Ladies first?

[GlennM]

I recall a passage in the diaries which speaks to a modesty curtain being certainly justified in the tent. This triggered a number of what if thoughts. If the modesty curtain was in place all night long, then who sleeps nearest the tent opening flap? If anyone needed to relieve themselves when the curtain was in place, how do they manage to get past it and those hikers on the other side to attend to their needs? Wouldn't a modesty curtain make heat distribution uneven? If a modesty curtain were in place and near the tent flap, wouldn't those few who were separated by the curtain choose to exit the tent from the flap instead of knifing the side wall?

My original pre judgement is that when the tent was made unlivable, one and all exited via knife cuts through the side wall. Perhaps that is not the case. It may not mean anything at all except to point to observations that the recovery people valued, ignores or assumed were common knowledge.

Of course the modesty barrier could be a temporary arrangement. Did it need to be in place all night long and beyond while dressing for the day happened? I do not recall reading that the finders of the tent had to take down a partition.

Who would know about this?

[sarapuk]

I recall a passage in the diaries which speaks to a modesty curtain being certainly justified in the tent. This triggered a number of what if thoughts. If the modesty curtain was in place all night long, then who sleeps nearest the tent opening flap? If anyone needed to relieve themselves when the curtain was in place, how do they manage to get past it and those hikers on the other side to attend to their needs? Wouldn't a modesty curtain make heat distribution uneven? If a modesty curtain were in place and near the tent flap, wouldn't those few who were separated by the curtain choose to exit the tent from the flap instead of knifing the side wall?

My original pre judgement is that when the tent was made unlivable, one and all exited via knife cuts through the side wall. Perhaps that is not the case. It may not mean anything at all except to point to observations that the recovery people valued, ignores or assumed were common knowledge.

Of course the modesty barrier could be a temporary arrangement. Did it need to be in place all night long and beyond while dressing for the day happened? I do not recall reading that the finders of the tent had to take down a partition.

Who would know about this?

I'm not aware of any such curtain in the tent. Can you elaborate on that diary entry?

[GlennM]

The group diary of Jan 28  speaks to" the guys sewing curtains". But for the life of me, I can not locate the passage which is so clear in my mind. It will come up, of course. Anyway, it is only of any passing interest in how they arranged themselves and their movements as they settled into their trek.

[Ziljoe]

28th January

"....We stop to rest at 5:30 pm on river Lozva. Today we spend our first night in the tent. The guys are busy with the stove, sewing curtains out of sheets. With some thing completed and others not, we sit at dinner. After dinner we sit for long time around the campfire and sing heartfelt songs. Zina even tries to learn to play mandolin under guidance of our musician Rustik (Rustem Slobodin). Then we resume our discussions, mostly about love. Someone comes up with an idea that we need a special notebook for ideas that we might come up with. After a good long talk, we started going into the tent two people at a time. The suspended stove radiates heat and divides the tent in two sections. The further section is occupied by me and Zina. Nobody wants to sleep by the stove. We agree that Yurka Kri will sleep there. On the other side sleeps the person on duty (Aleksander Kolevatov). Yurka couldn't stand the heat and after laying down for 1-2 min, he got up and moved to the second section cursing and accusing us of treason. After that they still argued about something for a long time, but at the end all was quiet... "

30th January

...The stove does a great job. Some of us (Thibeaux and Krivonischenko) think we need to build steam heat in the tent. The curtains in the tent are quite justified. We get up at 8:30am.

[Hunter]

There are two options.

The first option is that the curtain divided the tent into men's and women's areas.

The second option is that the curtain was hung at the entrance, creating a kind of vestibule or air cushion to block the cold air that came in through the entrance and preventing the heat from the stove from escaping quickly.

Personally, I think the second option is more plausible.

[Senior Maldonado]

The second option is that the curtain was hung at the entrance, creating a kind of vestibule or air cushion to block the cold air that came in through the entrance and preventing the heat from the stove from escaping quickly.

Personally, I think the second option is more plausible.

This was the only option actually. When installed, the pipe from the stove ran through almost all tent's interior. Having a curtain near the hot pipe was very risky. If the curtain had been paced before the stove, the girls would have been isolated in the coldest section of the tent, right beyond the enterance.

[GlennM]

And Sarapuk has just learned something, perhaps.

Thanks to responsible forum members who contributed  the inputs.

