The Dyatlov Pass Incident: Even More Theories and Conjecture - Part 6
And now the rest of the "best" of the theories and conjectures. Some of the previous ones discussed and some of these may have overlapping interpretations of the facts. Keeping all that in mind, let's finish.
9 ) The Infrasound Theory
First off, to understand how this theory works we should first define it. Infrasound, or low-frequency sound, is sound with frequencies below the lower limit of human audibility. [below "normal" human hearing]. The ear is the primary organ for sensing infrasound but at higher intensities, it is possible to feel infrasound vibrations in various parts of the body.
99% of the time there is no effect on humans when we encounter infrasound. If one is subjected to intensive prolonged episodes, we begin to feel it more physically. Feelings of unease, nervousness, fatigue; hallucinating; being sick to the stomach; digestive problems; vertigo and imbalance. Longer term encounters can result in loss of sleep, shortness of breath, and feelings of extreme dread.
Infrasound is a slow, periodic rumbling which can be caused by natural elements such as avalanches, volcanoes, tornadoes, ocean waves, earthquakes, and meteors. It can also come from large chemical or nuclear explosions.
Some animals communicate using infrasound, including whales, giraffes, alligators, elephants, okapi, and rhinoceros.
The theory goes with the premise that infrasound might have been responsible for sudden unpleasant feelings for the campers. It is suggested that a rare weather phenomena, a "perfect storm", could have struck during the night. It panicked the hikers causing them to flee the tent and finally fall victim to the cold before they were able to recover their senses.
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| animation of Karman Vortex Street |
This storm would have been a wind phenomena called a "Karman Vortex Street". This wind produces a terrifying, powerful sound which is proven to induce irrational fear in humans. Due to the shape of the mountain, the wind becomes twisted into a series of small but powerful tornadoes. This would have also created a deafening sound. Under certain circumstances, it can produce infrasound.
In other words, in the right conditions, the flow of the wind can be directed in ways that will make a vortex. The wind will travel in a fan shape. With high winds and the right angles, this could form a small tornado which in turn could produce infrasound, in addition to causing wind damage. The theory concludes that the tent was sufficiently down slope enough that the tornado did not reach the tent, but it passed close enough for the infrasound to be felt and the wind heard.
The combination of all of this : the infrasound, the deafening tornado noise; being claustrophobic in the tent; pitch-black condition in the tent; all served to unnerve the hikers to the extent that they ran out into the night, half-dressed, fleeing in terror down the mountain slope.
Some things that bother me with this theory. Through the years, has no one else reported this type of phenomena on this mountain slope? Also, it sounds as if this "tornado" would be a sudden and quick moving thing. The infrasound effect would not have been prolonged enough to induce the feelings of extreme dread and terror. The hikers had been sharing this tent [some of them on previous expeditions] and would have had time to adjust to the 'closeness' inside. There is no evidence to tell us the tent was in darkness. And the footprints found going down the slope tell us that the hikers walked, not ran in panic, down that slope.
10 ) Teleportation Experiment
"Teleportation, or teletransportation, is the theoretical transfer of matter or energy from one point to another without traversing the physical space between them. It is a common subject of science fiction literature, film, and television." - Wikipedia
This theory only surfaced after the 2013 horror film "Devil's Pass". This film used the base story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident and some of the theories to make this film. It is set in modern day and shows some students who go to Russia to try to produce a film trying to prove what happened to the hikers in 1959.
They use a scene of the modern day students disappearing, leaving an abandoned campsite with all their belongings behind; along with the "experts" offering their theories of what had happened to them : tragic accident, yeti, UFOs, etc. It is filmed in a Blair Witch format, with the students filming themselves [film conveniently found after their disappearance] and with news reports and flashbacks.
Interestingly enough, they throw in the students being followed by large humanoid shapes [unseen by the students], yeti-like footprints, a couple instances of missing tongues, a night time avalanche, injured students, military [perhaps] men trying to kill them, and attacks by yeti like creatures that eat[??] a student. In addition, the students suffer a time discrepancy, find a portal, and end up . . . well, not going to give away all the fun fictional facts. Except there is a solution offered as to what the yeti may be.
One should also be wary of photographs on the internet allegedly showing actual scenes of the Dyatlov Pass Incident. In particular, there are 14 movie stills that are often passed off as the real thing. A good source [and an inspiration to how to organize these posts besides being the best source for information about this tragedy] is https://dyatlovpass.com/ .
11 ) Ball Lightning and Lightning Strikes
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| ball lightning |
Those who favor this theory cite three key points to prove it. The tent slits, the hot spot near the tent, and the camera on a makeshift tripod. These things are said to suggest that the hikers were observing something in the sky.
