VERDICT Best suited to fans of outdoor adventure or survival tales or to general nonfiction readers who appreciate the allure of an engrossing real-life enigma. While recreational readers will appreciate the drama and poignancy of Eichar’s solid depiction of this truly eerie and enduring mystery, pickier researchers may question the lack of bibliography or notes to indicate exact sources, which makes the accuracy of his re-creation of certain events difficult to judge. Through his research into the many bizarre and seemingly unexplainable aspects of the tragedy, he attempts to rule out previously suggested causes such as an avalanche, an attack by a native tribe, Soviet weapons testing, and even aliens. The author ably pieces together a detailed chronicle of this haunting incident, using official case files, interviews, journals, and other evidence. Eichar, a television documentary producer, investigates the mysterious events leading to the untimely deaths of these experienced outdoor adventurers, whose frozen bodies were found later by search parties, some with severe injuries and one lacking a tongue. Using original research carried out in Russia and photographs from the skier's cameras, Keith McCloskey attempts to explain what happened to the nine young people who lost their lives in the mysterious 'Dyatlov Pass Incident'.In 1959, nine young Russians set off on a doomed ski trip in the wintry Ural Mountains, never to return. The area was sealed off for years by the authorities and the full events of that night remained unexplained. The autopsy stated the violent injuries were caused by 'an unknown compelling force'. Search parties were sent out and their bodies were found, some with massive internal injuries but with no external marks on them. On the night of 1 February 1959 something or someone caused the skiers to flee their tent in such terror that they used knives to slash their way out.

While one of the skiers fell ill and returned., the remaining nine lost their way and ended up on another mountain slope known as Kholat Syakhl (or 'Mountain of the Dead'). Click here to purchase from Rakuten Kobo In January 1959, ten experienced young skiers set out for Mount Otorten in the far north of Russia.

Mountain of the Dead by Keith McCloskey