Dyatlov Pass incident

Name: Dyatlov Pass incident
Address: RU

댜틀로프 고개 사건

In February 1959 nine hikers led by Igor Dyatlov died on the slope of Kholat Syakhl ("Dead Mountain" in the Mansi language) in the northern Ural Mountains of Russia. Their tent had been cut open from the inside, and they had fled in socks into a −30 °C night to the forest 1.5 km below. It stayed a famous mystery for decades; recent studies point to a small slab avalanche that hit the tent.

See it on the 3D globe →

At a glance

Country: Russia
Kind: Mysteries

Quick answers

Where is Dyatlov Pass incident?

Dyatlov Pass incident is in Russia.

The Dyatlov Pass incident happened in the northern Ural Mountains of Russia on the night of 1 to 2 February 1959. Nine experienced Soviet ski hikers, led by Igor Dyatlov, died after leaving their tent in the middle of a snowstorm without enough clothing.

For decades nobody agreed on what had scared them out into temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius. In 2020 Russian investigators concluded an avalanche most likely forced them out, and a 2021 scientific study backed a type called a slab avalanche. The pass is named for the group's leader and for the tragedy, and a memorial stands nearby. Some questions remain open even though investigators and scientists have explained much of it.

What happened

The group, from the Ural Polytechnical Institute, camped on the eastern slope of the mountain Kholat Syakhl. During the night they cut their way out of the tent with knives and fled into the dark, badly dressed for the storm.

When searchers found them, six hikers had died of hypothermia and three had serious injuries. The Soviet investigation said a "compelling natural force" was to blame, which sounded mysterious and fed many theories.

Legend vs. evidence

Over the years people suggested animal attacks, secret tests, UFOs, ball lightning and infrasound. None of these has solid evidence.

A reopened Russian investigation in 2019 to 2020 pointed to an avalanche, and scientists from EPFL and ETH Zurich showed in 2021 that a slab avalanche could explain some of the injuries. Some details are still debated. The event took place about 1,700 metres from the mountain pass that now carries the group's name, on the slope of Kholat Syakhl.

Fun facts

In 1959 a group of nine skiers was lost on this pass; a 2021 study suggested a small slab avalanche was the most likely cause.
Dyatlov Pass was named afterwards in memory of the group.
The tent was cut open from the inside.
A rock outcrop in the area now serves as a memorial.