Some say the Mansi people blamed the "golden orb" for the tragedy. Other witnesses talked of possible "aerial lights". There are allegedly photographs from the hikers of lights in the sky. These appear to be from the photos from the water damaged camera and film belonging to Zolotaryov. [Valentin Yakimenko has other explanations for the partial images that were pulled from the damaged film. See 14 ) Fallen Angels and Demons].
This theory contends that it was possible that the hikers ended up running from the tent when ball lightning got too close to them. It hovered there, melting the snow beneath it, creating the 'hot spot'. The group hurried to the tree line [again with the hurrying, when the footprints show otherwise] 500 meters away. They then lit a fire while they waited for the ball lightning to leave.
The two deaths occurred at the cedar tree when 'normal' lightning [or possibly ball lightning] struck there. It would have burnt hair and caused a bleeding wound on the forehead. Also occurring would have been larger burns, burnt clothing, and pulmonary edema and the tree damage.
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| ball lightning exploding |
Cold weather lightning is rare but is possible.
The lightning at the Den location hit close to the Den and vaporized most of the stream water, snow and ice. It created an explosion which became amplified by the confines of the Den and those inside suffered blunt force injuries similar to what would happen in a car accident.
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| Winter lightning strike |
The three survivors of the lightning strikes died in two groups. Rustem Slobodin was badly injured. Zinaida Kolmogorova was trying to assist him in returning to the tent. However, due to the snow drifts and the high winds, he soon collapsed. She then tried to go on without him but the same factors [snow and wind] plus her exhaustion from trying to help Slobodin caused her to collapse also.
Igor Dyatlov remained in the ravine with the four injured there. Lyudmila Dubinina and Semyon Zolotaryov were still alive at the time although they were badly injured. Nikolay Thibeau-Brignolle was unconscious. Dyatlov may have stripped the bodies at the cedar tree [therefore being the one to have turned the bodies over] to use the clothing to provide more insulation for the ones still alive. He possibly contributed some of his own clothing. Some time later, he finally abandons his watch over the others and tries to return to the tent but dies on the way.
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| ball lightning |
Everything neatly tied up in one package. But maybe not. Go back and read again the coroner's reports on the bodies.
12 ) Igor Dyatlov's Stove Invention
In Clark Wilkin's book "A Compelling Unknown Force -- The Dyatlov Pass Incident aka Six Hours to Live", he presents the theory that the hikers left the tent due to smoke from the stove.
The main problem that presents itself is : did the hikers really need to go that far from the tent to get away from a smoke filled tent? If the tent had been on fire [no evidence of that], they would have thrown snow on it until the flames were put out. The tent flap would have been fastened open to air out the tent, to let the smoke clear.
Evidence, however, shows that the stove was unassembled and put away in its case.
Another person has put forth the theory that the stove had been used to cook. They claim there was partially eaten pieces of fried ham and bacon in the tent. [I did not see those items individually listed, but were perhaps thrown in under "food".] After they were done, the stove was taken apart and the exhaust pipe removed. Embers inside the stove were accidently reignited. With no exhaust pipe, the smoke would have soon filled the tent.
While some were trying to put out the fire, others cut a few holes along the top of the tent to ventilate it. When that didn't work, struggling to breathe, they slashed open the side of the tent and they all ran out in a panic. This would explain the burn marks on the bodies and on the clothing resulting from the scalding hot metal stove. Blood around the mouth and coughing up blood could be a symptom of smoke inhalation. It was also offered that perhaps some of the hikers were intoxicated and were therefore too impaired to make good decisions.
Well, there is no evidence that any of the hikers had been drinking. There were no "empties" lying around. Also, even if the tent was filling with smoke, why cut through the tent fabric when the entrance to the tent was right there. Much faster exit, one would think.
13 ) Gravity Fluctuation
What is gravity fluctuation? Well, since it appears we may be talking Quantum Physics, it is puzzling. However, the simplest explanation that I found was that Gravity Fluctuation is an anomaly that seems to occur during a solar eclipse. Gravity has been noted to drop significantly during such events.
German Erchenko [Petersburg physicist Ph.D.; Associate Professor of Institute of Engineering and holder of 100+ patents] believes that significantly decreased external pressure threw the hikers from their tent.
"It formed a corridor of a kind, in which earth's gravity decreased. The tourists in the tent -- sleeping or just getting ready, had time to undress. And then 'unknown force' began to lift them up off the floor and drag them into the direction of the corridor." As the outside air pressure was much lower than the inside of the tent, "people began to push outwards. The emerging tourists instantly pushed the tent from the inside, and since the pressure in their bodies still remained high, they received 'unexplained' internal injuries -- including broken bones."
