Recent Posts

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General Discussion / Contaminated theory.

« Last post by Tim on Today at 03:50:08 PM »

No theory has been contaminated more than the avelanche theory. There is clear evidence that the tent was set up adjacent a wall.. What has never been considered is the gale force wind assisted by gravity causing a snow wall cave in.  Mountaineering 101 Build a snow wall for protection, In real time it would look like this...Once they settled in for dinner the unthinkable happened ,they found themselves under a blanket of snow which left them stunned. After a few of the men cut themselves out from under the snow they helped the others had  ..What I propose is that  as soon as they were out, another cave in happens cutting off access back into the tent to retrieve the gear. They are out in the elements again exposed in the deadliest weather a human could be in. Their hands are freezing trying to dig through the snow which really isn't very deep, but the conditions accelerate their decision to move to the trees..Their moving as fast as they can against the gale force winds and remarkably they make it fairly quick or they surely would of died on the slope down. Other than at gun point there is no other plasuable reason for them to have left the tent. Extracting oneself is the only reason to use a knife on a tent. But, I change my mind alot, but I like this theory because it's logical...thanks Tim

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General Discussion / Re: Gale force winds can push large sections of snow around .

« Last post by Nigel Evans on Today at 02:50:17 PM »

So a collapsed den could be a scenario. Two by the tree die of cold, and two of the three found on the slope also die of cold. That leaves one on the slope with the unexplained head injury, Rustem. Was he going up or down.

Lets take Rustem first. He suffered head injuries and internal bleeding. Whatever the cause of this, it implies some very rough activity. Maybe he fell, maybe he was attacked. Whatever it was it doesn't fit with (imo) with his cap being perfectly in place on his head! Surely someone put it there as a kindness after his trauma forced him to lie down? Also whether Rustem died of cold or internal bleeding is an open question imo.


Yuri D died of cold but whether Yuri K did is imo open. Hypothermia is slow shutting down and i don't see that fitting with holding skin in your mouth for many minutes.


Igor clearly died of cold (full bladder) but Zinaida is less certain imo.


It's a good fit with the missile theory that Zinaida, Igor and Rustem had lost vision to some extent.

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General Discussion / Re: Gale force winds can push large sections of snow around .

« Last post by Monty on Today at 01:57:23 PM »

So a collapsed den could be a scenario. Two by the tree die of cold, and two of the three found on the slope also die of cold. That leaves one on the slope with the unexplained head injury, Rustem. Was he going up or down.

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General Discussion / Re: Gale force winds can push large sections of snow around .

« Last post by Nigel Evans on Today at 01:35:18 PM »

If only they had chosen a double bass instead.
In all seriousness though, is there much truth in the finding of the military puttee or has this been explained? The den/gulley report contained reference to at least one. Would this be something a group member would wear as part of their gear?

It did exist but hasn't been explained. Could be a perfectly innocent piece of kit of course that one of the group carried. Yudin couldn't have known about every item carried by every member.

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General Discussion / Re: Gale force winds can push large sections of snow around .

« Last post by Nigel Evans on Today at 01:29:22 PM »

Thanks. That's a helpful description and explanation. Therefore with enough time and determined effort a den could have been fashioned to act as a shelter /hide

They had an expert at hand in Semyon and Nicolai was found with his gloves in his pocket suggesting he was warm enough, suggesting they were in the den.

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General Discussion / Re: Gale force winds can push large sections of snow around .

« Last post by Monty on Today at 01:24:08 PM »

If only they had chosen a double bass instead.
In all seriousness though, is there much truth in the finding of the military puttee or has this been explained? The den/gulley report contained reference to at least one. Would this be something a group member would wear as part of their gear?

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General Discussion / Re: Gale force winds can push large sections of snow around .

« Last post by Monty on Today at 01:15:52 PM »

Thanks. That's a helpful description and explanation. Therefore with enough time and determined effort a den could have been fashioned to act as a shelter /hide

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General Discussion / Re: Gale force winds can push large sections of snow around .

« Last post by Nigel Evans on Today at 01:10:02 PM »

I might add the image of a yeti chasing them only to be met with the sweet sounds of a mandolin would be fairly pythonesque.

Essential expedition equipment - "Music to serenade a killer yeti, Vol 1 - 10" .

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General Discussion / Re: Gale force winds can push large sections of snow around .

« Last post by Nigel Evans on Today at 12:52:32 PM »

Some interesting food for thought. Am i right in saying you refer to ski poles that we're cut? Perhaps grabbed on the way out of the tent. I assumed from the"den" photo the four sitting areas were pine cones/branches on thicker branches. A bit like a small raft you would lash together.

No the "poles" were cut from saplings near the den (so they had a knife). The remnants being clearly visible to the rescuers. The poles formed the base of the raft on which the seats were built from twigs finished with scraps of cloth. N.B. the construction of the raft is to some extent conjecture because it was found in a wrecked condition due to the snow in the ravine having "travelled" (obeying gravity like a glacier does). The case files state that the bodies were found 6 metres downstream from the den but some rescuers (Askenadzi) dispute this stating it was 1metre.

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General Discussion / Re: Gale force winds can push large sections of snow around .

« Last post by Monty on Today at 11:48:18 AM »

I might add the image of a yeti chasing them only to be met with the sweet sounds of a mandolin would be fairly pythonesque.