spam and sent to where Makar did not drive calves. On Kudykin mountain. To hell with the cakes. For seven miles of jelly slurp. All this is not translated into English. Let it be in Russian.

I apologize that I left out the food poisoning plotline. My mistake.

Это не правильный перевод. Какое ещё желе и пирожные
It's a wrong translation. What else jelly and cakes

[tenne]

A couple of university students and recent graduates decide to go on a skiing trip. The local government inserts a KGB agent into the group because they are suspicious the group wants to emigrate to Alaska. Their trip is uneventful until one day one of them spots a Menk in the distance while doing their business in the forest. They quickly take a photo but are unsure what they saw. The next day, they get caught in a blizzard and decide to set up the tent on a windswept slope with no firewood nearby. While chewing on frozen ham for dinner in the tent, the infrasound generated by the wind over the mountain induces Arctic hysteria in one of them. They grab a knife and slash the tent open, and run out into the storm. The others are worried about their friend and run after them the way they were, without wasting time putting on coats or shoes, leaving their dinner behind. When they catch up with her and try to comfort her, suddenly they hear explosions from the sky, and the fireball of a low-yield nuclear test appears above the peak of Holat Syakl. Semyon snaps a few photos of this phenomenon, the others start running away as fast as they can, leaving 8 set of raised footprints in the snow. They stumble upon a Mansi shaman and his hunting pals in a delirious trance around a campfire under an old cedar tree. They join the dance, but are interrupted an hour later by armed men in police uniform. These men try to subdue and arrest everyone, as animistic rituals are illegal in the Soviet Union, furthermore they suspect the group have been hunting brown bears as they spot the fresh hide of a cub in the snow. Bears are protected as an endangered species in Russia. A chaotic fight ensues, Tibo is hit on the head with the butt of a shotgun and falls, rolling down into a ravine. Rustem tries to produce the letter he happens to have in his trouser's pockets, which explains they are on an authorized hiking trip, however, the policemen assume he is trying to draw a knife and hit him in the head too. He crawls away injured, and succumbs to the cold. At this point, everyone is startled by another explosion, this time from the forest. The force of the blast throws Sasha into the air and breaks several branches off the cedar which fall on Lyuda and Semyon, breaking their ribs. The Mansi take advantage of the confusion and speed away on their husky-drawn sled. The policemen quickly discuss the situation and decide to investigate the source of the blast. The two Yuris are injured and can barely stand, as they stepped on the fire during the fight. Igor and Zina try to keep the fire going but soon realize that Rustem is missing. They set out to find him in the moonless, frigid night.

Two weeks later, a hungry, pregnant wolverine happens upon the tent while looking for food. While munching on some ham, it is startled by the shouts of escaped zeks in the distance. In its confusion, it steps on and breaks a ski pole in the tent, and sprays the blankets on the floor. Then, as the zeks pass, it slowly follows them up the slope towards the freedom of the independent republic of Perm, hoping to steal some food from their backpacks when they stop to rest later on...

I hope this explains everything.

finally, a theory that explains everything. they always say the truth is stranger than fiction so why not

[ilahiyol]

There are only two options that can cause the group to leave the tent. The other options don't explain the whole thing. 1. The human factor, that is, a job of the soviet state 2. Unknown coercive force. Obviously, there is no other option than these two options.... Considering the human factor, in this case, the group escaped from the tent at gunpoint or with the strong wind and compression of the helicopter. The most likely thing for the group to do in this situation is to hide in the forest. Because if it's people following me, I walk at least 10 miles, not just 1 mile. And I would split into groups of two. I would never light a fire and keep warm a mile away, because the fire made it clear where I was. So I would walk at least 10 miles, or even 20-30 miles, and try to destroy my trail. It will be very difficult for them to follow me through the woods at night. It will be very difficult for the helicopter to find us in the forest area. I could have been at least 20 miles away by morning. Of course, it is very difficult to do this with only stocking feet, but it is possible. This is possible if you are healthy and young. The group marched just 1 mile away and burned it on fire. This is conclusive proof that it was not humans who brought them out of the tent.

[ilahiyol]

The group did not run very far. Because it wasn't human following them! As I said, if it were human, you would run away at least 10 miles away and you would never start a fire 1 mile away. It was the unknown coercive force that had kidnapped them from the tent. And he knew there was no way to escape it. Maybe other people(?) But the closest human community was 50 km away, I think. There was no way they could get there barefoot. In this case, they went to the Cedar collectively. Because they were cold with bare feet at -10 degrees. They made a fire. And they had a very important meeting here. On what to do. They warmed up a bit, which gave them some confidence and courage. Everyone knows the confidence, peace and courage that fire gives to people. They just got warm. Here Dytlov was again the leader. And the two Yuri would stay on the tree. And he would take turns climbing up the tree and peeking. In the event of danger, they would loudly warn everyone. Dytlov was going to take Rustem and Zina with him and go to the tent and get the necessary equipment. The other four would make a small den of snow and wait there.

