Curious if anyone is familiar with this story and guessing that some at least are. Came across it on Wikipedia while searching the Urals.
Anyone have any thoughts on this?
If it's well known, rehashed, conspiracy stuff, I apologize for resurrecting it. It just sounded so strange that I had to ask.
Thanks for your indulgence!!

I listened to a podcast about it a week or two ago while I was on Aconcagua! It was from Skeptoid on iTunes.

It reminded me of an incident years ago in Antarctica, where British personnel were found in various states of undress in and out of a snow cave - but all dead. Back then, and in the Skeptoid podcast, there was no mention of how extremely hypothermic victims feel very warm and start shedding clothing, just before they succumb and die. Lincoln Hall did this before his rescue high on Everest in 2006.

Skeptoid was big on the idea that the first few went out and died of hypothermia, then an avalanche killed the second lot. The orange faces and grey hair anecdote may be attributed to extreme tanning/sunburn and the effects of nature on dead bodies, especially by the time they're in an open coffin.

The radioactivity was put down to the materials used to make the mantles in the lanterns. This one I'm not sure about - even if they were available in the USSR then, I doubt a ski group like that would have taken one.

D

recent snowstorms.... mountain pass... some but not all with traumatic injuries...

if it sounds like an avalanche, it must be a secret russian weapon

intriguing indeed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyatlov_Pass_incident
http://www.aquiziam.com/dyatlov_pass_answers.html