If at the time of impact, there was a divider in place and the women were separated by the curtain, then it obvious that Zina and Lyuda were affected similarly. This suggests that if Lyuda got crushed at the tent, so should Zina. Additionally, because Zina was obviously able to move on her own, supposedly to the cedar and surely back toward the tent, so too should Lyuda have been able to walk to the forest below. Nothing about the footprints suggests crippling. This is then indirect evidence that Lyuda's fatal injuries were not sustained at the tent, but in all probability the ravine. Her posture looks like she was caught napping when the cornice caught her and others exhausted from their efforts.
 

[Axelrod]

As with everything else here, a lot of things regarding this topic are simply made up and then presented as categorical facts.
Since berths 1 and 9 are the coldest, we need to rule out the possibility that Zina or Lyuda slept at the ends of the row. They might have slept in berths 7 and 8. In that case, there would have to be curtains on both sides.

Place 9 might be with Zolotaryov (as possible option).

I first saw a curtain like that on the Moscow-Prague train—when foreigners were traveling on it—and later on other occasions.
Such curtains were unpopular in the Soviet Union and seen by me after 1990. It was likely a foreign trend, much like women wearing trousers.

From the criminal case files:
Page 34: The tent entrance was open, and sheets—which served as a flap—were sticking out of it.

Clearly, there was a sheet at the tent entrance. Possibly Yudin's sheet.
If the sheet and the stovepipe were incompatible, the pipe could have been inserted through a hole in the side of the tent.
A similar hole was plugged with Dyatlov's jacket on the final night, when the stove wasn't being used.
Also, everyone had a sheet that they slept on during the train ride and the hike.


If you want to pass off your fantasies as facts, feel free to go right ahead. I’ll just have a laugh.

[Osi]

The fact that men were involved in sewing the curtain suggests it was likely an insulation barrier hung at the tent's entrance. Sewing a privacy curtain would have been a chore no man would have volunteered for. I do not believe they divided the tent in two on the night of the Kholat incident. At previous campsites, the stove was lit and the environment was comfortable, so they would undress; on the slope, however, the plan must have been to survive until morning while fully clothed.
In the valley, there are no deep precipices where one might fall and break a bone. While accumulated snow might have raised the ground level, it is impossible for so many people to have sustained fatal injuries. One person getting injured might seem plausible, but certainly not three or four.
The tent was not facing the moving snow slab; it was positioned sideways.
If you examine the cuts in the tent, you will see they were generally made in the upper section of the sidewall. Cutting into the upper wall of a standing, sturdy tent is an athletic feat akin to a hurdle race. The fact that the cuts were made high up on the fabric indicates that the tent had collapsed; the roof seams must have sagged down to the level of the sleeping hikers' heads.
The fact that the tent remained partially standing suggests the most logical course of action: the first uninjured individuals to exit propped up the tent poles and tightened the guy lines to facilitate the evacuation.
Had it been a classic avalanche, they would have been buried under meters of snow and suffocated. However, in the case of a slab avalanche... We can describe the event as a wind-hardened snow block—measuring 30 by 60–70 meters and 50 cm thick—striking the tent, flowing downward without burying it, and finally breaking apart and coming to a halt 100 meters away.
I believe Semyon was able to walk with the support of two people. Tibo and Lyuda must have been carried. I attribute the fact that the tracks reflect a calm, walking pace to the fact that they were carrying injured individuals. I do not see footprints belonging to nine people on the path.

[SURI]

As with everything else here, a lot of things regarding this topic are simply made up and then presented as categorical facts.

Clearly, there was a sheet at the tent entrance. Possibly Yudin's sheet.

[Ziljoe]

Having tried to understand the translation better. It seems the modesty interpretation comes from English translation. It would seem the meaning is within the context of a door screen.

1. “пришивают полог из простыни”
Translation: 
“They sew a polog out of a bedsheet.”

Meaning: 
A hanging cloth flap/liner, not a divider or curtain.

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2. “Печка пышет жаром и разделяет палатку на два отсека.”
Translation: 
“The stove gives off heat and divides the tent into two sections.”

Meaning: 
Front (hot) vs. back (cool) — thermal zones, not physical rooms.

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3. “В дальнем отсеке располагаемся мы с Зиной.”
Translation: 
“In the far section, Zina and I settle in.”

