Dead Mountain is the true story of ten experienced Russian hikers from the Ural Polytechnic Institute who ventured into the Ural Mountains in 1959 to gain a Grade III hiking certificate. When one of them is forced to turn back due to ill health, the remaining nine — seven men and two women — continue on but encounter “an unknown compelling force” which causes them to flee from their tent in the middle of the night in -25 degree temperatures. No one was properly clothed or wearing shoes. Their tent was slashed from the inside, suggesting a frantic scramble to escape. All nine perished in sub-zero conditions. But what exactly caused them to leave the safety of their tent? Over the decades numerous theories have been suggested, ranging from the plausible — an avalanche, military weapons testing, an attack by armed men — to the downright unbelievable — aliens, yetis, the supernatural, orbs in the sky. In Dead Mountain American author Donnie Eichar travels to Russia to retrace the hikers' journey and put forward his own theory. I first heard about the Dyatlov Pass Incident through publicity surrounding this book. The story was fascinating and I wanted to know more. Eichar's narrative is compelling and insightful. Backed by scientific evidence, he puts forward a believable and what I consider most likely explanation. The book contains poignant photographs taken by the hikers during their trip and of the search to locate and recover their bodies in the aftermath. Eichar interviews Yuri Yudin, the hiker who turned back due to ill health. It was a decision that ultimately saved his life. I thought Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident was a carefully researched, empathetic, gripping read.

Nice set up and a well written journey into an incident/mystery I was previously unaware of. But the final act lets this book down and I regretted the time I had spent on it. To talk so much about all of the various theories that had been proposed, to dismiss them all and then come up with just another theory left me feeling like I’d been cheated a little after reading such claims as “the real story of what happened…” Just one person’s theory - entirely unproven. Poor show.