[ilahiyol]

The two yuri took turns climbing the tree. They looked towards the tent. When they couldn't see anything, they told the others. The group decided to return to the tent, hoping that the unknown force was gone. But the unknown force was not gone!!! He was watching them from afar!!! The Dytlov trio began to advance together towards the tent. The unknown force first attacked the two Yuri who were on guard. He knocked them out or killed them with some sort of shock wave. They may have fallen into the fire. Burns can be caused by this. Then he attacked the Dytlov trio. First Dytlov, then rüstam, then Zina... He must have attacked the Semyon quartet last.... Because while Dytlov was attacking the trio, the quartet took two yuri's clothes. This shows that their passion for survival is huge! If it were other people, they would have given up already. They wanted to live. Struggles to stay in the tent, walking to the Cedar and making a meeting there, climbing the tree to peek, breaking two inch thick branches, their effort and courage to return to the tent, the quartet taking their clothes from two Yuri (for Dubina), digging a den, albeit a small one... It shows that they do everything to survive and their desire to survive. May God protect them and put them in Heaven. amen.

[ilahiyol]

All this is proof that the group was in their right mind at the time of the incident and that they were not crazy. And it also shows that there is no quarrel between them. The group was in a strong solidarity and unity until the last moment. And it also shows that the weather is not very cold at the time of the event. Because they light a fire, but they leave the fire after it gets a little warm next to the fire(?) You never leave the fire in extreme cold!!! This indicates that the cold is close to about -10 degrees. Never more. My guess is -13 degrees on the slope and -7 degrees in the forest.... There was no storm either. The tent remains in place and hardly moves. And they were able to light a fire and try to get back to the tent. This doesn't happen in a storm. The Yeti couldn't have attacked either. Because it's not uncommon for yetis to attack a human.

[ilahiyol]

Returning to the tent was an absolute must. Because his boots and clothes were left in the tent. And blankets. The nights in Russia are very long and cold. Without shoes, clothes, and blankets, it would be very difficult to get through the night, and it could even be deadly. Of course, they would also take lanterns, knives, ice axes, and food.

[GlennM]

I hope this explains everything.
« Last Edit: January 07, 2023, 10:51:43 AM by Manti

Can't wait for the movie!

[ilahiyol]

However, the Soviet government did not show the necessary attention to the event. A lot of evidence has hidden photos, diaries and some items. A few sane people at the top of the line wanted it to be over for a moment. And they ordered many evidences to be hidden or destroyed. Because they didn't want the event to escalate and be talked about around the world. The government at that time ruled everything. There was a monarchical system. It was what the originals said. no one was in a position to oppose. I'm sure very interesting evidence and materials are being kept. I hope one day it will all be revealed.

[Почемучка]

Вот что значит западная демократия. А на русскоязычном форуме, по теме перевала, вас бы уже давно забанили за весь этот спам и отправили бы туда, куда Макар телят не гонял. На кудыкину гору. К чёрту на кулички. За семь вёрст киселя хлебать.
Всё это на английский язык не переводится. Пусть будет на русском.

Оо...Да ладно...Разве на наших форумах таких вот линий сюжетных не было?
https://taina.li/forum/index.php?topic=151.0
https://taina.li/forum/index.php?topic=146.0
https://taina.li/forum/index.php?topic=82.0
https://taina.li/forum/index.php?topic=6467.0

Была и объяснительная от Лавины Ивановны, как она будучи в нетрезвом состоянии вдруг увидела перед собою мужчину своей мечты - Огненный Шар и пошло и поехало...
Наши русские прикольщики - куда как прикольнее...

Oh...Come on...Didn't we have such plot lines on our forums?
https://taina.li/forum/index.php?topic=151.0
https://taina.li/forum/index.php?topic=146.0
https://taina.li/forum/index.php?topic=82.0
https://taina.li/forum/index.php?topic=6467.0

There was also an explanatory note from Lavina Ivanovna, how, being in a state of intoxication, she suddenly saw the man of her dreams in front of her - the Fireball, and off and on ...
Our Russian pranksters are much more fun ...

