Dead Mountain
The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident
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4.3 • 457 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
The New York Times and Wall Street Journal Nonfiction Bestseller that explores the gripping Dyatlov Pass incident that took the lives of nine young Russian hikers in 1959.
What happened that night on Dead Mountain?
In February 1959, a group of nine experienced hikers in the Russian Ural Mountains died mysteriously on an elevation known as Dead Mountain. Eerie aspects of the mountain climbing incident—unexplained violent injuries, signs that they cut open and fled the tent without proper clothing or shoes, a strange final photograph taken by one of the hikers, and elevated levels of radiation found on some of their clothes—have led to decades of speculation over the true stories and what really happened.
Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident delves into the untold story through unprecedented access to the hikers' own journals and photographs, rarely seen government records, dozens of interviews, and author Donnie Eichar's retracing of the hikers' fateful journey in the Russian winter.
An instant historical nonfiction bestseller upon its release, this is the dramatic real story of what happened on Dead Mountain.
GRIPPING AND BIZARRE: This is a fascinating portrait of young adventurers in the Soviet era, and a skillful interweaving of the hikers' narrative, the investigators' efforts, and the author's investigations. Library Journal hailed "the drama and poignancy of Eichar's solid depiction of this truly eerie and enduring mystery."
FOR FANS OF UNSOLVED MYSTERIES: Unsolved true crimes and historical mysteries never cease to capture our imaginations. The Dyatlov Pass incident was little known outside of Russia until film producer and director Donnie Eichar brought the decades-old mystery to light in a book that reads like a mystery.
FASCINATING VISUALS: This well-researched volume includes black-and-white photographs from the cameras that belonged to the hikers, which were recovered after their deaths, along with explanatory graphics breaking down some of the theories surrounding the mysterious incident.
Perfect for:Fans of nonfiction history books and true crimeAnyone who enjoys real-life mountaineering and survival stories such as Into Thin Air, Buried in the Sky, The Moth and the Mountain, and Icebound: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the WorldReaders seeking Cold War narratives and true stories from the Soviet era
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The mystery of the bizarre deaths of elite Russian hikers in a 1959 tragedy on a deadly Ural mountain is the subject of Eichar's extensive investigation. Eichar, a film director and producer, tries to make sense of the puzzling tale of the dead students from Ural Polytechnic University; he sets off to interview the hikers' relatives, investigators, and even a lone survivor. Following the search party's retrievals of the bodies, the questions deepen when the victims are discovered, insufficiently dressed for the frigid weather, shoeless, with violent injuries, including a horrible skull fracture, a leg torn away, and a tongue ripped out. With expert analysis of the remaining evidence, Eichar tries to answer why the hikers, seven men and two women, would go out into the bitter cold without warm clothing to meet certain death; curious, too, is that the contents of the tent were intact. Possible causes for the panic, according to Eichar and officials, are: an avalanche; mysterious armed men; even a fatal tiff by the males over the women. As the elements of this complicated tangle are compiled, the final wrap-up of the mountain tragedy is overwhelming, befitting a case defying explanation.
Customer Reviews
Dead Mountain
Fascinating story. This is my first and only experience with this mystery. I found the author to be a pretty good story teller. He kept my interest alive with an effective format of moving from past to present and back at precisely the right times. If you enjoy "real world" mysteries, I recommend this book.
Well-written, well-researched
Fascinating true story. I have greater appreciation of winter hiking and Russian culture. Since reading this book, I have educated myself further on the hiker story as well as infrasound and cosmic activities over Russia. Interesting that a gent from Florida was so compelled to re-investigate the incident and write such an impressive book.
Absolutely Amazing Book!
I have been interested in this mystery for years and this book brings new light and a solid conclusion to the mystery. A wonderfully written book that kept me enthralled the whole time. It was one of those books that I couldn't put down and written so well that at times I felt I was in the book living and watching the story unfold first hand. Awesome, absolutely awesome job bringing this tragic story to life!!! What a monument to those involved in this tragedy!