conditions leaving tent, going to cedar and making fire

[wintergreen]

What were the weather conditions (wind (how heavy), cold (how cold), snowing (how heavy))
Was there light that night (full moon/no moon/clouds)
Did the cedar and environment (tree line) protect them from the weather (wind, snow, cold,…), and how much?

Just trying to visualise it, one time I see them stumbling next to each other in heavy wind and snow in total darkness, the other time I see them walking calmly to the treeline , no wind, no snow, full moon...

[sarapuk]

What were the weather conditions (wind (how heavy), cold (how cold), snowing (how heavy))
Was there light that night (full moon/no moon/clouds)
Did the cedar and environment (tree line) protect them from the weather (wind, snow, cold,…), and how much?

Just trying to visualise it, one time I see them stumbling next to each other in heavy wind and snow in total darkness, the other time I see them walking calmly to the treeline , no wind, no snow, full moon...

Virtually impossible to know the exact weather conditions at that location in January / February of 1959. All we know is that there was plenty of snow and winds and low temperatures. So obviously there would be cloud cover as well, but how much and how often is virtually impossible to know. Some people have suggested that the Military of various Nations may have had Satellite information appertaining to weather conditions in this area, but we have no knowledge of that.

[Nigel Evans]

What were the weather conditions (wind (how heavy), cold (how cold), snowing (how heavy))
Was there light that night (full moon/no moon/clouds)
Did the cedar and environment (tree line) protect them from the weather (wind, snow, cold,…), and how much?

Just trying to visualise it, one time I see them stumbling next to each other in heavy wind and snow in total darkness, the other time I see them walking calmly to the treeline , no wind, no snow, full moon...

From memory the moon didn't rise until 4am.
If you (as i do) believe Semyon's photos are genuine then there was snow but little cloud.
The temperature is fiercely debated, there are indications it was unusually warm.
It's my understanding that the forest protects from the wind.

[Star man]

What were the weather conditions (wind (how heavy), cold (how cold), snowing (how heavy))
Was there light that night (full moon/no moon/clouds)
Did the cedar and environment (tree line) protect them from the weather (wind, snow, cold,…), and how much?

Just trying to visualise it, one time I see them stumbling next to each other in heavy wind and snow in total darkness, the other time I see them walking calmly to the treeline , no wind, no snow, full moon...

It was definitely quite windy when they made camp as can be seen in the photos, but that is not to say that the wind could have eased off or picked up later on.  It was cold - that is obvious but how cold?  At least -7C but probably colder.  It was probably very dark when the incident began, hence the flashlight found 400m down the slope.