A gale force wind

[GlennM]

According to the case files, there were two attempts to  make Ortoten. Whatever progress was made on the 31st of January was lost when the group retreated back to the Auspya ridge. To me, this suggests they were beaten back by wind and snow too strong to work against. When they set out the next day, there must have been an agreement that so long as they could proceed, they would. Their final camp marks a point at which the snow and wind prevented progress. They then had to pitch their tent in those conditions.

If they were making a speed run to Ortoten, then they would not bring extra wood. I wonder if their rigging was inherently inadequate. I wonder if there was a wind direction shift after the tent was pitched. I wonder if they labored to construct a berm to shield the tent from the worst of the weather. I wonder if any of them were more fully dressed than others because they had sentry  duty. I wonder if sentry  duty was worked in shifts. How much trouble would it be to get clothed up while others tried to sleep.  The only reason to have a guard on such a forlorn slope is to attend to a blow down, in which case all hands on deck anyway.

[SURI]

Once you understand why they left the tent, you won’t be asking these questions. A tent on a desolate mountain slope without wood and water was a prepared trap and a prelude to what was to come.

[Senior Maldonado]

SURI, probably it is high time to continue your story. We are all waiting.
What had happened before two Yuris statred to drag (unconscious) Igor downhill?

[GlennM]

My point is less about  why they left their shelter and more about why they did not get further. In the simplest sense, I contend they didn't go further because they couldn't. Weather stopped them. I believe Suri would argue for human interference. In my defense, I think there was enough time to stop, level a base, lay skis, rig the tent and stake it down.  There is no definitive evidence to show any injuries that would prevent forward progress to Ortoten, nor justify a walk to the cedar. In essence, I contend they went as far as they could, hunkered down and intended to proceed the following day. Going back to my previous thought, an injured hiker could remain at the tent while others moved on to Ortoten if they were single minded in their quest. There were no broken legs or arms. No splints.

I think the conspiracy advocates would argue that some feigned condition or personal threat halted the expedition. This is unsatisfactory for me because of two reasons. First, if the object it death, you don't let your victims  make camp. Second, the malefactor(s) must have an exit plan. No evidence of mutual combat exists that can not be better explained by natural causes.

[SURI]

SURI, probably it is high time to continue your story. We are all waiting.
What had happened before two Yuris statred to drag (unconscious) Igor downhill?

And here I thought it wasn't that hard to figure out.

You were quite close. If you had left out the rockets and listened more to Ivanov, you could have taken it all the way to the end.

Even the abandonment of the tent is just a drop in the ocean of the whole story. There is not only the scene we see, but the background as well.

For example, you correctly recognized that something is wrong with the case files. And also, that the 4 in the ravine died last.

[SURI]

I don’t even know if such a case has any parallel in the world. I would call it a tragicomedy. The case is difficult to understand, but for Ivanov, it was routine – he had the irrefutable evidence handed to him on a silver platter.