I hope 2026 will be a year of reflection on natural phenomena.

[Osi]

As the anniversary of the great mysterious tragedy approaches, I will remember 2025 as a year lackluster in terms of discussion, research, and debate, with the case fading into obscurity due to an ongoing war.
Looking at the arguments of researchers who persistently reject the avalanche or snowslide theory:
1) The slope wasn't steep enough.
2) The tent poles were still standing. The tent hadn't been swept away and was partially upright.
3) No snow debris was found to indicate an avalanche.
4) If there had been an avalanche, the footprints would have been covered.
I would like to offer some counter-arguments to these four main arguments. 1) Although the slope of Kholat towards the forest generally averages 15-20 degrees, it is a fact that locally, to the right, left, and uphill of the area where the tent was pitched, there are slopes of 25-30 degrees. In general, due to the slope, an avalanche reaching down to the forest on Kholat's slope is not a concern. However, no one should definitively rule out the possibility of a 100-meter-long slab sliding down the steep slope above the tent. To determine if there is a snow slab phenomenon, you can only catch a new snowfall the next day, before the snow hardens, on top of the hardened snow layer. The group could not cross the pass when they encountered a dense snow cover. They reduced their weight and headed towards the hardened slope. As you know, snow falls only a few times during the winter, not every day. I am one of those who think that the group encountered the second serious snowfall in the Urals region while climbing the peak. Large snowflakes falling in calm weather with temperatures of -7, -10 degrees and a wind speed of 10 km/h. A snowfall, starting around noon and continuing until late at night, caused 50-60 cm of snow to accumulate on the slope of Kholat. The group wasn't at all worried. They were so relaxed that they didn't feel the need to carry extra firewood. The logs in the stove would suffice. When they reached the tent site, the accumulated snow made the walk difficult. They knew that the snow cover was three times that amount at the edge of the forest. Encouraged by the mild weather, they believed they could spend a pleasant night in a snow pit. However, with the changing weather conditions during the night, the snow layer would fall onto the tent like a slab.

If the tent had collapsed like a piece of cardboard, and Dyatlov and Kroveşenko had cut it open and escaped unharmed, wouldn't their first action have been to raise the tent poles to facilitate the evacuation of their comrades? If the tent poles are still standing, does that rule out the possibility that an avalanche destroyed the tent? How can we definitively deny that a 40-50 cm thick, 100x50 m slab of snow sliding down from above would crush the tent, then spread out over a wider area about 400 meters below, thin out, lose its movement, and be swept away by a storm that erupted during the night? As for the argument that an avalanche would have covered the footprints, this might be logical if the group members had noticed the avalanche beforehand and escaped. However, we are talking about an evacuation that occurred perhaps 10-15 minutes after the slab of snow had crushed the tent and slid down. The footprints were left on a snow cover that had come down from above. If another avalanche didn't occur after the group descended into the forest, how could the footprints have been covered?

[Teddy]

Avalanche is not a natural phenomena that can cause these injuries.
The hikers allegedly made it down fine. How did they die?
If the avalanche didn't kill them what did?

[Osi]

The close proximity of the footprints is interpreted as the group walking calmly without panic. What kind of calmness could you expect when you're cutting up your tent and walking into the unknown in -25 degree cold? They were necessarily so calm because they were carrying the wounded. They took small steps and moved close together to avoid hurting the wounded. The fact that the tracks remained intact for days is supported by a pressure force far exceeding that of a normal human being, leading us to consider that many people in the group were carrying weight, thus applying twice as much pressure to the ground. Until the last four tourists were found, I don't think anyone paid attention to how many people's footprints belonged to the ones coming from the tent. They were only interested in which direction the tracks went. After the tragedy turned into a trial, attempts were made to determine the number of tracks by looking at the photographs taken.
The boot print belonged to Semyon, a large man. He was able to walk by clinging to Droshenko's neck and with his help. Tibo was being carried on Kroveschenko's back. Lyutmila; With the help of Igor and Zinan, he was made to walk, sometimes putting weight on his feet, sometimes not. Rustem walked alone, managing himself. Kolovetov led the way with a lantern.

You can't achieve such wide, symmetrical fractures by striking with a cult object, a rifle butt. The bruise marks of the object striking should be visible along the fractures in the outer skin. These injuries must be attributed to immense pressure and compression (a falling tree trunk, snow movement, a fall from a height) without any technological involvement. Let's assume that the avalanche hitting the tent caused less trauma to Semyon and Lyutmila. Let's say they both only had two bone fractures each. After descending into the forest, they dug an Italian pit to shelter from the storm. This pit provided protection from the wind but offered no advantage against hypothermia. After giving up hope on Yuri's fever, Semyon must have convinced Kolovatov that they could no longer be protected in this pit. Kolovatov; With the help of Zina, Igor, and Rustemin, a snow cave must have been created by entering through the snow cover accumulated in the streambed a few meters away, and the wounded must have been moved to this insecure but warm shelter. They must have been laid on their backs with the traumatized areas of their bodies facing the ceiling. Kolovatov was the first to enter the hole and pulled his friends inside. Since there was no possibility of exiting the hole in this situation, he remained there as an escort. If, while the wounded were dying from internal bleeding and cold, some movement, expansion of space, or collapse occurred inside, it should be considered that a second fracture occurred in all of the bodies with the traumatized areas facing the ceiling, symmetrically to these weak areas.

[Teddy]

They were necessarily so calm because they were carrying the wounded.

They were not. The wounded could not be moved. I am not going to argue with you anymore.