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1079: The overwhelming force of Dyatlov Pass
Height 1079 was the name of the mountain where the nine members of the Dyatlov trekking group perished in 1959. The bizarre circumstances of their death and the ensuing frenzy surrounding the incident brought to attention the original name given to the place by the local Mansi people - Kholat Syakhl, or Dead (Barren) Mountain. Until now, there has been no plausible explanation of what actually happened on that fateful night of February 1, 1959. This book offers a startling new theory, based on well-documented evidence rather than wild speculations, that finally ties together all of known facts about the Dyatlov mystery into a credible sequence of causes and effects.
292 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
July 22, 2021
Back into the mountains to Dyatlov Pass we go!
I've noted before that every book on the Dyatlov Pass Incident that I've read has a different theory, and this is no different: new book, new theory. The authors also run dyatlovpass.com, which is a disorganised wealth of information on the event. The book is equally disorganised and many times more perplexing.
What follows is a meticulously researched and well-annotated theory that ties all the events and circumstances of the Dyatlov Pass story into a logical sequence of causes and effects. (1)
Let's break this in two and talk first the book more generally and then the theory itself. The book structure is complicated and often difficult to follow. The writers have quite a lot of information, but they want to share all of it, whether relevant or not, including huge chunks that would be better suited to some kind of online appendix.
I only want everyone to enjoy this book. Which will be hard. Reading it will be like opening countless dusty, moldy boxes full of faded dossiers brought up from the basement, with no one knowing that is important and what is not. Maybe we do, but I don't want to filter only the information that is pertinent to the case. In the end, you will see that if we only publish what is important, you may not recognize the case at all. Besides, we have accumulated so much data that this is our chance to make a systematic account of all documents. (5)
As an example: throughout the book, there are long, indented paragraphs comprising little biographies/CVs of various people who are tangentially related to the case. The chairman of the Sverdlovsk regional executive committee (157). The forensic expert of the Sverdlovsk regional bureau of forensic medical examination (178). The first secretary of the Sverdlovsk city committee of the CPSU (186). The head of the communications division of the Vizhay logging division (204). A 'young investigator' at the Idvel prosecuter's office (208)...and on and on it goes. Now: I think the point is that some of these are relevant to the authors' conspiracy theory, but it's far too much of an info-dump to keep the names and mini-CVs in mind throughout. To be fair, the authors themselves note that it might be too much information and that readers are welcome to skip those paragraphs (sometimes multiple pages long on my Kindle)—but if that's not a sign that they should have been part of a separate appendix, I don't know what is.
I am interested in some of the points the authors make: the idea that odd light phenomena seen in the sky around the time of the hikers' deaths were related to Soviet rocket launches (258), for example; this is relevant because those lights have given rise to conspiracy (...or alien...) theories of their own. The authors also present a more fractious view of the group than is often suggested; this doesn't play a significant role in the theory, but it's interesting to consider group dynamics.
But oh dear. The book is confusing. I struggle, even having finished reading, to see the connections between much of the information dumped in the front part of the book and the scenario presented in the last chapter—the last four percent of the book.
On to the theory, then. If you're not familiar with general knowledge about the Dyatlov Pass Incident, a quick summary is in order: In February of 1959, nine experienced hikers went missing in the Ural Mountains. Searchers eventually found their tent, perched on a bare, snowy slope (considered unusual, as there was less wind protection than in the trees; many believe that they were trying to save time so they wouldn't have to backtrack in the morning). The tent had been cut open from the inside, and the hikers' belongings—including boots and other warm clothing—were inside. Some 1.5 kilometers down the slope, in and near the woods, searchers began to find bodies: some in the woods themselves, some crawling back up towards the tent, some (found months later) in a creek in a ravine. The mystery has not been how they died (hypothermia for most, traumatic injury for others) but why: What made them cut themselves out of the tent?
I realized the following - the grand image doesn't emerge from the tiles, but rather the other way round. One needs to choose the theory in advance, and then piece together the evidence to match the theory. (16)
...if one breaks the connection between who, how and why, then the system may have a solution. For example, if the theory doesn't depend on how and when the tent was cut, or who left the footprints, or how the dead were dressed. Imagine not having to account for this. Our theory gives you this freedom. We were robbed of the chance to have any plausible explanation when some of the bodies were moved. (18)
Real spoilers begin here.
