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Book Review: Dead Mountain: The untold story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident (2014)

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The front cover of Dead Mountain (2014), by Donnie Eichar, encapsulates the essence of the whole book; a group of cross country skiers disappearing into the gloom of a cold, frozen waste. It’s a photograph taken by a member of the ill-fated group.

In February 1959 a group of ten students and graduates from the Ural Polytechnic Institute in Sverdlovsk, Russia embarked on a winter adventure. It was to be a Grade III trip in which they would cover 300 kms in a minimum of 16 days with one-third of the trip challenging. They were to travel hundreds of miles due north, by train and truck, and then on foot and skis to the bleak Otorten Mountain. They were all experienced hikers and skiers and lead by the most experienced; Igor Dyatlov. It was acknowledged that “Igor had indisputable authority” (p.31).

A remote woodcutter settlement marked a decision point for the expedition. Beyond this point there would be no other settlements, no roads, no people, no help just a barren, frozen wasteland. A member of the group, Yuri Yudin, made a decision to abandon the trip at this point. Illness made it impossible for him to continue and should it get worse he would put the rest of the party in danger. As his friends trudged off into the snow and mist it was the last time he would see them alive. Their slashed and abandoned tent, complete with their boots and equipment, clothing and food all neatly arranged would be found by the search party. Their bodies, partly clad, without shoes and three with evidence of violent trauma would be found months later. Some died from their injuries, the others by hypothermia… within a few hundred yards or so from their tent. At the time of their last diary entry the temperature would be forty degrees below zero with winds of 40 mph. It raised the obvious question: “What… provoked the nine hikers to leave the sanctuary of their tent?” (p.217); the official answer was an “unknown compelling force” (p.253). Thus began the mystery of the Dyatlov Pass Incident.

In his exploration of the Dyatlov Pass Incident  Donnie Eichar weaves together two stories. One involves pen portraits of group members and their friendship. The numerous, grainy, black and white photographs capture moments in their lives and along their route. A description of life in Russia in the late 1950s, the impact of the Cold War, restrictions and secrecy serves to explain the attraction of wild open spaces.

The other is a desire to understand the circumstances surrounding the unexplained deaths of nine young people in bizarre circumstances. In doing so Eichar actually retraced their steps in the bleak Russian wilderness. He drew upon his research skills as a documentary film maker and the insights provided by the only survivor, Yuri Yudin. Eichar’s story also draws upon the hiker’s journals and photographs, government records and interviews, maps and witness statements. He assembles the evidence and in doing so challenges the myths and legends that have emerged in over fifty years.

Dead Mountain: The untold story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident  is a compelling read. Informed by the ‘evidence’ Eichar skilfully explores previous explanations – only to challenge and discount them. He finally formulates an account that satisfies all the known and previously unavailable scientific evidence. In the words of Sherlock Holmes: ‘when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.’ Donnie Eichar’s conclusions may just persuade you that the mystery of the Dyatlov Pass Incident is finally solved.


Dead Mountain: The untold story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident (2014)

  • by Donnie Eichar
  • Publisher – San Francisco: Chronicle Books
  •  288 pp
  • ISBN 9781452140032         

Donnie Eichar is a director and producer of film and television. His work includes the documentary Soaked in Bleach (2015) and the TV Series Buried Life (2010) and Killing Fields (2016).

He was born in Florida, USA and now lives in Malibu, California with his wife.


Find out more about the reviewer, Professor Fred Lockwood, who is also a published author at www.fredlockwood.co.uk.

Dr Fred Lockwood is Emeritus Professor of Learning and Teaching, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. He is also a PADI Master Scuba Diver and dived in the waters of Central America and Africa, the Middle East and South East Asia, Australasia and the Pacific Islands. Follow Fred at www.fredlockwood.co.uk.

Blogs

Sharks, Shipwrecks, and Sea Turtles: My Boston Sea Rovers Adventure

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boston sea rovers

by Mia DaPonte

A couple of weeks ago, I went to a conference called the Boston Sea Rovers Symposium, where I met many different people. I was astonished by the presentations and how we can help. Today, I’m going to explain more about the Boston Sea Rovers conference.