Meaning: 
They sleep farther from the stove, not in a separate compartment.

---

4. “Полог подвешенные простыни вполне оправдывают.”
Translation: 
“The polog — the hung sheets — prove to be quite effective.”

Meaning: 
“оправдывают” = prove useful, work well, serve their purpose. 
NOT “justified” in the moral/argument sense.

---

⭐ Word‑Specific Clarifications

полог
Correct meaning: 
A hanging cloth flap/liner used to reduce drafts or retain heat.

NOT: 
- curtain (domestic sense) 
- divider 
- room partition 
- privacy screen 
- second door 
- girls’ section 

---

оправдывают
Correct meaning: 
“prove useful / prove effective / serve their purpose”

NOT: 
“justified” (moral or argumentative)

From the photos of the re-erected tent we can see what looks like a white sheet lying towards the entrance.

I don't think the OP was fantasizing , I see it as refining the concepts. I've always struggled with the layout, especially the alleged sections. Now that I refine my thoughts on the matter, I think the stove box was somewhere in the middle . The AI answer is separating it by the heat zones I think. This is actually described in another winter hike report. It's an extremely similar dialogue and talks about the zones of heat in the small tent and they could safe weight by not taking sleeping bags.

I would think they would need a area free of the stove hanging from the ridge anyway, just to crouch , put on boots and jackets and prep a bit off food or drink and the duty officer to tend the stove and make sure all is well.

Still super tight on space though!.

[Axelrod]

They write about sewing the sheets together during their very first overnight stop on the Lozva River, after Yudin had left.
Apparently, he had left behind two sheets, one of which was the type used for duvet covers (like those found in dormitories).
Personally, I find it hard to grasp the setup for the night, given that the whole arrangement requires such elaborate maneuvering.
I prefer quick, straightforward actions.

In this case, however, you have to climb two trees just to suspend the tent by the center of its roof.
As noted in the expedition's newsletter, assembling the stove takes a full hour. It all sounds dreadful.
On top of that, the sheets have to be sewn together every evening, and the threads cut with scissors every morning.

Perhaps this is typical of peasant life—like harnessing a horse, for instance.
There is a Russian saying: "We take a long time to harness the horse, but we drive fast."
I actually heard Foreign Minister Lavrov said this recently.

[Ziljoe]

I don't think hanging a tent between two trees means climbing them. You just tie the line at the height of the tent or a bit higher. With the correct knotts you just pull it taught. The time taken will include the spruce flooring , making the bedding, locating  the internal equipment, and fitting the stove and guylines etc. I don't think it's just the tent by it's self.

All large tents take a time to assemble in the most part , especially the putting in of equipment, even modern ones. Trust me, I've done it. I don't think the sheet needs sewn shut every evening and cut? There's a million ways around that.

I wouldn't call it peasant life.

[GlennM]

Axelrod says "If you want to pass off your fantasies as facts, feel free to go right ahead. I’ll just have a laugh."

I am disappointed with your attitude and your prejudice. You are free to clarify my problems in Russian translation, I welcome an alternate assessment based on that revision, but when you attack both the content and the person who makes the post, you insult my sincere effort to contribute to the forum. Additionally, personal jabs weaken your arguement and diminish the respect others may have for your contribution and your hereditary connection to the case. It is called an ad hominem logical fallacy. It means when you can not address the issue, you attack the messenger instead.

Try to exhibit the leadership that your involvement merits. I have no problem with learning. I have a big problem with your current approach.

[Axelrod]

You are free to clarify my problems in Russian translation, I welcome an alternate assessment based on that revision,

You realize that the subject of this topic is a matter of speculation, so there is no need to get upset about counterarguments.
I can state unequivocally that steam heating was not used—not just in the tent, but not even in the city's houses.
For some reason, that term was applied to hot-water heating.

I have heard the word *polog* (canopy/partition curtain), but I have never actually seen such an item in real life.

I know that in India, homes have separate sections for men and women; perhaps people there walk around naked due to the heat.
That does not mean the Dyatlov tent had a designated "women's section."
Under the cold you mentioned, it is doubtful that Zina or Lyuda slept against the tent's cold far wall.
It is possible that a person was lying there whom the others simply didn't notice or mention in their diaries—Zolotaryov, for instance.

