I agree that the location of the tent when "discovered " by searchers is complete nonsense. Most people familiar with the details of the case absolutely had to realize that the hikers would have never set up camp on an exposed ridge when the forest was available a mile away. Far too many people fell for that deception.
It was on their plan..before the ascent of Otorten. Also they had done previous expeditions that involved periods above the treeline https://dyatlovpass.com/gallery-1958-Subpolar-Ural
There's nothing in that schedule which specifies they must
ascend, let alone pitch on the mountain. The two ascents are intended to be Otorten and Oyko-Chakur. One day was allowed for navigation of the
pass, and the 1959 resolution to close the case stated they were supposed to head between the peak, referred to as '1079', and another, '880', but were some 500-600m off their map route, as indicated by their trail.
https://dyatlovpass.com/case-files-384-387Igor was blamed for several gross mistakes, including taking his group up the slope of 1079 from 3pm, in the usual winds and temperatures of -25 to -30, and the presumption was this was done to remain at altitude en route to Mt. Otorten.
That resolution made their own mistake. The trench digging photo's are said to be end-of-reel images, from two cameras, and used the last camera settings to calculate when they were taken based on the exposure, but arrived at 5pm (unless that is simply a mistranslation) - when they should have known it was dark half an hour earlier.
Other sources confirm that Level 3 did not require them to go without overnight heating.
The photo's of the previous hike show a tent at higher altitude, above the tree line, in a much wider mountain range which would require an overnight stay to traverse it, and it's pitched on a level, in weather so calm they can even hang gloves on the ropes.
That tent installation is suspended by two loops of rope either side through the centre eyelet (actually three on one side), and an extra rope tensioning the skis, which are set well away from the tent sides, and they are double-anchored with ski poles.
By contrast the tent on the Dyatlov Pass, which should be crossable in 3 hours, has no visible evidence of ridge ropes tied to the skis, even slipped down if the tent collapsed, and one ski is in the wrong position, unless the intention had been to use a pair downslope and shorter ski poles higher up the slope.
It's the norm to position a ridge tent side-on to the crest of the mountain, but the problem here is both the 30 degree slope and an elongated tent needing extra ridge support.
That slope means the downhill ski needs to be right up against the tent side (one is) to have planting depth at one end and retain height at the top, enough to be higher than the tent ridge. If this was on untouched ground it would be fine, but they have disturbed the snow by digging a trench, which will be because ridge tents have no headroom, and for wind chill protection, so that ski may not be held securely enough in the snow. They cannot risk the tent collapsing on them in the night due to the stove above them.
If alternatively, the tent had been turned 90 degrees, the 2 skis would then be at the same level either side. The problem with that installation, when wanting a trench and levelling a long tent, is they would have to dig deeper on the uphill end, and may even meet the ground, which up there is 50% rock strewn.