In 1079, the authors contend that very little of what we know about the incident—including very little of my summary above—is true. As far as they are concerned, the hikers never camped on the bare slope at all; they camped in the woods, and a tree or large branch fell on their tent, causing the traumatic injuries seen in some of the hikers. Most of the hikers died in the woods, but the ones who went up the slope were seen by a plane. Then (as far as I can tell; again, the book is pretty confusing; at times I wasn't sure whether it was talking about the Dyatlov group or another hiking group) a mass of conspirators decided that someone might get in trouble for this, so they conspired to (without leaving footprints!) dump what bodies they could find in the creek, move the tent up to the slope, and make it look as though...uh...the hikers had died in a much more suspicious way than by a falling tree.
There's a saying about this sort of thing: If you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras. That is: the simpler answer is more likely than the more complicated one. A fallen tree is simpler than an unexplained 'force', sure...but the rest of the theory gets ever more convoluted to account for the parts of the evidence that the writers choose to apply in their theory. For example, a nurse who worked at the hospital (but not in the morgue) where the bodies were taken recalls eleven bodies, not nine (289); the authors here take that as highly suspicious rather than asking whether she might be misremembering, or whether there might have been bodies in the morgue other than those of the hikers and, you know, completely unconnected to the case.
I can't regret reading this—or any of the other highly unlikely Dyatlov Pass theories out there—but I also can't recommend it.
Incidentally, this book was published right around the same time that a new study came out that suggested that a snow slab could have accounted for the sudden evacuation of the tent. Now, if I were a conspiracy theorist myself, I'd suggest that the similar publication dates of that study and this book are not coincidental...
I've noted before that every book on the Dyatlov Pass Incident that I've read has a different theory, and this is no different: new book, new theory. The authors also run dyatlovpass.com, which is a disorganised wealth of information on the event. The book is equally disorganised and many times more perplexing.
What follows is a meticulously researched and well-annotated theory that ties all the events and circumstances of the Dyatlov Pass story into a logical sequence of causes and effects. (1)
Let's break this in two and talk first the book more generally and then the theory itself. The book structure is complicated and often difficult to follow. The writers have quite a lot of information, but they want to share all of it, whether relevant or not, including huge chunks that would be better suited to some kind of online appendix.
I only want everyone to enjoy this book. Which will be hard. Reading it will be like opening countless dusty, moldy boxes full of faded dossiers brought up from the basement, with no one knowing that is important and what is not. Maybe we do, but I don't want to filter only the information that is pertinent to the case. In the end, you will see that if we only publish what is important, you may not recognize the case at all. Besides, we have accumulated so much data that this is our chance to make a systematic account of all documents. (5)
As an example: throughout the book, there are long, indented paragraphs comprising little biographies/CVs of various people who are tangentially related to the case. The chairman of the Sverdlovsk regional executive committee (157). The forensic expert of the Sverdlovsk regional bureau of forensic medical examination (178). The first secretary of the Sverdlovsk city committee of the CPSU (186). The head of the communications division of the Vizhay logging division (204). A 'young investigator' at the Idvel prosecuter's office (208)...and on and on it goes. Now: I think the point is that some of these are relevant to the authors' conspiracy theory, but it's far too much of an info-dump to keep the names and mini-CVs in mind throughout. To be fair, the authors themselves note that it might be too much information and that readers are welcome to skip those paragraphs (sometimes multiple pages long on my Kindle)—but if that's not a sign that they should have been part of a separate appendix, I don't know what is.
I am interested in some of the points the authors make: the idea that odd light phenomena seen in the sky around the time of the hikers' deaths were related to Soviet rocket launches (258), for example; this is relevant because those lights have given rise to conspiracy (...or alien...) theories of their own. The authors also present a more fractious view of the group than is often suggested; this doesn't play a significant role in the theory, but it's interesting to consider group dynamics.
But oh dear. The book is confusing. I struggle, even having finished reading, to see the connections between much of the information dumped in the front part of the book and the scenario presented in the last chapter—the last four percent of the book.
