How long did the hikers survive outside the tent?

[Marchesk]

Most people think the mystery is what made them leave the tent, but I'm also curious whether they were prevented from returning. That depends on how long they were alive for. Breaking the time up, how long would you estimate each of these took?

1. Leaving the tent. It would seem that cutting your way out and leaving the camp site without proper clothing would indicate immediacy, but I've seen mention based on the "Don't Go There" book that they milled around a bit first.

2. Descending to the tree line. I recall someone saying on Youtube it took him 30 minutes to walk from approximate location of the tent to the cedar tree during the winter. This was in daytime with proper attire.

3. Building the fire. The time it took to decide to make one and get it going until it burned out. Were they all together a the cedar tree initially when one of them climbed it to presumably look back at the tent?

4. Digging the snow den. I've seen the den called into question in this forum, but whatever the four were doing by the ravine.

5. Going back to the tent. When did Igor and the other two head back? Was this a separate decision? Did they revisit the fire first? Did they help with the snow den?

If the three had headed back up immediately, then why wouldn't they have made it back to the tent before succumbing to the elements? Were high winds blowing down on them making progress really slow?

[cz]

Hi,

A barage of reasonable questions. I doubt that many answers are known with great accuracy.

The timescale for the descent to the tree line is derived from the distance of 1.5 km and a typical walking speed in such conditions. The footprints indicate moderate speed so this is one of the more reliable estimates from my point of view.

The fire is thought to have burned for 1.5 to 2 h, I think. One has deduced that from the thickness of the branches having burned through. It does not say how long it took to get it going of course. They were rather experienced campers however.

Tibo had two watches of different brand on his arms. One showed 8:14 and the other 8:39 when he was found. I keep wandering whether this short 25 min offset is indicative of the time he met his end or it is a chance coincidence.

cz

[Loose}{Cannon]

8:14 and the other 8:39 when he was found

Im guessing the times on their watches wont actually tell us much.  The times shown only indicate when the watches needed to be wound again and this could have been 2 days later for all we know.   

[Marchesk]

Svetlena in the Don't Go There pdf/book mentioned that the footsteps were in the direction of the ravine and not the cedar tree. So that might have been their first stop. I've never seen that discussed before. Not sure how it helps with determining how long they stayed alive in the woods.

Also, according to this image, Igor, Zina and Rustem did not retrace the footsteps on their way back to the tent, but took a different approach. I wonder why that would be, unless the image is misleading. At any rate, if they had turned back immediately, they would have retraced the footsteps, but they weren't found on the path. So they must have spent some time in the woods, helping with the snow den, the fire, or decision making.

Also, Svetlena mentioned weather reports from nearby areas showed the wind speed to be mild that night, so the three probably didn't face powerful wind gusts significantly slowing their progress back to the tent. Dying from exposure on the way indicates they were in the woods for a time, and only started back as a last resort.

[cz]

I believe the image is somewhat misleading. As far as I know they were found lying essentially on a direct line toward the tent. Not sure whether they could trace their footsteps or even had to do so.

For all hikers but the ravine four, the autopsy report states that the last meal was taken 6-8 hours before their death. If so, they clearly died in the night of their escape.

 So far, it did not occur to me so clearly that no such statement is given for any of the ravine four. Luda had some redish mass in her stomach but no mention is made of a meal or food (although that same mass may be exactly this). I do not know for how long after a meal would be found during examination, but that maybe a lower limit to their survival time unless none of them had any meal of course, which seems unlikely to me.

[Marchesk]

For all hikers but the ravine four, the autopsy report states that the last meal was taken 6-8 hours before their death. If so, they clearly died in the night of their escape.

Right, I was trying to ascertain whether something kept all nine hikers away from the tent for some time before the three attempted to go back. I can't imagine that threat of avalanche or paradoxical undressing would do that, since those are more immediate. Also, if there had been an explosion of some kind causing them to flee, then why didn't they try to go back sooner?

[Loose}{Cannon]

That has to be the worst depiction of of the Zina, Igor, and Rustem locations I have ever seen. 

On the other note, how do we know any of the above three didn't die while decending the slope? 

[Marchesk]

That has to be the worst depiction of of the Zina, Igor, and Rustem locations I have ever seen. 

My fault for relying on one depiction. This one seems more accurate, and it has the footprints, cedar tree, and the three of them all line up.

[Marchesk]

On the other note, how do we know any of the above three didn't die while decending the slope?

Because they would have been fully dressed and have brought more clothing for the others? Unless one or more died on the initial descent. But why would they have perished so soon?

[Loose}{Cannon]

Unless one or more died on the initial descent

Bingo



Use our map.   


http://forum.dyatlovpass.com/index.php?topic=40.0

[Marchesk]

Use our map. 

Oh, you can zoom in on that one! It shows a direct line from tent to bodies to cedar tree.

[Marchesk]

Clark Williams answered my question in the OP, providing a reasonable timeline for their individual demise, which would roughly be from 2 hours (the two Yuris around the fire) to 6 hours (the last survivor in the ravine).

Which means something was keeping them from returning to the tent until matters got desperate, probably with the death of the Yuris and the resulting demise of the fire.