THE UNKNOWN: The Dyatlov Pass Tragedy — Part 1: The last Expedition
January 1959 — nine hikers set out into the frozen Ural Mountains. Experienced, prepared, and full of life. Days later, their tent was found ripped open from the inside. Their gear abandoned. Their bodies scattered across the snow.
What happened on that mountainside has haunted investigators and historians for more than sixty years.
In Part 1 of THE UNKNOWN: The Dyatlov Pass Tragedy, we retrace the group’s final days through their recovered journals, photographs, and official reports—following their footsteps into one of the most chilling mysteries of the 20th century.
Episode Source Material
Official Reports & Investigative Files
Sverdlovsk Regional Prosecutor’s Office. Criminal Case No. 659: Investigative Files on the Dyatlov Group Deaths. Sverdlovsk Oblast, 1959. Translated and hosted on DyatlovPass.com.Accessed August 2025. https://dyatlovpass.com/.
Maslennikov, Evgeniy. Search & Rescue Leadership Notes and Field Reports (February–March 1959). Translated and hosted on DyatlovPass.com. Accessed August 2025.
Tempalov, Vladimir. Initial Investigator Reports and Memos (1959). Sverdlovsk Oblast Internal Affairs. Translated and digitized by DyatlovPass.com. Accessed August 2025.
Autopsy Documents & Forensic Materials
Vozrozhdenny, Boris. Autopsy Reports for All Nine Dyatlov Group Members. Sverdlovsk Forensic Bureau, 1959. Translated and hosted on DyatlovPass.com. Accessed August 2025.
Sverdlovsk Forensic Bureau. Forensic Examinations, Clothing Damage Analyses, and Medical Conclusions. 1959. Translated and digitized by DyatlovPass.com. Accessed August 2025.
Diaries, Logs & Journal Entries
Dyatlov, Igor. Personal Diary (January–February 1959). Scans and translations on DyatlovPass.com. Accessed August 2025.
Kolmogorova, Zinaida. Personal Diary (January–February 1959). Scans and translations on DyatlovPass.com. Accessed August 2025.
Group Diary (“The Collective Journal”). Expedition Log Entries (January–February 1959). Translated and hosted by DyatlovPass.com. Accessed August 2025.
Photo Archives
DyatlovPass.com. “Dyatlov Expedition Photo Archive: Film Roll Scans and Analysis.” Accessed August 2025. https://dyatlovpass.com/.
DyatlovPass.com. “The Final Photos: February 1959 Film Frames & ‘Unknown’ Kodachrome Image.” Accessed August 2025.
Witness Statements & Testimonies
DyatlovPass.com. “Witness Testimonies: Mansi Residents, Searchers, Students, Guides, and Military Personnel.” Translated archival statements (1959). Accessed August 2025.
Kurakov, A., Bakhmuta, R., Atmanaki, A., and others. Transcribed 1959 Witness Depositions. Soviet investigative archive. Translated on DyatlovPass.com. Accessed August 2025.
Modern Analysis Theories & Scientific Reports
DyatlovPass.com. “Case Theories: Avalanche, Katabatic Winds, Paradoxical Undressing, Infrasound, Military Testing, and Other Proposed Explanations.” Accessed August 2025.
Gaume, Johan, and Alexander Puzrin. “Mechanics of Snow Slab Avalanches and Their Possible Application to the Dyatlov Pass Incident.” Nature (2021).
DyatlovPass.com. Forum Contributors. “Expert Commentary and Forensic Debate Threads (2010–2025).” Accessed August 2025.
Books Used & Contextual Reference
Eichar, Donnie. Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident. Chronicle Books, 2013.
Aleksei Rakitin. 1079: The Overrated Case of Dyatlov Pass. Self-published. Excerpts referenced via DyatlovPass.com. Accessed August 2025.
Documentaries, Videos & Secondary Media
Discovery Channel. Russian Yeti: The Killer Lives. 2014.
CBS News / 48 Hours. “What Happened at Dyatlov Pass?” Broadcast segments (2013–2020).
DyatlovPass.com. YouTube Channel. Archival discussions and case breakdowns. Accessed August 2025.
Online Articles & Websites
DyatlovPass.com.“Main Archive Index.” Accessed August 2025. https://dyatlovpass.com/.
DyatlovPass.com.“Case Files, Maps, Timelines.” Accessed August 2025.