[GlennM]

In this thread there are three instances of how the event happened. In consideration of why any of these may be the truth, Occams razor. What is the simplest practical answer. On the one hand, the answer is human efficiency,  on the other,  Nature's  indifference. Both are true and not mutually exclusive. That said, in this situation, Nature prevails.

[ilahiyol]

In this thread there are three instances of how the event happened. In consideration of why any of these may be the truth, Occams razor. What is the simplest practical answer. On the one hand, the answer is human efficiency,  on the other,  Nature's  indifference. Both are true and not mutually exclusive. That said, in this situation, Nature prevails.

Nature has no influence in this case. Even an amateur person does not die of cold under those conditions. It is not possible for a strong team of 9 professionals to die of cold.

[Ehtnisba]

First scenario: A tree in the forest falls on the tent at night. Some are fatally injured, others escape from the tent but die of hypothermia. Political leaders in Ivdel worry that they could be implicated and punished. They "stage" the tragedy in an attempt to clear themselves of any involvement.

Second scenario: The hikers are confronted by outsiders. Some suffer severe injuries at the hands of the outsiders while others are left to freeze to death.

Third scenario: The hikers dig a trench on the slope of "1079" in which they pitch their tent. During the night, the snow wall they created from digging the trench collapses on the tent. After digging themselves out, they cut a slit in one side of the tent and make their way to the forest below. Some die when they fall into a ravine; the others perish from hypothermia.

Fourth scenario: ?????  (What do you believe happened?)

Second but as explained by Пачемучка (no outsiders but goal for the country ) and Аннь Рускихх even though they don't like each other. These 2 plus Charles' sound more sane to me.

[Ehtnisba]

A couple of university students and recent graduates decide to go on a skiing trip. The local government inserts a KGB agent into the group because they are suspicious the group wants to emigrate to Alaska. Their trip is uneventful until one day one of them spots a Menk in the distance while doing their business in the forest. They quickly take a photo but are unsure what they saw. The next day, they get caught in a blizzard and decide to set up the tent on a windswept slope with no firewood nearby. While chewing on frozen ham for dinner in the tent, the infrasound generated by the wind over the mountain induces Arctic hysteria in one of them. They grab a knife and slash the tent open, and run out into the storm. The others are worried about their friend and run after them the way they were, without wasting time putting on coats or shoes, leaving their dinner behind. When they catch up with her and try to comfort her, suddenly they hear explosions from the sky, and the fireball of a low-yield nuclear test appears above the peak of Holat Syakl. Semyon snaps a few photos of this phenomenon, the others start running away as fast as they can, leaving 8 set of raised footprints in the snow. They stumble upon a Mansi shaman and his hunting pals in a delirious trance around a campfire under an old cedar tree. They join the dance, but are interrupted an hour later by armed men in police uniform. These men try to subdue and arrest everyone, as animistic rituals are illegal in the Soviet Union, furthermore they suspect the group have been hunting brown bears as they spot the fresh hide of a cub in the snow. Bears are protected as an endangered species in Russia. A chaotic fight ensues, Tibo is hit on the head with the butt of a shotgun and falls, rolling down into a ravine. Rustem tries to produce the letter he happens to have in his trouser's pockets, which explains they are on an authorized hiking trip, however, the policemen assume he is trying to draw a knife and hit him in the head too. He crawls away injured, and succumbs to the cold. At this point, everyone is startled by another explosion, this time from the forest. The force of the blast throws Sasha into the air and breaks several branches off the cedar which fall on Lyuda and Semyon, breaking their ribs. The Mansi take advantage of the confusion and speed away on their husky-drawn sled. The policemen quickly discuss the situation and decide to investigate the source of the blast. The two Yuris are injured and can barely stand, as they stepped on the fire during the fight. Igor and Zina try to keep the fire going but soon realize that Rustem is missing. They set out to find him in the moonless, frigid night.

Two weeks later, a hungry, pregnant wolverine happens upon the tent while looking for food. While munching on some ham, it is startled by the shouts of escaped zeks in the distance. In its confusion, it steps on and breaks a ski pole in the tent, and sprays the blankets on the floor. Then, as the zeks pass, it slowly follows them up the slope towards the freedom of the independent republic of Perm, hoping to steal some food from their backpacks when they stop to rest later on...

I hope this explains everything.

This is the winner theory. I feel sad UFO not included and smoky stove too 😆

[amashilu]

MD Gross,
I have begun to take an interest in Vladimir Naegaev's theory, ever since I read one of the nurses' statements that the hikers' clothes, which had been removed for washing the bodies, were glowing in the corner. There are reports of the radiation levels being off the charts, even after the Ravine 4 had lain in water for months so their clothes had been "rinsed" for quite awhile. For the time being, I'm leaning toward Naegaev and the radiosonde theory. An exploding radiosonde could account for the flail chest and the radiation. He has written a trilogy in Russian, which unfortunately I don't read, but which apparently goes into great detail about each of the seven men on the trek and their backgrounds and training in chemical/radiation. He believes they were chosen for a special mission in nuclear weapons testing.