On to the theory, then. If you're not familiar with general knowledge about the Dyatlov Pass Incident, a quick summary is in order: In February of 1959, nine experienced hikers went missing in the Ural Mountains. Searchers eventually found their tent, perched on a bare, snowy slope (considered unusual, as there was less wind protection than in the trees; many believe that they were trying to save time so they wouldn't have to backtrack in the morning). The tent had been cut open from the inside, and the hikers' belongings—including boots and other warm clothing—were inside. Some 1.5 kilometers down the slope, in and near the woods, searchers began to find bodies: some in the woods themselves, some crawling back up towards the tent, some (found months later) in a creek in a ravine. The mystery has not been how they died (hypothermia for most, traumatic injury for others) but why: What made them cut themselves out of the tent?
I realized the following - the grand image doesn't emerge from the tiles, but rather the other way round. One needs to choose the theory in advance, and then piece together the evidence to match the theory. (16)
...if one breaks the connection between who, how and why, then the system may have a solution. For example, if the theory doesn't depend on how and when the tent was cut, or who left the footprints, or how the dead were dressed. Imagine not having to account for this. Our theory gives you this freedom. We were robbed of the chance to have any plausible explanation when some of the bodies were moved. (18)
Real spoilers begin here.
In 1079, the authors contend that very little of what we know about the incident—including very little of my summary above—is true. As far as they are concerned, the hikers never camped on the bare slope at all; they camped in the woods, and a tree or large branch fell on their tent, causing the traumatic injuries seen in some of the hikers. Most of the hikers died in the woods, but the ones who went up the slope were seen by a plane. Then (as far as I can tell; again, the book is pretty confusing; at times I wasn't sure whether it was talking about the Dyatlov group or another hiking group) a mass of conspirators decided that someone might get in trouble for this, so they conspired to (without leaving footprints!) dump what bodies they could find in the creek, move the tent up to the slope, and make it look as though...uh...the hikers had died in a much more suspicious way than by a falling tree.
There's a saying about this sort of thing: If you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras. That is: the simpler answer is more likely than the more complicated one. A fallen tree is simpler than an unexplained 'force', sure...but the rest of the theory gets ever more convoluted to account for the parts of the evidence that the writers choose to apply in their theory. For example, a nurse who worked at the hospital (but not in the morgue) where the bodies were taken recalls eleven bodies, not nine (289); the authors here take that as highly suspicious rather than asking whether she might be misremembering, or whether there might have been bodies in the morgue other than those of the hikers and, you know, completely unconnected to the case.
I can't regret reading this—or any of the other highly unlikely Dyatlov Pass theories out there—but I also can't recommend it.
Incidentally, this book was published right around the same time that a new study came out that suggested that a snow slab could have accounted for the sudden evacuation of the tent. Now, if I were a conspiracy theorist myself, I'd suggest that the similar publication dates of that study and this book are not coincidental...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 27, 2021
Posso dire di aver comprato il libro a scatola chiusa, non solo perché è l'ennesimo dedicato ai fatti del Passo Dyatlov ma perché gli autori (Teodora Hadjiyska perlomeno) sono i fondatori del miglior sito dedicato alla vicenda, con un archivio di documenti, foto, interviste e materiale vario correlato ai tragici fatti del 1959.
Va detto che il libro è più adatto a chi già conosce i fatti, visto che viene fatta solo una rapida ricostruzione dei fatti legati al viaggio, mentre tutto ruota attorno alle ricerche, ai personaggi legati ad esse (con brevi biografie di ogni nome citato) e, solo alla fine, con l'esposizione della soluzione del mistero a cui sono giunti gli autori.
Di certo l'infinita serie di nomi, date e fatti, a volte ripeturi più volte perché visti da altri interpreti della vicenda, non sono facili da digerire e, se riuscite ad arrivare alla fine, potete anche rincarare la dose andando nelle pagine del sito dedicate a tutto quello che è restato fuori dal libro.