He went on to say: "Some of the tourists died instantly, others remained alive for some time, but the bodies once outside the tent remain hovering in the air as though lying on a horizontal surface. In this position same force pulled them to the side."
This incident would have lasted only a few minutes.
"They flew one by one or in groups from the tent, to be scatter on the slope and in the woods. When they were falling in the snow from a height, not being able to protect themselves, they received the injuries on their faces, which were disfigured."
He went on to say that if they hadn't left the tent, they may not have died. Erchenko also claimed that this type of event was not uncommon in the area. People, cattle, and wild animals have been dying in similar fashion on a regular basis.
14 ) Fallen Angels and Demons
This is a theory presented by Coral Hull, relying heavily on the "discoveries" of Valentin Yakimenko, who was a fellow student of the Dyatlov expedition.
Carol Hull: "These photographs are a clear indication, [sic] of fallen angel / higher level demonic involvement, several of which, appear to capture, a partial physical manifestation, of a higher level, shape shifting demon."
In her article, she then proceeds to illustrate her point with many photographs both allegedly from the Dyatlov hikers' cameras, and from other sources as comparison proof of the Fallen Angels and Demons.
Yakimenko stated in his works that as soon as he found out that Zolotaryov had a camera hanging around his neck "Zolotarov himself photographed the glowing objects." When one looks at an enlargement of the photo of the body, a camera CASE can be seen. It is assumed that the camera was inside the case as it is officially listed -- with water damage.
The theory presented by Yakimenko begins with the supposition that Zolotaryov and Thibeaux-Brignolle were outside of the tent, both of them taking a series of photographs of the night sky. He continues to explain that although only dots and spots are visible on a dark background, something had to be there as the two continued to take more photographs. The accusation is also made that the Russian military and government were determined to keep these photographs from the public. Therefore, most of the films of the photographs taken are missing. "Missing 9 frames [are not] available." - Yakimenko.
He also assumes that what the two were photographing were "luminous objects". Yakimenko then references "missing 12 frames" that are very important to the investigation. As this number differs from the number above, I am supposing that he is referring to the second camera.
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| "orbs" photographed by Zolotaryov |
Hull believes that people mistake Fallen Angels for UFOs. Therefore, the photos that Yakimenko describes as " A small, but very bright object" and " A bright little dot" are typical of Fallen Angels manifesting in orb form. Sometimes people refer to them as Aliens. These Fallen Angels can shape shift causing people to think that a UFO has confusingly changed it's shape.
They both further theorize that the two men called the other hikers out to look at the phenomena in the sky. Yakimenko claimed that "some sort of glowing object" was also photographed by Krivonishenko and Slobodin. But those films had been confiscated by the Russian authorities, military and government.
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| Slobodin and his glowing object - colorized by TCC |
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| Krivonishenko and his glowing object - colorized by TCC |
But somehow, a couple of photos of theirs are included in the article. In Slobodin's [ alleged ] photo there is said to be a "glowing object". Krivonishenko's photo was included in Svetlana Oss's book "Don't Go There" with this explanation : "The picture shows a quickly guessed trajectory of a glowing object, which leaves behind a luminous trail."
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| hikers' heads as they gaze at glowing orb? |
After the objects disappeared, the hikers returned to their tent to prepare for bed. They allege the Fallen Angels wanted to wait for the hikers to get undressed as they did not want them fully clothed or wearing shoes when they would be escaping from their tent.
Oss proposes that since Zolotaryov had his camera around his neck, he and Thibeaux-Brignolle were still both outside the tent, a little distance away. It is assumed by her that the two had no time to return to the tent and fled down the slope on a different path until they were able to join the other hikers fleeing down the slope. She alleges that there were two sets of prints that rejoin the others further down the path.
Most of the article continues with Yakimenko analyzing more of the hikers photos as mysterious glowing orbs and shape shifting forms.
Hull takes a sidebar into talking about how these photos prove her belief that these Fallen Angels/Demons fool mediums into thinking they are talking to dead people by changing into ectoplasm [which is really the demons, so ectoplasm does not exist] and showing up on spirit photography and as orbs. She also then stated that at least several of the Dyatlov party were engaged in spirit photography on "Dead Mountain". [Actual meaning of Kholat Syakhl discussed earlier in the post.] Orbs appeared in the sky around the same time as their spirit photography.