As I mentioned, I met many different people. I met Dan Dolan, who I’ll talk more about in my next blog. He told me he could take me to the New England Aquarium rehab center—which isn’t open to the public—to see the behind-the-scenes work. I also met Jenn Sellitti, who gave an amazing presentation at the film festival about discovering an old ship named Le Lyonnais. She wrote a cool book about the ship, The Adriatic Affair, which my mom is reading. She even offered to take me on a dive in New Jersey to recover an anchor! Jenn and her team love finding underwater boat parts and anchors.

boston sea rovers

Mia with Jenn Sellitti

I also got a picture with Cristian Dimitrius, who’s known for his photography and cinematography for National Geographic. And I met Greg Skomal, who is a marine biologist—just like I want to be! He’s a white shark expert, and I loved his presentation on Jaws: Fact vs. Fiction.

boston sea rovers

Mia with Cristian Dimitrius

We attended many different presentations at the conference, but I was especially inspired by the underwater terrariums. These H2O terrariums are designed for underwater farms, where plants grow and thrive under a bubble-like protection system. I was also fascinated by the coral restoration project. The presenter explained that millions of corals are getting sick and dying, but we can help by cleaning up the ocean and avoiding toxic waste. She shared that they’ve developed a medicine that sticks to corals, kind of like toothpaste, to help heal them. They’re also trying to save coral by removing young ones, growing them in labs, and reintroducing them to prevent disease. This technique is working, but there’s still a long way to go. We all can pitch in to help save coral reefs and our beautiful ocean.

boston sea rovers

My absolute favorite part of the conference was the film festival. Chris from Dive On It Scuba let my mom and me sit in the front row with all the Sea Rovers and interns. My favorite presentation was Jenn’s—she talked about the deep ocean and discovering all kinds of things. Cristian also presented at the festival, showing a National Geographic video he filmed about baby turtles hatching on the beach. The video followed their journey to the ocean, where they had to dodge not just birds but even crocodiles waiting in the water!

The Boston Sea Rovers was an amazing experience. I can’t wait to go back next year and share my new blog. Thanks for reading—until next time!

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Blogs

Making a Splash: My Path to Becoming a Master Scuba Diver at 12

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mia daponte

Meet Mia Daponte, New England’s youngest female Master Scuba Diver and Scubaverse.com’s latest blogger!

Hi, I’m Mia DaPonte, and this is my first blog! I am New England’s youngest female master scuba diver. I did my training in Jamestown Rhode Island and I’m 12 years old.

I’m also black belt in karate, and I also play soccer, basketball, and love to race my sailboat named “Beluga”. My journey to become a master diver was amazing, not all of it was easy but with the help of my friends and family they supported me so much.

When I turned ten years old, I wanted to scuba dive for my Birthday. After learning diving in the cold murky waters near my home, I wanted to start my training for this Master Diver certification. I met my instructor Seamus on my first day of diving. He was a very good influence on me and always supported me. He taught me everything I know about diving.

I also got to go to new tropical places and dive for fun. We went places like Puerto Rico, Punta Cana, Bermuda, and Bahamas. For the first time I could see far. I saw stingrays, lion fish, coral reefs, tropical fish, and lots of other animals. My favorite animal that I saw was an octopus.

Finally, it was time for my certification trip. The trip came so fast, and I eventually succeeded. In February, I went down to Cozumel Mexico and went diving at Blue Angel Resort. To get my certification, I had to do a deep dive of a max depth of 60ft, and I had to do rescue training. I also had to do an online e-learning test to qualify for this certification.

On the first day I only worked in the pool to practice and perfect rescue techniques for the next day. It was fun putting the online learning to reality. The first part felt harder than the second because I didn’t have as much room in the pool as the open ocean. On the second day, we did it in the ocean. It was hard for me to do the rescue breaths, and bring the adult diver from the bottom of the ocean to the surface. But I was able to do it after hard work.

Cozumel was a lot of fun. We made so many friends down there and hope to see them again. Diving down there was truly magical. I can’t wait to go back someday.

After hard work and dedication, I was able to achieve this accomplishment. It took me 2 years of studying and practicing, but in the end it all paid off. I can’t wait to share my next adventure with you.

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