Seguendo il sito da tempo, avendo letto i vari articoli con interviste e sulle nuove scoperte, posso dire di aver comunque trovato cose nuove nel libro. La descrizione della gestione delle ricerche e la conseguente rivelazione del come sarebbero morti i nove ragazzi, sembra forse un po' troppo elaborata da un lato e fin troppo banale dall'altro... ma è credibile, soprattutto nel contesto degli anni in cui gli eventi si svolgono.
Abbiamo il complotto e la forza misteriosa... non quelli che le teorie più gettonate propongono, ma adeguate al luogo e ai tempi.
Un lavoro esaustivo dedicato agli appassionati.
Va detto che il libro è più adatto a chi già conosce i fatti, visto che viene fatta solo una rapida ricostruzione dei fatti legati al viaggio, mentre tutto ruota attorno alle ricerche, ai personaggi legati ad esse (con brevi biografie di ogni nome citato) e, solo alla fine, con l'esposizione della soluzione del mistero a cui sono giunti gli autori.
Di certo l'infinita serie di nomi, date e fatti, a volte ripeturi più volte perché visti da altri interpreti della vicenda, non sono facili da digerire e, se riuscite ad arrivare alla fine, potete anche rincarare la dose andando nelle pagine del sito dedicate a tutto quello che è restato fuori dal libro.
Seguendo il sito da tempo, avendo letto i vari articoli con interviste e sulle nuove scoperte, posso dire di aver comunque trovato cose nuove nel libro. La descrizione della gestione delle ricerche e la conseguente rivelazione del come sarebbero morti i nove ragazzi, sembra forse un po' troppo elaborata da un lato e fin troppo banale dall'altro... ma è credibile, soprattutto nel contesto degli anni in cui gli eventi si svolgono.
Abbiamo il complotto e la forza misteriosa... non quelli che le teorie più gettonate propongono, ma adeguate al luogo e ai tempi.
Un lavoro esaustivo dedicato agli appassionati.
September 25, 2022
Dense obfuscation to make an absurd claim
This book is a mess. There seem to be numerous typos, particularly with dates (one had a 2000s date in a paragraph referring to dates in the 1900s). Almost every person referred to gets a biographical paragraph, whether it is of any relevance or not.
Even more confusingly, the author puts forth two alternate theories: one involves some kind of blasting accident caused by a geologist team, which results in a highly organized effort to move the bodies and tent and cache to new locations in order to cover up the accident. The other involves a tree collapsing on the tent, which might have occurred naturally (if the group had set up the tent in the trees), and therefore would not require the whole elaborate cover-up at all.
The author ignores the photographs in the hikers' cameras that show the hikers setting up the tent in the location where it was found, as well as the photos of mysterious lights.
The only thing that seems clear from this book is that the attempt to organize a search for the missing hikers was, in Soviet bureaucratic fashion, a truly bungled effort (which makes the idea of a carefully staged cover-up of a blasting accident seem improbable at best).
I cannot recommend this book. If it laid out its claims in a shorter, clearer way, it might be worth reading, simply to see another explanation (no matter how fantastical). But the level of obfuscation and useless-information density makes me feel as if I wasted two days and far more brain-power than was warranted in the effort to look into an explanation that ultimately seems absurd.
This book is a mess. There seem to be numerous typos, particularly with dates (one had a 2000s date in a paragraph referring to dates in the 1900s). Almost every person referred to gets a biographical paragraph, whether it is of any relevance or not.
Even more confusingly, the author puts forth two alternate theories: one involves some kind of blasting accident caused by a geologist team, which results in a highly organized effort to move the bodies and tent and cache to new locations in order to cover up the accident. The other involves a tree collapsing on the tent, which might have occurred naturally (if the group had set up the tent in the trees), and therefore would not require the whole elaborate cover-up at all.
The author ignores the photographs in the hikers' cameras that show the hikers setting up the tent in the location where it was found, as well as the photos of mysterious lights.
The only thing that seems clear from this book is that the attempt to organize a search for the missing hikers was, in Soviet bureaucratic fashion, a truly bungled effort (which makes the idea of a carefully staged cover-up of a blasting accident seem improbable at best).
