Last two days of the Dyatlov group: 1. Ascent to the ‘tent site’ – a timeline

[Arjan]

A possible timeline of the last two days of the Dyatlov group is drafted, assuming: 
1.   The map below reflects the situation.
2.   No outsiders have entered the map until the arrival of the first search party.
3.   The members of the Dyatlov group have acted as ‘may be expected’.
4.   No internal violence within the group.
5.   No manipulation with the photos from the search parties and from mortuary.
6.   The information in the autopsy reports reflects the professional findings of the coroner.



1 February 1959

Around 8:30 am
Sunrise, although the sun had appeared above the horizon of the hillside at least half an hour later.
The group had made a small campfire for breakfast and heating hot drinks.
They had started making for preparation for leaving and for making the storage for around 50 kg of gear/food.

Around 10:00 am
The tent has been taken down and packed.
But the gear and food to be left in the storage had not been sorted out.
Quite often, repacking takes far more time than foreseen on beforehand.

Around 12:00 am
The Dyatlov group had been ready to leave.
They had decided to have a light warm lunch before leaving, to avoid ‘hunger pangs’ during the ascend, because they had known from the day before that the ascend would take more than one hour of hard work.

Around 13:00 pm
The group had started the ascend.
The map above shows a climb from 550 m to 850 m over 1000 m horizontal distance.
The angle of inclination is ‘30 % on average’ over 1 kilometer.
The duration of the climb (without a path) had taken at least 1.5 to 2 hours:
•   15 to 30 minutes for covering a horizontal ‘zigzag’ distance and
•   1.5 hours for climbing 300 m height with 20/30 kg gear and carrying the skies/poles by hand.

A misstep, or slip by a group member followed by a slide of the group member downhill, may cause serious injuries during this kind of ascends.
The group had no ice axes for a self-arrest after a slide.
See for more information: Youtube for using self-arrest using an ice axe during a slide

Around 14:45 pm
Probably Zinaida (and maybe Thibo and/or Rustem – serious head injury?) had made a slide after a misstep/slip of one group member.

The autopsy report of Zinaida states: ‘On the surface of the area of the lower back on the right side of the abdomen there is a graze wound of bright red color in the form of a strip sized 26 x 6 cm’.
The website Dyatlovpass.com suggests: ‘Looks like left by a baton’.

This graze wound may well had been caused by: Zinaida’s slide being stopped by hitting a small tree after she had gained a speed over 30 km/h.
When Zinaida may had stood upright again, this graze wound had not been serious. But it had not been clear is she had any serious internal injuries, that may had required her transport to medical care.

Remark: the ascend to the 'tent site' is the only part of the tour where group members may have gained a speed over 30 km/u after a slide under normal snow conditions.

Around 15:00 pm
The sun had disappeared behind Kholat Syakhl: it had gotten cold. See for more information: Rakitin, Aleksej, Die Toten vom Djatlow-Pass, München: btb Verlag, 2018, chapter 7.   
The group had arrived at the saddle close to the tent site.

The group had started looking for an adequate camp site, while probably(/maybe?) having one or more injured members during a slide (after a misstep).
As illustration, frame 28 of film 1:
1.   Igor and Semyon debating the place of the campsite for the night and/or continuation of the tour?
2.   Alexander looking (worried?) from the corners of his eyes to Zinaida(?)
3.   Zinaida standing bent. Her right side is not visible.



Remark:
It is debatable if frames from the 6 films may provide a valid proof for facts that had taken place during the tour.
The rucksack visible on the back of Zinaida looks ‘being added afterwards while printing the frame’, because nobody wears a rucksack in that manner.

[GlennM]

My understanding of this new theory is that the tourists were hit by a slide on their way to Otorten. They could not arrest their fall. They were driven into the wooded area. Zina had a telltale injury. Źina's posture suggests injury. Her rucksack is worn incorrectly. I look forward to an elaboration. There is much left to account for.

[Arjan]

Thank you for your reply to the post.

To avoid misunderstandings, a misstep, or slip by Zinaida, followed by a slide of herself downhill is meant (and not a slide of a snow slab or of a small avalanche).

I have clearified this in the post

[GlennM]

Very good Arkan, now to fill in the rest of the details.