In the summer of 1958, on a trekking trip to the Altai Mountains, Igor Dyatlov shared his ambitious plan: he wanted to lead an expedition to the northern Urals and become the first in history to reach the winter peak of Otorten Mountain. This bold idea appealed to some of the experienced hikers that accompanied him. Nikolay Thibeaux-Brignolle, Rustem Slobodin, Yuri Krivonischenko and Yuri Yudin expressed their readiness to take the risk and asked Dyatlov if they could join his team.

Everyone knew that the terrain around Otorten was hostile, dangerous and challenging. Although the altitudes were moderately high and the slopes rather gentle, in winter-time hikers had to deal with harsh weather conditions, mostly with freezing temperatures. In the 1950s, the elevation of Otorten Mountain was estimated to be 1182 metres above sea level. Dyatlov understood that the main challenge wasn’t to reach the summit, but to get to its foot through the snow-covered and ice-bound taiga. The journey could be hindered by strong winds, blizzards and massive snowdrifts, which in river valleys reached almost two metres. Some parts of the northern Urals were inhabited by the indigenous Mansi people, and others were their hunting grounds. Hikers wouldn’t be able get any help and would have to rely solely on themselves.

Apart from Dyatlov, Lyudmila Dubinina had also considered