About fire

[Osi]

Think of a straight line between the tent and the cedar tree. On this line; there are footprints, bodies and a fire. Neither 100 meters to the right nor to the left. This fire is a fire lit on the night of the incident.

The existence of the fire leads to two conclusions.
1- The fire was lit by the tourists.
2- The fire was lit by the murderers who were waiting to question the tourists to keep warm.
If the murderers wanted to stage the young people freezing to death, it is illogical for them to leave the fire as evidence.

The detectives and the public would think like this:
- They have a fire, they cannot have frozen. What killed them?
If a strong fire had been lit there during the interrogation, all traces would have definitely been eliminated and we would have been convinced that the young people froze to death.

The tourists lit the fire, but 1 or 2 people. Under very difficult conditions (the onset of hypothermia and a storm blowing more than 50 miles per hour) by breaking branches with their hands and falling from the tree. You can light a fire in a blizzard of 90-100 km/h, but you can never warm yourself in this fire. Maybe you throw your glove or a handkerchief into the fire and see it burn, but it only gives off a little heat around a hand and does not warm you.

A failed fire that was lit in panic and haste. The fire pit was not opened and all 9 tourists could not support this fire.

Although these findings do not give an idea about what happened that night, they contain the opposite ideas that I have in mind against the opinions in the forum that some of the tourists were tortured with fire or that the killers may have lit the fire while waiting to lure the group into a trap.

[GlennM]

So you conclude the tourists did not stop at the ravine, but rather went directly to the cedar, yes?

[Osi]

Based on the existence of fire and examining its properties, I exclude the possibility of strangers in Sedir. The only thing that makes you think there will be a stranger there is the fire, and it couldn't have been left out in the open. The valley is outside this straight line. If we include the valley, we can express the area where all the events took place with the letter L.

[GlennM]

What do you make of the flashlight on the tent? Was this to guide the hikers, or was it placed by the rescue/recovery team accidentally?

I feel that the hikers misjudege the distance to the forest. This may due to time of day, weather and visibility. The fact that they did not wear boots, argues that they thought themselves lower on the slope than was the reality. Once at the cedar, the fact that the fire really did not help them changed everything for the worst.

Do you think the two Yuris were undressed before freezing?

[Osi]

Instead of taking a few boots or blankets in case of emergency, choosing 2 flashlights shows that the decision to go down to the forest was made during the evacuation. When a well-dressed person gets out of the tent, he has to help his other friend who is stuck inside and wants to leave the tent, and naturally leaves the flashlight aside to get him out. He forgets to take the flashlight due to the snowstorm and panic.
I am not sure if they are familiar with the boot rock. Even if they are, it does not give you an advantage in terms of warming up.
It is also very interesting that they dropped the second flashlight on the way. What does it tell us so far?
A small layer of snow that collapsed the tent and forced the group members to evacuate, caused panic, slipped. The presence of 2 different characteristic footprints (collapsed and raised footprints) indicates that the group first walked on the slipped snow and then trampled the natural snow. The disappearance of the tracks a little further and the dropping of the flashlight indicate, in my opinion, that they noticed that the second, larger layer of snow had slipped and started running. In fact, we are talking about a slide that is technically not fatal, slides slowly due to the slope and loses its effect 300-400 meters after the tent. However, it must have caused panic and falls. The behavior of 2 Yuri can be associated with advanced stages of hypothermia. They cut their clothes and threw them into the fire to strengthen the fire. socks, handkerchiefs, etc. This stage is accompanied by dizziness, clumsiness, slow movements and partially paradoxical undressing. I think their clothes must have been carried by Kolovatov to isolate the 3 people in the valley.

[GlennM]

"flashlights shows that the decision to go down to the forest was made during the evacuation."
It also suggests their crisis happened after dark. However, I have no idea how that flashlight was attached to the tent. I can not envision an untethered flashlight. Further, if tethered, it would have to be aimed and tied down. All we hear is that it was on the tent with snow above and below it. Impossible in a gale, I think.

"presence of 2 different characteristic footprints (collapsed and raised footprints) indicates that the group first walked on the slipped snow and then trampled the natural snow."
Suggests that in the dark they could not be certain that wind driven snow might actually get more dangerous, they took the safe option which is to leave the slope.

"They cut their clothes and threw them into the fire to strengthen the fire. socks, handkerchiefs, etc."
I will need more convincing. Seven other people at the tree are not going to tolerate suicidal behavior from their friends. I tend to think they were umdressed by others post mortem but before freezing.