I cannot recommend this book. If it laid out its claims in a shorter, clearer way, it might be worth reading, simply to see another explanation (no matter how fantastical). But the level of obfuscation and useless-information density makes me feel as if I wasted two days and far more brain-power than was warranted in the effort to look into an explanation that ultimately seems absurd.
March 14, 2022
SPOILER ALERT- TOTAL WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY-This book is total rubbish- 98% of the book is filled with all these mini biographies of people who were even remotely connected to the mystery. The last chapter the author hints that their was a conspiracy and cover up and that a tree fell on the hikers. (But doesn’t suggest who or why or any specifics) If you are looking for a book that even begins to explain what happened to the hikers- then DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY WITH THIS BOOK- I wish I had read the reviews before I purchased it. I would give zero stars if I could- you have been warned!!!!
What a disappointment
What a disappointment
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2023
what?!
Finally, after reading thru 280 pages (of 282) - spoiler alert! - conclusion: a tree fell on the tent … Having read many a book on the subject of why 9 experienced hikers would have abandoned their only means of refuge in unimaginable cold, THIS is the author’s theory … o.m.g. like they found the tent - all accounts say so - but nobody found a tree … or a yeti … These authors were smokin something! If you want to read mini-bios on virtually ANYONE associated with the Pass incident and not much else, this is the book for you!
Finally, after reading thru 280 pages (of 282) - spoiler alert! - conclusion: a tree fell on the tent … Having read many a book on the subject of why 9 experienced hikers would have abandoned their only means of refuge in unimaginable cold, THIS is the author’s theory … o.m.g. like they found the tent - all accounts say so - but nobody found a tree … or a yeti … These authors were smokin something! If you want to read mini-bios on virtually ANYONE associated with the Pass incident and not much else, this is the book for you!
January 31, 2021
Incredible.
After over 60 years I believe the mystery has been solved. I will not go into the details of the book, in other words, I will not give anything away. This book obviously required a massive amount of research and it must have taken years. These two writers can be very proud of their work. I will say that this book left me very sad. The hikers were so young and had their entire lives ahead of them and then they were gone. Tragic. Congratulations to Igor and Teddy. I believe they have solved the mystery of Dyatlov Pass and I believe they must have been just as sad as I was when I finished this book. A must read for everyone who has ever wondered what happened to those nine hikers in the bitter cold of Siberia. Very well done and highly recommended.
After over 60 years I believe the mystery has been solved. I will not go into the details of the book, in other words, I will not give anything away. This book obviously required a massive amount of research and it must have taken years. These two writers can be very proud of their work. I will say that this book left me very sad. The hikers were so young and had their entire lives ahead of them and then they were gone. Tragic. Congratulations to Igor and Teddy. I believe they have solved the mystery of Dyatlov Pass and I believe they must have been just as sad as I was when I finished this book. A must read for everyone who has ever wondered what happened to those nine hikers in the bitter cold of Siberia. Very well done and highly recommended.
September 2, 2022
The mystery continues. Don’t know why I even finished this book. This mystery of the Dyatlov Pass hikers has always intrigued me and I had hoped for clarity of facts and data and a reasonable theory of what might have happened to cause their deaths. However, this book was confusing and disorganized and not helpful in making any sensible conclusion. I will continue to read about this event and hope for more clarity in the next book I read about this mystery.
January 31, 2021
Very Compelling
I'd been waiting anxiously for this book and it certainly did not disappoint. The authors present some very compelling information and evidence, not yet compiled before. Even if you do not agree with the resulting premise, you will learn quite a bit from this book. Well done.
I'd been waiting anxiously for this book and it certainly did not disappoint. The authors present some very compelling information and evidence, not yet compiled before. Even if you do not agree with the resulting premise, you will learn quite a bit from this book. Well done.
April 25, 2021
very disappointed. Wanted to give 1 Star but wouldn’t let me grr
I had seen a semi documentary on tv about it and wanted to know more but unfortunately all i seemed to get was a lt of people’s names and details that seemed to fit in nowhere and no real story. i gave up before half way through.
I had seen a semi documentary on tv about it and wanted to know more but unfortunately all i seemed to get was a lt of people’s names and details that seemed to fit in nowhere and no real story. i gave up before half way through.