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| Photo by the hikers showing an alleged Fallen Angel shifting into the form of a yeti |
Bigfoot is pulled into the article with Hull talking of how the Fallen Angels will try to take the shape of a bigfoot and try to fool people into researching them. She talks of a Sara Brown, a bigfoot researcher, who encountered these demons. She reconnected with religion and discovered what these entities really were and so left the research behind. Below are two photos taken by her with a thermal imaging camera of what she called "Ridge Watcher". That they are demons explains why they can manifest and then disappear, according to Brown.
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| thermal photo of bigfoot by Sara Brown |
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| thermal photo of bigfoot by Sara Brown |
The article concludes that the Dyatlov group was selected as a blood sacrifice by the Fallen Angels long before they even knew that they would be going on such an expedition. The hikers were first intrigued by the glowing objects, then frightened by them. The Fallen Angels then "harassed" [tortured?] them, finally murdering them. The number 9 is claimed to be symbolic to them.
This explanation fails to account for the slits in the tent and the hole cut through the side. It refers to the hikers running down the slope when the footprints show them walking. Yakimenko refers to an "incident" that forces the hikers to flee the tent half naked and rushing down to their deaths. Neither he nor Hull has any explanation as for what frightened them enough to send them out of the tent. Walking, not running.
When looking at the photos as displayed by Yakimenko, it is good to be aware of just how small some of the "orbs" and shapes in the photos are. There are other copies of some of these photos that include the sides of the film and the sprocket holes. Some of these "orbs" are smaller than the sprocket holes.
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| Original photo from the Dyatlov camera |
This explanation was not the first one presented by the authorities. The first blame was attached to the Mansi with the proof being the famous [or infamous] photo of the figure in the trees. It was said that Mansi hunters were stalking the hikers in order to ambush them and murder them. That theory was soon discarded.
The photo was then replaced with the photos from that camera as not having a bearing on the events that led to the hikers deaths.
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| Enlarged and blurry photo used in the documentary |
Knowing just a few elements of the story, I watched this program. And became amazed and "knew" what had happened. But, being the researcher I am, I started looking for more information. And saw how slanted the explanation was. And how it had been done entirely for sensationalism. Monsters sell. Monsters make a good program. Monsters draw viewers. Monsters grow ratings. Monsters make sponsors happy.
You see, there really isn't any evidence to support the Yeti Theory.
Massive jaw drops. Sorry, readers. I say again, there really isn't any evidence to support the Yeti Theory.
Take the "diary" entry that allegedly talks of the existence of the Yeti. Doesn't exist. There is no mention of a belief in Yeti, of seeing a Yeti, of seeing giant footprints of a Yeti. The only mention of Yeti among the hikers' writings was in a satirical pamphlet/newsletter that the hikers made up during their night time hours.
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| Typed copy of the pamphlet that the group was in process of writing. [original handwritten in Russian] |
The missing tongue allegedly yanked out and eaten by a Yeti : The program failed to mention that the rest of the woman's face was also decomposing and the loss of soft tissue is common due to other factors.
The claim was made that the files remain classified. But yet never provided any evidence to prove that the files ever were classified.
One searcher allegedly stated that he saw a military style boot lying near the tent. Conclusion : the Russian military was involved in the deaths of the hikers.
Well, one of the hikers had served in the military. It is entirely possible that he kept the boots provided him. They may have been sturdy and good for hiking. Clothes and footwear were not always readily available for everyone. The boot, if it existed, may have belonged to him. I find it difficult to believe that the military came, attacked and murdered the hikers and then one of them removed his boot, left it behind as a clue, and marched off with the others with one bare foot. In deep snow. Flirting with frostbite. And the eventual loss of his toes.
The claim that no military were involved. That is false. The military joined in the search and rescue attempt. The remaining 4 bodies were recovered using military personnel.
Dr. Igor Burtsev, scientist and researcher, talked about the production crew. He explained that they came to him with a preconceived agenda.
"I was interviewed by [Russian Yeti: the Killer Lives director] Neil Rawles too. I understood that he was making a program to fit the solution of the puzzle under the ready answer. And he tried to get from me the same answer about fault of the Yeti in group's death. For this he was shooting me many times asking only one question : Could be Yeti a reason of the death? But I couldn't agree and rejected that . . ."
And again we come to the key "evidence" in the Yeti Theory: The figure in the woods. The photo [see above] was flashed onto the screen with the statement: "The following image is one of the last photos taken by the hikers. It is being shown on television for the first time." It was presented as evidence of a Yeti stalking the hikers.