[Почемучка]

MD Gross,
I have begun to take an interest in Vladimir Naegaev's theory, ever since I read one of the nurses' statements that the hikers' clothes, which had been removed for washing the bodies, were glowing in the corner. There are reports of the radiation levels being off the charts, even after the Ravine 4 had lain in water for months so their clothes had been "rinsed" for quite awhile. For the time being, I'm leaning toward Naegaev and the radiosonde theory. An exploding radiosonde could account for the flail chest and the radiation. He has written a trilogy in Russian, which unfortunately I don't read, but which apparently goes into great detail about each of the seven men on the trek and their backgrounds and training in chemical/radiation. He believes they were chosen for a special mission in nuclear weapons testing.

О, торчество Нагаева  - это то еще творчество...
Как он объяснил тот факт, что переданные родным вещи - ничем не грозили?
Ведь половина Уголовного Дела  - это передача вещей турклубу УПИ  и родным?
А как же быть с продуктами из палатки? Их же тоже пустили в пищу поисковикам.
А палатка Дятлова судя по свидетельствам - долгое время (до 1983 года) находилась на складе вещественных доказательств криминалистической лаборатории.
Oh, Nagaev’s torturing is something else creativity ...
How did he explain the fact that the things handed over to relatives did not threaten anything?
After all, half of the Criminal Case is the transfer of things to the UPI tourist club and relatives?
But what about the products from the tent? They were also put into food for search engines.
And Dyatlov's tent, judging by the evidence, for a long time (until 1983) was in the warehouse of material evidence of the forensic laboratory.

[amashilu]

Of course, I don't know, since I can't read his trilogy. But some of it is being synopsised on Facebook in rather broken English and the intricate details of the education, training, and background of each member of the hike regarding radiation facilities, secret missions, and experience is quite compelling. I would love to get hold of Nagaev's book in English.

[Missi]

First scenario: A tree in the forest falls on the tent at night. Some are fatally injured, others escape from the tent but die of hypothermia. Political leaders in Ivdel worry that they could be implicated and punished. They "stage" the tragedy in an attempt to clear themselves of any involvement.

Second scenario: The hikers are confronted by outsiders. Some suffer severe injuries at the hands of the outsiders while others are left to freeze to death.

Third scenario: The hikers dig a trench on the slope of "1079" in which they pitch their tent. During the night, the snow wall they created from digging the trench collapses on the tent. After digging themselves out, they cut a slit in one side of the tent and make their way to the forest below. Some die when they fall into a ravine; the others perish from hypothermia.

Fourth scenario: ?????  (What do you believe happened?)

Let me come back to the first post.

1st scenario:
Yes, I do believe this could be possible. I know those were not the times of Stalin, but still there are so many people who were deported, convicted, demoted and everyone was only trying to survive and to have their families survive. I can fully see the fear of those peripherally involved leading to measures we today wouldn't dream of undergoing.

2nd scenario:
I can see that happening as well. There is the question, why there are no traces of those who confronted the hikers. I can see that there were no traces around the tent and cedar. But is it really probable that all traces further away could have been hidden so that none were found when there were still groups looking for traces of the dyatlov group?

3rd scenario:
That one seems rather improbable to me. First, they were no newbies to hiking in winter. Second, that would have been a huge trench. Third, this theory does not cover the flashlight that was found on top of the snow.

4th scenario:
I'm not quite sure, what I myself believe happened. There are many small details I think are rather unimportant concerning the big picture, but keep distracting us (for example the date of Feb 6). And then there are things, we dismiss as unimportant from our point of view of today, that made all the difference back then.
I think we need to turn the picture, see it differently, like the black and white picture on which you can see either two faces or a vase.


I've read Rakitin. When I did so, I was completely in the rabbit hole. It just sounded fitting. And I'm sorry, but my western upbringing let's me believe MANY foul things of the then soviet government.
On the other hand I also read Teddy's book and it's completely logical to me as well.
And still in every theory I find aspects I don't really believe in. And then there are others that don't seem to get noticed, like the radioactive traces.
Maybe those will one day be explained as completely unrelated to the death of the hikers. But until they are, we need to keep them in mind.

@ amashilu:
I'd love to read that as well. It seems I need to learn Russian after all. :(