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.

[Senior Maldonado]

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 am fully with you regarding these considerations. As Dyatlov's aim was Otorten's peak, he had to climb the ridge sooner or later. One option was to approach Otorten as close as possible moving through deep snow of the Lozva valley. This provides easy camping but hard walk. Alternative option was to climb the ridge near 1079 and then have an easy walk to Otorten avoiding to lose hight. This provides easy walk but hard camping. Dyatlov had selected the 2nd option. He attempted the climb on January 31st, but it became clear that fully equipped group could not manage that. So Dyatlov decided to lose one day to offload part of the eqippment to a cache and to give rest to the team. Next day, February 1st, the group had no problem to climb and set up a camp to proceed next day to Otorten and back.

[GlennM]

Senior M, we are agreed on the path and the rationale for the path. The follow up idea is why they got as far as they did. Their climb to the ridge was not particularly easy, as the diary hints. As a group they were equal to the hardship. The diaries suggest that for the most part, all were in good spirits,  Lyuda excepted. Photos shows more smiles than frowns.

I believe that while pitching the tent was a slower and more deliberate activity, knifing out of it was quite the opposite. Only some event that was both rapid and unanticipated would justify such action. This makes me lean toward natural events, perferably my oft repeated slab slip idea, but the detonation of a rocket or a meteoric bolide would also be sufficiently sudden. None of them have left indisputable evidence. There is little point in running away from any of them. In fact, the tracks do not support running from the tent. I think whereas a blast from a man made or meteoric object is oover and done in a flash, a mound of snow is going to take time to attend to. I would argue that if the group decided to get warm, get rest and come back in the day time to clear up the mess, it would be reasonable...if the weather cooperated.
Finally, because Ivanov changed his point of view and went to an extreme later on, I have discounted his credibility. For me, he knew as much or little as anyone else. What he could do was gain notoriety and money from spinning the deaths of the hikers into something that sells pulp magazines.

[SURI]

Finally, because Ivanov changed his point of view and went to an extreme later on, I have discounted his credibility. For me, he knew as much or little as anyone else. What he could do was gain notoriety and money from spinning the deaths of the hikers into something that sells pulp magazines.

Personally, I would be far more concerned about the unsigned decision to open the case, or the illegitimate and moreover incriminating document from February 6th. And not just those.