Some wanted to leave the tent, others didn't let them go. Fight ensued.

[Sunny]

Some of the group wanted to leave the tent, or perhaps the whole hiking trip and go back. They were dying from cold. They wanted to commit a mutiny. Others didn't allow them to go. They stopped them from leaving the tent, by sitting in front of the doorway, and not allowing them to leave. Fight ensued, that was physical and finally those who wanted to leave the tent, cut the tent and got out.
In tent there probably was fist fight or wrestling betweent these two groups. Maybe it was because some were hypothermic, the weather was too cold, they didn't put the stove on, and some were literally dying if they didn't get fire and warmth immediately. Some others said, no, we can't put the stove on for what ever reason, and you can't leave because that would lead to hiking trip being a failure. We need everybody to carry equippments. Also might have been that they didn't want others leave because they wanted to take matches, knives, flashlights and equippments that they had only one piece and others needed them too. This dying group wanted to go down and put fire and perhaps dig a den where it would be warm to wait help. Or perhaps ski back to where they came from. Or remove the tent and put it in better place. The trip was a disaster. Others wanted to continue the trip and receive the reward.
After they got out from the tent, the others came out too, and fought the first group some more beating them with fists, kicking one in the head. They had marks from this.
After that, the tent was nearly blown away by strong wind, so they all had to make a new plan, they had to put snow on top of , it, hurricane was blowing, and they were all cold. They had to all go down as soon as possible, to make a fire and den for all. The tent was not usefull anymore. But they could sew it together another day.
So they all left the things in there, cause they couldn't find their boots and clothes in darkness or from under the snow anymore.
While down, others made fire, found fire wood, others dig a den. After some time, 2 Yuris died from hypothermia by the fire, the others took their clothes. Thew went to den, but started fighting again. This made the den collapse, or it just collapsed by itself. Or maybe someone was walking accidently on top of its roof while trying to find it in dark. They were crushed. Kolevator is not "hugging" Semyon, but maybe wrestling, trying to restrict him or something and their bodies were found like this.
They fought eacothers. People don't like to say this. The autopsy doctor says this same thing. There were no outsiders. Who would go out in the cold in the middle of nowhere to fight or kill random students? Nobody. Not even an animal. Not on a mountain. It was all themselves. It was a mutiny.
Dyatlov died of hypothermia, Zina also, Rustem for the head wound. Someone kicked him on the head or he hit it in darkness on stone and died.

[Manti]

It could be that they disagreed and some wanted to turn back. Camping on the slope without using the stove must have been controversial.

I think they were too good friends to fight and kick each other in the head, though. Plus, many of them had knives...

All in all, I don't understand the part how they failed to put on boots and coats? They covered the tent in snow, meaning, they covered their boots in snow while not wearing boots? That seems very irrational.

But I can imagine a scenario where half the group stays in the tent and half the group goes to the forest to light a fire and build a den.

And then one group gets into difficulty and the other goes on a search for them..... could be, except for the fact that based on clothes, and the two watches on Tibo's wrist, we know that the group who apparently got into difficulty, the ravine group, survived longer.


I think this theory has potential but needs more work.

[ElizabethHarris]

Manti, I thought the team's knives were found inside the tent, sheathed. They were all accounted for and the knife and spoon found at the cedar did not match the types of knives the group was said to have possessed. If we are to believe this, then we might conclude that the wounds on Igor's hands were in fact from his grabbing a knife in self-defense. A knife that is unaccounted for.

[Manti]

Well I mentioned the knives in relation to fighting and kicking each others heads.. with the assumption that if it was that serious and many had knives, maybe we would be seeing stab wounds.


As for all the knives being found in the tent... this is another mysterious detail then. There is testimony from the searchers about all the small fir trees and branches that have been cut down with a knife near the cedar and that it's an extensive area and was probably done by multiple people. Although I think penknives were found on some of the bodies, but not "Finnish knives". And cutting down a tree/branch with a penknife must be really hard.

Also we know about cut clothes and the trousers of Yuri look like they were cut off at least partially. So they must have had knives with them in the forest.


Unless someone else was there and did all these things

[GlennM]

Supposing  they fought in the tent, would this mean that the offended parties left the tent in a huff and then the others went to mollify them all the way down the mountainside?  What in the world would prompt that kind of behavior?

[ElizabethHarris]

I can't think of anything that would willfully warrant the hikers to trudge a mile in the freezing dark without clothes/shoes. It had to be force IMO.

[Manti]

Pure speculation.

They set up the tent, try to hang the stove on the rope, but the wind is too strong, the stove keeps swinging and is not safe, it keeps touching the canvas and if they start it, the tent would catch fire.

Some start saying that they should pack everything up and set up camp in the forest instead... maybe they even start dismantling the tent. While others are saying that it's too dark and the only option is to spend the night on the slope in the cold. Lyuda says that's nonsense and sets off for the forest... After all it was her who defied the others the previous night too and didn't help sew  the tent.

[ElizabethHarris]

I don't see them dismantling the tent in the dark because the wind was so strong. Wouldn't that make it harder to setup somewhere else in those conditions? And why would they knowingly leave to do that without clothes/shoes etc.

[GlennM]

I can't think of anything that would willfully warrant the hikers to trudge a mile in the freezing dark without clothes/shoes. It had to be force IMO.

Force would certainly be an answer. If the force wore boots, we would know. If the force was circumstance, we want to know the circumstance. Nature is ever changing. The clues are gone with the Spring melt, I think. All behavior is motivated. That is Force in the broadest terms. Your arguements are intellectually stimulating. Appreciated.

[Manti]

[If the force wore boots, we would know.

According to the analysis commissioned by Teddy, the footprints were made by someone wearing boots (but then again, Semyon was found wearing boots).

[ElizabethHarris]

GlennM, thank you, I find yours similarly interesting and very well expressed. I like your open-mindedness and ability to have an intelligent conversation when opinions differ! The environment was another huge enemy of the truth here. What the snow covered, what it didn't cover, leads only to more speculation. I don't dare say the M word but if you've ever read Saltyseadog's posts, I think his assumptions are correct IMO. The more complicated the story, the less likely it is to be true. (I know I'm going to be crucified for saying that and of course, this is not always the case but I believe simplicity to be true often enough to apply it to this case too)