DARK HISTORY: Dyatlov Pass Theory 4 — Military Tests

Deven digs into his 4^th theory on what happened to the hikers at Dyatlov Pass!

Some mysteries grow in the soil.
Others fall from the sky.

Whispers spread among the search teams long before the hikers were found, the photos were developed, and autopsies done; these whispers were quiet, uneasy, and unprovoked.

In 1959, the Soviet Union was a place that kept secrets. Weapons tests, rocket experiments and high-altitude detonations were common.

There’s a theory that the Dyatlov hikers’ demise wasn’t due to conditions on the mountain.
They died because of what was above it.

Parachute Mines

The most unsettling military idea involves parachute mines, which are airborne explosive devices designed to drift before exploding.

They don’t always explode on impact. Sometimes, they linger and then explode downwards, generating a pressure wave that can fracture bones without causing any skin damage.

And pressure waves don’t leave footprints.

Lights Over The Mountain

Hunters, meteorologists, and villagers, along with many others, saw luminous spheres moving through the sky around the time the hikers died.

Witnesses claim they looked like fireballs, lanterns, military flares, or experimental devices.

The Autopsies

The records from the autopsy show damage that is often connected to:

• Pressure from an explosion
• Shockwaves
• Compression from an explosive blast

These aren’t injuries from being hit, falling, or an avalanche.

Some investigators marked them as “military in nature.”
Then, the notes disappeared.

Some searchers reported scorched treetops near the ravine.
Those statements vanished, too.

And then there were the clothes.
Some of the clothes had radiation on them, not enough to be visible but enough to cause alarm.

Officials explained it away.

A Mistake That Needed to Be Buried

This theory paints a cold picture:

They camped below a route used by the military for secret tests.
They were struck by the shockwave from an explosion.
Wounded, they fled into the night.

When the bodies were found, the military stepped in, editing the facts.

The case was closed.

In Soviet Russia, “closed” was often the closest the public got to the truth.

The Theory’s Shadow

Despite its horrifying aspects, this explanation collapses upon closer examination.

Where is the blast crater or debris from the explosion?

Some hikers had internal injuries, but why didn’t they all have injuries?

Why were the hikers allowed to be found at all?

If the military caused their deaths, the easiest path would have been complete and total silence.

Instead, the mountain gave the bodies back.

As if to say:
“Look closer.”

Maybe the military was involved.
Maybe something happened in the sky that night they couldn’t control, something they couldn’t explain, something they hoped would disappear beneath new snowfall.

But mountains never bury everything.

Deven VanKirk was raised in the Midwest, and has lived all over the eastern half of the US. He’s been a horror fan for as long as he can remember. He enjoys hiking and camping, when he’s not reading or writing. Currently he resides in southern Illinois with his wife, son, and two dogs.

PLEASE NOTE: The views and opinions of the staff of Memento Mori Ink do not necessarily represent those of Memento Mori Ink or Crystal Lake Publishing. Thank you for understanding.