The Dyatlov Pass Incident, in which nine Soviet mountaineers perished in
mysterious circumstances, has been the subject of speculation since it
occurred in February 1959. Investigators - including professionals and
amateurs - have suggested many explanations, but the truth probably
won't be known unless someone invents a time machine.
In a
nutshell: In the winter of 1959, a group of ten Soviet college students
and graduates embarked on an expedition from Yekaterinburg to the Ural
Mountains. One student dropped out for health reasons, leaving nine
adventurers to continue the journey.
Ural Mountains
All the hikers/skiers were highly experienced, and their route was rated as the highest difficulty, Grade III. 
Soviet hikers on the expedition to the Ural Mountains
Mountaineers on their way to the Ural Mountains
Ten
days into the trip, in early February, the mountaineers set up camp: a
tent, stove, etc. That night, an unknown incident sent the hikers
rushing from the tent into the darkness and freezing cold.
When
the mountaineers failed to return home, search parties were sent out.
The rescuers found a tent full of supplies....but devoid of people.
Oddly, the back of the tent was rent by knives, (apparently) to provide
an escape hatch. 
Damaged tent found by search party.
The
bodies of the hikers were found over time, some distance from their
campsite, in dispersed locations. The corpses were half-dressed, with
little or no outerwear, and (usually) without shoes. 
The hikers' bodies were found in the snow
Autopsies
determined that the mountaineers died from hypothermia and/or other
injuries. One victim had a skull fracture and one was missing a tongue.
In addition, the hikers' garments showed higher than normal levels of
radiation.
The calamity, known as the Dyatlov Pass Incident, was named for the hike leader, Igor Dyatlov. 
Expedition leader Igor Dyatlov
Many
people have theorized about what happened that February night,
including things like: avalanche, windstorm, radiation exposure,
escaped-prisoner attack, death by shock wave or explosion, death by
nuclear waste, UFOs, aliens, a vicious bear attack, a freak winter
tornado, potent moonshine that caused instant blindness, murder to
silence the hikers about something they saw, and more.
American
film producer, writer, and director Donnie Eichar was captivated by
Dyatlov Pass Incident and spent years doing research in an attempt to
discover what REALLY happened to the Dyatlov party. 
Author Donnie Eichar
Eichar
shares his story in this book, noting: "All facts are derived from the
criminal case files in the Soviet archives, the hikers' own journals and
photographs, and interviews conducted in Russia with the hikers'
friends and family, as well as with those involved in the search
efforts."
In the winter of 2012, Eichar, along with some Soviet
companions, even set out to retrace the Dyatlov group's final steps, "to
piece together the truth of this half-century-old Russian mystery."
Eichar's narrative tells three connected stories in alternating chapters:
◙
The 1959 journey of the hikers, as determined from their diaries,
pictures, and interviews with Yuri Yudin. Yudin started out on the
expedition with the Dyatlov party, but turned back towards the end,
because of severe pain from his rheumatism. 
Photos from the hikers' expedition
◙
The work of the rescuers searching for the hikers, and what happened
after they found the bodies. Hint: the Soviet government tried VERY hard
to downplay the incident.
Some of the rescuers sent to search for the missing hikers
Memorial for the deceased hikers
◙
Eichar's two visits to Russia, and his 2012 attempt to 'reproduce' the
mountaineers' expedition. Finally, Eichar shares his theory about what
ACTUALLY happened, but I won't say what Eichar thinks.
But if you REALLY want to know, here's Eichar's notion with a spoiler alert.
SPOILER ALERT
[Eichar
speculates that the shape of a huge rock called the Boot Rock, or
alternatively the shape of the mountain gave rise to infrasound waves as
the wind passed over them. Infrasound waves have a frequency too low
for human ears to hear, but can still be sensed by the brain. Eichar
suggests the infrasound waves seemed like a freight train passing right
by the tent (or something along those lines), and the hikers freaked out
and ran out into the snow. (hide spoiler)]
END SPOILER ALERT
Donnie Eichar
I will say Eichar's theory sounds very iffy to me; I think we'll have to wait for that time machine.
The book is well-written, informative, and interesting,
with many photos that enhance the story. I'll admit, however, that I
found the chapters about the original expedition and the search
operations more compelling than Eichar's personal journey.
Rating: 4 stars
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