[GlennM]

Axelrod, thank you for your clarificatons and explanations. This is the quality of discussion that I appreciate.

[Ziljoe]

Too add a bit of observation about our communication.

When English speakers read the translation of this phrase as 'The sheets are justified', we run into an interpretation problem. To a native English speaker, the word 'justified' in this context sounds like a moral or ethical defense. Because of this, many people think the sheets were hung for reasons of modesty (for example, to screen off the girls), and that the diary author is defending that necessity. We don't immediately realize that it is purely about practical utility and retaining heat.

Having read a bit more myself about other hikes and trips. The tone of the diary as are others is nothing but humour and story telling. I now feel I have better understanding and context of this section of the diary .

What I do believe is when the stove is working or in use , the heat is extreme in these tents. In other hikes they talk of lying barefoot, in shirts and on top of sleeping bags when the stove is in action. I can testify to this from personal experience that a stove in a small canvas tent can get extremely hot.

Sewing a baffle or drape to the front area of the tent is standard practice and it also came in the form of a tunnel chamber .

The context of the excerpt makes sense when we read the previous sentence in the sequence.

The stove is great. The two engineers in the group are joking with exaggeration about making central heating for the tent , it's the same humour used in the combat leaflet and every other winter hike report.

The talk of the drape or curtain just means it was worth all the trouble and it's now paid for the hassle of sewing it and carrying it. It's a team spirited compliment within group.

Every hiking report speaks of the useless sledges that they took and don't work( one group burned the thing in the stove), skiers going ahead to make paths, tents with holes in them , stoves with problems, getting lost, getting up late , blizzards . Every hike had the same equipment issues , humour and difficulties and at least four hikes reports , hikers dug dug snow caves to shelter and one group through 1.8 meters of snow to get water.

I would think , the curtain is just a draper for heat , the stove is what divides the tent and our English translation missed the nuance of the context .

[GlennM]

The clarification of the " justification" comment is something I appreciate. Now, I need further instruction. Can anyone illustrate how such a curtain would be used?  How would it affect heat and air flow in and around the tent?

Also, is it is true that the stove was not utilized on the last evening, does it stand to reason that this curtain of which I speak was never hung? And, does that match with descriptions of the tent, the location, condition of the contents and provide convincing proof that the stove was never put in service, even for a short while?

Because the sheet in question was not for modesty, then there can be little certainty that the two women were near each other when the crisis affected them in the tent. I am still of the opinion that if Zina was not fatally crippled in the tent, neither was Lyuda. They could all descent to the forest independently.

Finally,  the records show Lyuda was moody and sulking. I would think that if a partition were hung in the tent, she could isolate herself and make her displeasure known all the more.

[Hunter]

Аксельрод

Я слышал слово «полог» (навес/перегородка), но никогда не видел ничего подобного вживую.

Я видел.

Ziljoe, скорее особенности перевода и использования слов. В русском языке "оправдано" имеет несколько значений, зависит от контекста.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION
Axelrod,
I saw it.

Ziljoe,
Rather features of translation and use of words. In Russian, 'justified' has several meanings. It depends on the context.

Hunter, please remember to post in English. English is the designated language of this forum.
--Amashilu, moderator

[GlennM]

Again, English language forum.

[Hunter]

I agree that it's English-language. But the tragedy occurred in the USSR, where Russian was the primary language. And sometimes language differences affect perception during translation. A straightforward translation can be dangerous, as it can lead to misunderstandings. This sometimes amuses me greatly when translating texts and films from English into Russian.

[GlennM]

Thanks Hunter, I only mention this because those who know Russian can keep up with the conversation. We who are not fluent just need more hand holding from an intelligent guide. Now, what can you add about the matter of the curtain in the tent? Was it for modesty or for heat distribution? Was it in or out of the tent itself, Do you think it would have any meaning at all regarding who left the tent with another partner,

[Hunter]

There's a saying: a tourist is a sexless creature. This means that some aspects of relationships between the sexes change during a camping trip. For example, sleeping in the same room with guys and girls who aren't couples or spouses isn't perceived as anything reprehensible. Of course, certain standards of decorum will be observed—no one will be naked, no one will spy on you while you're changing, no one will change underwear in front of the opposite sex—but they won't pretend to be prudish. That sheet served as a curtain, protecting the tent from cold air and heat loss. I assume it was hung inside the tent at the entrance.