October 13, 2021
A new take on a familiar mystery
This thoroughly researched book challenges us to examine the Dyatlov tragedy from a new perspective. It is evident there is care and scholarship in the research and writing. Will it lead you, the reader to agree with the hypothesis? If you are a devotee to this topic, it is a must read.
This thoroughly researched book challenges us to examine the Dyatlov tragedy from a new perspective. It is evident there is care and scholarship in the research and writing. Will it lead you, the reader to agree with the hypothesis? If you are a devotee to this topic, it is a must read.
November 16, 2021
As interesting as the subject of the Dyatlov Pass incident is, this book is dry reading: it wastes time on uninteresting minutiae and mini-biographies for just about every character even slightly connected to the case, before delving into a disorganised, convoluted, poorly presented conspiracy theory that definitely doesn’t subscribe to Occam’s Razor. Not recommended.
September 17, 2022
Hard to Follow
Lots of names, places, dates...more than I could actually follow! The premise is very interesting, just a difficult path to walk on. I'm sure this information is invaluable to those who were involved or in the cover-up.
Lots of names, places, dates...more than I could actually follow! The premise is very interesting, just a difficult path to walk on. I'm sure this information is invaluable to those who were involved or in the cover-up.
Read
November 13, 2024A tree? Are you kidding me? Then explain, why weren't any of the hikers found UNDER a tree and in the tent? No mention of a tree laying on the tent?? Matter of fact, there was a Chinese flashlight sitting on the tent. hogwash
February 17, 2021
You may have to read other books about Dyatlov Pass before you can appreciate how Pavlov and Hadjiyska have sorted this whole thing out. Masterful!
April 22, 2021
So a tree fell on all the hikers? Where's the tree? Why were the bodies moved? It's preposterous!
June 13, 2021
A Simple and Direct Solution
Finally, a common sense solution to the Dyatlov mystery. A UFO after all! But not one you would expect! Well done.
Finally, a common sense solution to the Dyatlov mystery. A UFO after all! But not one you would expect! Well done.
October 1, 2021
Nothing new here just a theory that has zero credibility as what they say did the hikers in was no where to be found. Waste of time....
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
February 3, 2022Will be published new books on dyatlov pass mysteries??
April 22, 2022
Not this book
The Prosecutor podcast
The Prosecutor podcast
October 26, 2022
A new theory that doesn't make much sense and an awful writing style.
The first book about the Dyatlov Pass Mystery I could hardly finish because it just isn't any good.
The first book about the Dyatlov Pass Mystery I could hardly finish because it just isn't any good.
February 3, 2023
Great book
I've read many books about the Dyatlov Pass incident and this one is one of the best, great for both beginners and seasoned investigators.
Highly recommended
I've read many books about the Dyatlov Pass incident and this one is one of the best, great for both beginners and seasoned investigators.
Highly recommended
January 15, 2024
if turning a fascinating story into the most bland book ever was the goal of the authors, they have definitely succeeded
July 19, 2024
Serious investigation of a major mystery
Looks at prior theories and comes to a new, logical conclusion based on all the evidence. No stone unturned here.
Looks at prior theories and comes to a new, logical conclusion based on all the evidence. No stone unturned here.
September 10, 2024
Very interesting new thing on the mystery, but in places difficult to follow.
October 12, 2021
Read on ereader as an Amazon E-Book. More info on line at www.dyatlovpass/1079.
Saw a program on TV about this event several years ago. They present a possible alternative solution, but then do not even discuss the reason for the staging and suspected coverup.
Saw a program on TV about this event several years ago. They present a possible alternative solution, but then do not even discuss the reason for the staging and suspected coverup.
August 10, 2025
Mediocre book with very tiring and long descriptions of irrelevant people and their deaths, anyways in short the author on this book suggests that the hikers died from falling trees on their tent which he discribes only in the last two pages of the book and one of the males fell on the fire because of this and burned when we already know that one of the females had her face and eyes completely torn off without any plausible explanation, on the last chapters though he says that afterwards many people who tried to investigate the incident died all of them under very weird conditions and this is something that needs attention, probably the only serious statement on the book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews