[Music] I feel like we’re driving to the end of the Earth if you have any skin exposure you will get frostbite I mean this is colder than Antarctica right all we know is that 60 years ago they left that tent we know that there was Madness chaos and murder just makes no sense and the more you read the weirder it gets I’ve never been anywhere colder or more remote from civilization than this they did find traces of radiation on their clothes oh we just lost the sled February 15th this is a document that shouldn’t exist two of them were missing their eyes and one of them was missing her tongue this is madness man they were barefoot come on help me are you [Music] okay it is one of the greatest Unsolved Mysteries of modern times but be warned it’s also one of the scariest true stories ever told this is the terrifying tale of the diatloff pass incident the year is 1959 the height of the Cold War and the dead of winter when nine Soviet University students embark on a hiking Excursion into the Frozen Wilderness of Siberia and never return a search party is dispatched and discovers their abandoned campsite on the slopes of a mysterious Peak known as dead Mountain the bodies of the hikers are found scattered in the surrounding Wilderness some have broken bones one is missing her eyes and tongue two have high levels of radiation on their clothes strangest of all none of the hikers are wearing their cold weather gear all of it left behind neatly organized in their tent which appears to have been sliced open from the inside the case inspires wild theories ranging from top secret weapons testing a murder coverup or even UFOs or attack by the yeti investigators list the official cause of death as an unknown compelling Force but to this day no one knows how the hikers died or why now on the 60th anniversary of the hiker’s deaths an American survivalist thinks he’s finally found the answer while one of the world’s leading experts on the event believes she can prove this was no accident together they’re mounting an expedition for answers and I aim to join them this will be the most remote journey in Expedition unknown history it will not be easy and it will not be warm but when it’s over we may finally solve the coldest case of all time my name is Josh Gates Explorer Adventurer oh my God and a guy who ends up in some very strange situ all right I got to find an offramp around here with a degree in archaeology and a passion for The Unexplained I traveled to the ends of the Earth investigating the greatest legends in history okay let’s punch it this is Expedition [Music] unknown my investigation begins where the hikers began it takes two long flights just to get to the remote city of edinborg Russia this is the Western gateway to the vast northern region of Siberia which encompasses 42 million square miles from the eural mountains across to the Pacific [Music] Ocean many of us in the west have probably never heard of this place and there’s a reason for [Music] that prior to 1990 yatan Borg was actually closed to foreigners all together because this was the center of the Soviet Union’s military industrial complex during the Cold War a term that takes on a whole new significance when it is 10° out good Lord it may be cold outside but that doesn’t mean this is some provincial Outpost the Zar Peter the Great founded the city in 1723 and the last emperor of Russia and the entire romanof Dynasty came to a bloody end when they were assassinated here in 1918 today though this is Russia’s fourth largest city home to a population about the size of Dallas Texas believe it or not this is also the warmest place we’ll be visiting on this Expedition which means I’m going to need to upgrade my headgear oh my Lord look at this Russians take their hats seriously you would too if you lived in your freezer for a week in the wilderness I need to choose and Choose Wisely might be a little much what is this red fox red fox you big dummy it’s an old reference but I do feel good about that joke it’s like the Mad Hatter meets Pretty Woman look at that oh I’m a cat and you’re a [Music] cougar finally I pick a winner huh perfection Perfection it’s perfect I want to be clear I’m not a believer in in uh in fur also not a believer in freezing to death so I am going to make an exception here in Siberia with my head properly [Music] covered I walk across town to eural State Technical University where in 1959 a young engineering student named eigor diof formed a sporting club to tackle an expedition to a frigid 4,000 ft high mountain known as Orton on January 23rd 1959 the group left yedin Borg by train 8 Days Later all but one would be dead to learn more about the team and their faithful trip I go to meet Yuri kavich Yuri a local historian who founded the DEA Foundation to honor the hikers and who has collected critical evidence from their case let’s talk about these students what sort of people were they some had just graduated some were still students they were studying to become engineers and physicists but they were basically kids in total there were nine Who Died eigor diof For Whom the pass would later be named Yuri dorenko Ludmilla dubina Yuri cranos shenko Alexander katov Zena karova rustam slobodin Nikolai tibo bro and Simeon zarov a 10th hiker Yuri uden turned back early and survived so what were these young hikers doing deep in the Siberian Wilderness like many young people they love the outdoors so they formed a club camping hiking CrossCountry skiing they wanted to earn a certificate from the University and to do that they needed to complete what is known as a class 3 trip Into the Wilderness Yuri when did you first become interested in this story I was 12 when the hikers died I lived next to the cemetery where most of them were [Music] buried the whole city was fascinated by the story but there was nothing about it in the newspapers or on the radio either out of embarrassment or some believe a coverup the story of the bizarre deaths of these hikers was largely suppressed by the Soviet government and the police even tore down leaflets around campus informing students of the funerals when the Soviet Union fell many case files were open but many are still missing the official inquiry was so Hush Hush that word of the incident didn’t leak outside of the Soviet Union until there was no more Soviet Union what files do exist reveal an incomplete investigation authorities rather bluntly concluded that the hikers died of quote a compelling unknown Force and simply closed the case Yuri has collected every piece of evidence he can find in the search for answers are these actual materials from the past yes the university insisted that they had to document their whole journey so they all brought cameras and Diaries to prove they made the trip this is one of their actual original cameras the group brought 10 cameras with them only half of which were later recovered from the pass investigators SU successfully developed over 120 pictures from the Expedition haunting visual clues of the students movements through the Wilderness more important though were meticulous Diaries kept daily by the team these are the actual Diaries every day that is until their last February 1st 1959 so Yuri you’ve been obviously studying this case for a very long time what’s your thing what do you think happened to these students I don’t know for sure I think it may have had something to do with military testing maybe some kind of a rocket launcher missile a missile so what’s the missile Theory some have suggested that the deet love group was killed by a weapon that detonated in the area or that they had witnessed a secret test they shouldn’t have seen and were killed by the authorities we now have two related theories either that the Russian military killed the hikers or that a weapon test resulted in their deaths researchers have also proposed that the hikers could have been murdered by an escaped prisoner from a remote work Camp others suspect the local indigenous people and then there are those who think a natural event like an avalanche was responsible I’m going to investigate all of these theories and more as I travel to the pass meanwhile Yuri’s got something that no one else investigating the case has what could be a secret piece of physical evidence say I received something from the visitors to the pass and I think it’s the key to finding out what happened to the hikers my host excuses himself stepping into another room and when he returns he’s holding history in his hands what is this I’m in the Siberian city of yanor investigating the terrifying mystery of the DEA pass 60 years ago nine Russian hikers froze to death under circumstances so bizarre that they’ve spawned six decades worth of wild theories but now a leading historian on the case is showing me something I never expected to see physical evidence that he believes can explain the hiker’s deaths what is this some believe it is part of the fuel tank of a rocket it was found not far from the hiker’s campsite at DEET love pass would it be possible for us to take a small piece to test it yes absolutely it’s possible yes we would love to know more okay all right good Yuri allows us to saw off a piece of the mystery metal we’ll have it tested to see if we can determine its age composition and whether there’s any residue of explosives if this was from a 1950 Soviet rocket we’ll know soon enough I also want to give you a few things to help you on your journey first all the hiker photographs so these are the photos from the negatives and yes and also this a copy of the Diaries yes translated into English their words will guide you to their secrets thank you very much good luck Yuri will continue the hunt here in edinborg for new documents and information in the case while I have our first Theory to investigate in the field and vital Clues from the students in hand the first leg of there and now our trip is by train my crew and I prepare our gear for an overnight Journey to the edge of the inhabited world where I’m going to link up with two researchers leading an expedition to the de LOF pass okay everybody let’s get everything loaded tell you something about a film crew we have a lot of stuff a lot of bags a lot of cases 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 that’s what I’m saying we load our equipment onto the train and then climb aboard to find our Cabins this is me all right well good news is I’m warm bad news is this is a 10-hour train ride here we go The train pulled away from the station and out the window civilization doesn’t fade it drops off a [Music] cliff safe and warm in my cabin I take some time to get to know the members of the diatloff Expedition through their Diaries here we are in the train we sang all the songs that we know and learn new ones you know reading their words it’s impossible not to be struck by the fact that these were kids these were college kids and their Journey took them along these very same rails they were too broke to buy tickets for everybody so some of them hid under the seats when the conductor came by the train rides through the night 325 M North to the remote town of iell we arrive in the pre-dawn hours ready to get to work okay here we go 7 17,000 people live here on a ragged Frontier however I’m here to meet another visitor like me researcher teodora haisa Teddy just so happy to see you her friends call her Teddy and Teddy is a hugger to warm up we’re going to be doing a lot of hugging okay we’ll be doing a lot of hugging I’m okay with that it’s freezing she’s also the world’s foremost expert on the DEA pass incident having compiled and translated every known document related to the case before putting it on the web for the public to analyze I’ve read everything I think that you’ve written about this case you have done amazing work I think you know everything there is to know about this case nobody knows everything about this case Josh I can assure you of that Teddy is here as part of an expedition to the DEA pass being led by American survivalist and Explorer Mike lecki who is busy making preparations further along their route I’m here to join them okay let’s pack it up we got a we got a big Drive come on our Ride Into the Wilderness is a classic Gau 66 a Soviet military vehicle first made in 1964 it seats two in the front and an entire TV crew in the back complete with a mobile fireplace the Gau is capable of running in temperatures from 125° F down to 60 below Josh you know how to drive this right uh yeah yes sure the good thing about these old Soviet trucks is they’re so user friendly the shifter for instance is behind me right where you would expect it directly behind you okay so this is that’s probably first you think my best guest yeah yeah yeah let’s give it a try oh my God you’re natural hey look at that we’re moving so Teddy where where are we headed we’re going to a village it’s called VII VII how and how far away is it it takes about 3 hours 3 hours okay well here we go Teddy when did you first get interested in this story I started reading and trying to figure out what exactly happened and that was driving me nuts the story is it’s sad it’s tragic it’s maab but there’s something really mysterious about it and the more you read the weirder it gets right nobody could be prepared for how weird when Rescuers arrive on scene at the diatloff pass weeks after the incident the first thing they discover is the group’s empty tent and cold weather gear their food and supplies are intact even stranger is the hiker stove which despite an estimated temperature of 35° below zero on the night of their disappearance was packed away [Music] unassembled the day after locating the tent the first two bodies are found near a cedar tree they’re shoeless dressed only in their underwear over the next several days more bodies are recovered in various states of undress with bizarre injuries massive chest fractures some with their eyes and tongue missing it takes months to find all the hikers and in the end investigators are left with no explanation as to what happened how many times have you been to the pass I haven’t been to the pass yet J you’ve never been here no I have not this Expedition is my first chance to see the site with my own eyes and this is the 60th anniversary the exact week when they made the trip right do you think that going to the pass will change your opinion about the case yes I don’t think I’m coming the same person back from the [Music] Past after 3 hours we arrive to meet our expedition’s leader Mike lecki in a speck of a logging Town known as VII so this is it V this this is VII population not many now we’re about 4,000 M from a neighborhood that I recognize and Mike is absolutely nowhere to be seen this is one appointment that I can’t afford to miss our lives may be counting on it I’m in a Soviet military truck in Siberia entering the logging Village of VII where we’re meeting Mike lecki the Explorer who’s leading our expedition to the infamous diof pass so far Mike is nowhere to be found this is VII population not many the dogs seem friendly the diof hikers passed through VII on January 25th 1959 eating lunch at a local guest house with another group of hikers from their University they took some pictures together before the other group left for a different hike and a brighter [Music] fate This Is Us yeah Josh they here okay we finally located a small compound which serves as the staging area for the main leg of our journey it’s here that we’re happy to find Expedition guide and diof investigator Mike Lecky hey yo how’s it going Mike yeah Mike Mr Josh all right nice to see meet you man how are you meet you I see a lot of snowmobiles I take it that’s our new mode of transportation y a lot of snowmobiles and uh we kind of got to get on the move here cuz it’s going to get dark and we’ve got a couple days of traveling Mike Lecky is a world-renowned climber and survivalist whose made first ascents on Mountains from Borneo to Afghanistan his knowledge and experience will be critical in leading our team to the deat LOF pass and getting us back alive how far is it from here to the pass so it’s about 80 Mi it’s going to take us about 2 days on snowmobiles now keep in mind it took them about 10 days and 60 years ago and they were doing it like old school right wooden skis snow shoes homemade clothing you know I feel a camaraderie with these guys and I still want to find find out just what the hell happened to these guys yeah Mike’s kinship with the de LOF 9 is the reason he’s conducting this investigation whatever happened to them up there Mike is convinced it was more than just an accident okay now talk to me about safety it’s mainly the cold you got to think about if your fingers are getting cold I want to know about it if your toes are getting cold let me know if you started getting cold I need to know we need to stop and warm up because if you go over the edge you can get hypothermic we cannot make a mistake and get too cold right if you have any skin exposure you will get frostbite I mean this is colder than Antarctica right yeah I mean it’s cold okay so we got a bunch of gear to get out of these trucks uh we got to get into our real cold weather gear and then we got to strap all this stuff in and get gone yeah yeah well let’s get the crew let’s get loaded up and uh I want to get out of here before it gets dark okay let’s do it y all right guys come on with the sun sinking and the temperature following suit we quickly load all of our gear onto snow mobiles and trailing sleds for the long journey ahead quite simply these machines are our life boats without them we will freeze once everything is lashed down we Mount up hit the throttles and speed off into the Wilderness Josh radio check do you read me I got you to make good time before dark we avoid taking the snowmobiles into the woods and ride instead on top of a frozen River so I can add drowning to the list of things to worry [Music] about Teddy those hikers came right through here they were on this river right that’s right it’s easier to ski out here in the open than to try and go through the trees okay Mike talk to me where are we headed we’re going to try to make it to a local Village closer to the pass just watch out for bigfoot they’ve been seen around here Mike is joking sort of images from the last photos retrieved from the hikers cameras have led deav researchers to suggest some of the more unconventional theories about the case strange lights seen in several frames have led some to claim that hikers encountered a UFO others think that the group ran into a cryptozoological monster people have been telling stories of a Bigfoot like creature across Russia for as long as anybody can remember in some areas it’s known as the Almas here it’s known as a me a hulking 6 to 8T tall bipedal primate covered in reddish brown fur as evidence many people have pointed to one photo from the hiker’s cameras which shows the blurry image of someone or something leaning out from behind a tree could this be the creature that ultimately killed them according to Folklore it’s been known to steal people away from Villages and camps in the dead of night but I think we actually have evidence that the hikers weren’t very concerned about it the hikers themselves were making jokes about the M even mentioning him in a satirical newsletter that they wrote up as for the photo by examining the pictures before it on the role of film we can prove that our m is a hiker so as much as I love a good Bigfoot story I’d say this particular particular theory is busted that’s one Theory down and several more to go we speed on toward dusk the Mercury continues to drop and if we don’t reach shelter soon we’re in danger of exposure but by sticking to the river route we’ve also opened ourselves up to other dangers oh we just lost a slend I’m in the Frozen Wilds of Siberia following in the footsteps of the doomed Deo expedition in 1959 nine hikers died in circumstances that have never been explained now we’re making a treacherous high-speed journey across a frozen River in hopes of reaching the safety of a village before dark when suddenly we have a problem oh we just lost the sled hey an area of thin ice on the river has snagged one of our supply sleds which are essential to our survival now it’s about to fall through the ice and we have to risk approaching it it’s too heavy to move so we’re going to try and get a rope on it and pull it out before this gives way and this and all of us go down into the river we hook up the sled to a second snow mobile and hope that we have enough Towing power to pull it free from the ice okay here we go come on come on come on come on come on come on yes we got it okay let’s get out of here before we fall through the ice it’s imperative that we start to make better time because soon the sun will go down and once it does it’s going to get so cold that it’s going to be impossible to operate these machines without getting Cross by unable to trust this section of the river we’ll have to move onto [Music] land this is absolutely treacherous in here just got all these branches weighed down by snow and if you’re not careful you can get clocked Right Between the Eyes watch your head everybody oh not the best day to be a tall guy yikes the trees slow us down and the Sun is almost gone Mike it’s getting dark and cold you sure you know where this Village is yeah it’s a place called usba the indigenous people known as the mancy live there right Deany I’ve read that people considered them potential suspects yeah yeah the original investigators considered them as the first suspects in the case just like us the hikers were following an old mancy trail toward the pass they even photographed mancy symbols on trees leading some to theorize they may have desecrated a shrine and angered the local population it shouldn’t be too much further we kick on our lights to keep the trail in view then like a desolate Miracle the mancy village of usma appears out of the darkness all right we’re in usma we’re going to Camp here tonight let’s get all of our gear inside let’s get warm and uh get some dinner going yeah okay sounds good as the team unloads our gear one of the mancy villagers warms up tea and invites me in well thank you very much for having us and thank you for the tea of course get warm and rest for as long as you need well thank you very much we really appreciate it the mansy live a life far removed from the outside world they’re shy but they’re also hospitable and peaceful while some people have held on to the idea that they could have been responsible for the DEA incident the Case Files reveal that the manyy were the first to join investigators in trying to locate the missing hikers and no physical evidence ever tied them to the scene they were cleared of any responsibility in the case and as they open their homes and hearths to my team it’s easy to see [Music] why after saying good night I take the short but freezing walk back to our cabin oh warmth the room fits 7 tonight it’s sleeping 10 good night everybody good [Music] night it is morning in the USA Village as you can probably tell it’s not particularly warm but everybody’s up we’ve had some food we’ve had a little coffee we’re going to pack the snowmobiles and today is a big day today we’re going to try to make it all the way to the pass the crew packs everything back onto the sleds and we saddle up for the last push to the pass we’re good let’s go okay the forest instantly swallows us up and we are alone every step of this journey is just leading us further and further into the unknown the train felt desolate the van ride fell lonely and now oh this just feels like the end of the world soon we begin to pass buildings we emerge into a clearing and what seems like another Village but there’s no one here but ghosts Teddy is this place this is part of the old Gulag that existed back then wow from the 30s to the 50s ggs were stalinist Russia’s hard labor prisons for Untold millions of political dissidents and criminals the people sentenced here were forced to work the country’s most dangerous jobs in Lumber and Mining these were open air jails where Escape wasn’t impossible but it was Unthinkable wow look at this place one popular diof Theory suggests that the hikers were killed by a desperate prisoner who escaped from this gag it only takes one look inside the buildings to understand how the prisoners might become so desperate look at this that’s a boot unbelievable that’s somebody’s liner from a boot these are called valeni they were very common in winter in this part of Russia wow see how there handmaid stitched at the bottom yeah look at that you can see it’s hand stitched this is the same kind of footware that one of the hikers was was found in WoW amazing just to think about anybody surviving and living out here is incredible it just seems like such a difficult Place such a hard place you know let’s leave it as we found it all right then yeah come on Teddy has thoroughly reviewed the case File from the Soviet investigation not surprisingly when the hikers were found dead the investigators looked here for answers so let’s talk about that we do have gach so that part of it holds up but what about this theory is there any reason to suspect that that could be what happened well they checked into it right away they checked if there are skps at that time and were there any there were none let’s not forget that in the tent there was