In February 1959, nine college students died under mysterious circumstances within the Dyatolv Pass in the Ural Mountains. They were travelling from Vizhai to Otorten and were to arrive no later than February 12. A rescue group was dispatched on February 20 to find the missing students. On February 26, their half-naked bodies were found on the slopes of Mt. Holat-Syahl, known as “The Mountain of the Dead.”

A group of seven men and three women gathered in late January for a ski trek across the northern part of the Ural Mountains. The goal was to reach Otorten by passing through Mt. Holat-Syahl. The trip is well documented by film and diaries collected from site. However, what happened on February 2 left authorities baffled and resulted in closure of the area for three years.

On February 26, a rescue team found an abandoned tent that the students had cut open from the inside. They fled in panic, leaving their belongings behind. Furthermore, the skiers escaped in socks or barefoot in all directions, leaving behind their winter cloths. The rescuers found five who had died from hypothermia in positions that indicated they had attempted to return to the tent. The last four bodies were in a ravine 75 meters from the camp site.

Forensics changes the picture

The authorities’ initial conclusions were that the skiers had died of hypothermia. Upon closer examination of the four bodies that were in the ravine dramatically changed the direction of the investigation. Three had fatal injuries. One had major skull fractures, and the other two had internal fractures and hemorrhaging. The bodies had no external wounds, but the insides seemed to have been crippled by a high level of pressure. The one female among the group had severely aged and was missing her tongue and oral cavity. Two bodies contained alarming readings of radiation.

The case remains an absolute mystery. However, the events were so alarming that the Russian premier, Nikita Khrushchev, placed the area under military surveillance and barred entry for three years. Today, the fate of the skiers remains a mystery. The Ural State Technical University along with the Dyatlov Foundation is working with government officials to set up a museum in remembrance of the hikers.

Researched and written by University of West Florida History student Jason Merritt