There is no evidence that this is one of the last photos taken. There were multiple cameras among the members of the group. Most who look more closely at the photo state the photo is of a man. Probably one of the hikers. Nikolay Thibeaux-Brignolle was known for his good natured horseplay. There are several photos among the cameras that show him and others in the group having a good time playing around in the snow.
I believe it is most likely one of the group. There is a difference in the colors of the top part of the torso and the lower part and the legs. The arms look a little slim.
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| Photo from hiveminer.com - Photo Credit: Flickr.com |
Now, I do believe that there is some sort of Yeti, Almasty, Menk, or whichever name you wish to use, living in the Urals and surrounding areas. I just have a hard time believing that this is a photograph of one stalking them or that they killed these hikers.
So, what is my theory? What do I think happened to the 9 hikers?
I don't know. Each theory has some good points. And each fail to account for one or more of the known facts or evidence.
All I do know is that something or someone or some event caused these 9 people to leave their tent in the dead of night, partially clothed and with minimal footwear. They did not run screaming into the night but walked down the slope to the tree line. They appear to have tried to set up some sort of camp. There was a fire made and they appear to have climbed the cedar tree to set up a watch on their tent. I think that they were there waiting for the "Den" to be finished by the other 4 hikers. Something happened to severely injure those 4 and prevent them from taking refuge inside, or to summon the others under the trees.
Eventually those by the tree either saw the coast clear, or decided it was better to face whatever had happened at their tent rather than freeze to death. They waited too long and did not make it.
The cuts in the tent? We have no evidence to support who made the cuts. We have testimony that the cuts were made from the inside, not the outside. There is no discernable reason for them to have cut another way out of the tent.
As for the missing knife used to cut the branches used for the Den and at the cedar tree. There was many feet of snow. The bodies were covered by snow. For all we know, the knife could still be lying there under snow. Or was found by another hiker or one of the Mansi and became the useful property of a new owner.
This will most likely remain one of the biggest mysteries in history. And it will continue to be discussed in the Cryptid Community. Perhaps the reopening of the case will disclose new evidence or old evidence that fresher eyes can find some other interpretation.
Sources
My research has extended over a few years and it is difficult to find all of the sources for my notes. I will attempt to cite as many as possible and my apologies to any that I may omit. It is not intentional. There just have been so many sources researched. I am sure to forget to name some of them.
Most thanks to the official website. Dyatlov Pass.
The pages and pages of information here with links to other sources; the photos; the organization of the information were all invaluable. I highly recommend this page to those who would like to know even more than the overview I presented here.
There were also numerous blogs and YouTube videos that I looked at that. It is difficult to remember or list them -- some of them no longer in existence, even.
There have been TV documentaries and specials that have mentioned the event. The most notable being "Russian Yeti : The Killer Lives" on the Discovery Channel. June 1, 2014.
snopes.com
Wikipedia
"The Dyatlov Pass Mystery …….. Solved" by Robert V. Reich. November 21, 2011. An American Nations List. amnationalistcouncil.wordpress.com
"The Harrowing Mystery of the Dyatlov Pass Incident" by Gabe Paoletti. October 15, 2017. Updated February 8, 2019. All that is Interesting. allthatisinteresting.com
Don't Go There: True Mystery of the Dyatlov Pass by Svetlana Oss.
Mountain of the Dead: The Dyatlov Pass Incident by Keith McCloskey
"The Dyatlov Pass Incident (Devil's Pass) www.rottentomatoes.com
"Mystery at Dyatlov Pass" by David Bressan. February 1, 2019. www.forbes.com
"Dyatlov Pass Incident -- Unexplained Mountain Mystery" by Ian McKay. September 30, 2018. exemplore.com
"Revisiting The Dyatlov Pass Incident : the Killer Yeti". Mysterious Universe. November 3, 2015. mysteriousuniverse.org
A Compelling Unknown Force -- the Dyatlov Pass Incident by Clark Wilkins.
"The Dyatov Pass Incident" by Meg Van Huygen. October 23, 2014. Atlas Obscura. atlasobscura.com
"Secret Soviet Death Rays. Yetis. Aliens. Just what did slaughter nine hikers on Siberia's Death Mountain in 1959" by Tony Rennell. August 23, 2013. dailymail.com
"Nine Russian students, experienced hikers -- seven men, two women -- massacred by an unknown force in the early morning hours of February 2nd, 1959 on the high slopes of Kholat Syakhl, a mountain peak in the Northern Ural range. No one alive knows what happened." -- Mysterious Universe
Nancy
This Post By TCC Team Member Nancy Marietta. Nancy has had a lifelong interest in the paranormal and cryptids. Nancy is also a published author and her book, The Price of war, has been met with great reviews.
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