nothing Miss missing from the belongings of the hikers that includes all their money alcohol food and mainly their boots their clothing everything that would make a skp very happy right so I mean I think we can discount that theory out of hand absolutely don’t you 100% mathematically no way Teddy Mike and I are in agreement nobody from the goog killed the hikers let’s get back and the snowmobiles keep moving yeah let’s go we’re closing in on the de LOF pass so we climb aboard the snowmobiles one last [Music] time the weather is on our side it’s a sunny day for the moment at least but even with calm Skies there’s no place in the Siberian Wilderness where you’re truly safe Jos we have a prom at the back of the line copy that do we need to stop down one of us already has in the aftermath of the Soviet Union’s collapse thousands of statues of communist leaders like Lenin and Stalin were toppled in Edinburg I got a chance to see one of the Towering figures that replace them can you explain the statue to me yeah sure it’s the main hero of a very popular Russian TV show okay he is a very humble man who sells shoes and he gives all his money to his wife who likes shopping and has never worked in her life and they have two kids uh one girl who is extremely pretty but stupid and a boy and is based on American TV show it’s based on an American TV show yeah of a guy who sell H wait a minute does he have a a neighbor that he hates yes and he tries to humiliate her all the time because she is a successful business Lady it’s Married with Children this is the Russian Al [Music] Bundy my team and I are on snowmobiles making our final assault on siberia’s Brutal theof pass where 60 years ago nine hikers mysteriously perished we’re investigating the many theories of the case when I get a radio call that could mean we may not make it to the pass at all Josh we have a problem at the back of the line copy that do we need to stop down one of us already has I’m okay I’m okay aen hit a tree he hit a tree okay I’m circling back hang on we work together to get our Tech manager snowmobile facing in the right direction now the question is will it start again one of our local crew isn’t taking any chances he pours out a little vodka as an offering so the mountain will let us go the snowmobile miraculously turns over and the rear guard of our group is soon back on the trail okay final push here we [Music] go six decades ago the diof hikers watched these same trees go by on their way to Orton the last entry in the group’s diary is from January 31st [Music] 1959 they were planning to go up the ridge the next day to a mountain pass that at that time had no name the very last thing Igor diatloff wrote was we had supper right in the tent it’s warm it is hard to imagine such a comfort somewhere on the ridge with a piercing wind hundreds of kilometers away from human settlements this turns out to be tragically preent the next day February 1st the hikers would Camp below that Ridge in the same piercing wind and they would not live to see February 2nd look at that we’re above the tree line for the first time and you can see just the endless expanse of forests and Wilderness that we’ve been traveling through oh it’s incredible so desolate so desolate unbelievable we’re utter l l exposed to the elements now traveling across a high altitude tundra in whipping winds the slope is going to get too steep for us to stay on the snowmobiles fortunately Mike has made sure we’re prepared for the rest of the way okay here we are this is it all right this is the camp good good looking tent this is the end of the snowmobiles from here we walk to the pass okay great we’ll get our gear inside guys and we’ll walk out all right let’s do it let’s do it come [Music] on from here it’s a hike on foot to the pass it’s uphill and it is not easy the last mile is a grim difficult grind my cold is just brutal you can only uncover your face for a few moments at a time it’ss really hard after all this time and all these miles it is in this moment that I feel closest to the de LOF [Music] 9 i’ never been anywhere colder or more remote from civilization than this if I think back to what it took just to get here it almost makes me shudder we are far far far from the Civilized World merely placing one freezing foot in front of the other here is an affirmative Act of survival our entire Journey has led to this moment after days on Planes Trains and snowmobiles and 60 years after nine idealistic young Russians came up this same Ridge the DEA pass is in sight the answer to this baffling mystery May lie directly ahead next time on Expedition unknown our Siberian investigation continues two of them were missing their eyes and one of them was missing her tongue as we unravel the 60-year-old mystery of Russia’s diatloff pass mountain of the Dead this is a spot with new evidence three pieces of clothing were radioactive this is where things get really strange new theories we know that there was Madness chaos and murder and a shocking Discovery February 15th 59 this is a document that shouldn’t exist W me are you you okay
