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surviving skier (who died in 2013 at
age 75), “it would be, ‘What really
happened to my friends that night?’”
Their memory, at least, lives on at
the spot where they died. It is now
called the Dyatlov Pass.

brain-sickness epidemic

Living Statues

From 1917 to 1928, half a million
people were afflicted with a ghastly
condition that could be part of the

plotline of a horror film. The

victims—very much alive and

conscious—found themselves

in inexplicably frozen states,

their static bodies prisons for

their minds.

Encephalitis lethargica (EL),

aka “the sleeping sickness,” first ap-

peared in Europe and quickly spread

around the world, reaching epidemic

levels in North America, Europe, and

India by 1919. About a third of those

stricken with the illness died. Of

the survivors, nearly half eventually

found themselves unable to physi-

cally interact with the world around

them, all the while fully aware of

their surroundings. Though occa-

sionally capable of limited speech,

eye motion, and even laughter, they

Sixty years ago, ten Russian

hikers (1) set out on a 21-day

winter trek. Nine were never

seen alive again (2). The

circumstances leading to

their deaths remain a

mystery—odd, since the

group photographed much

of the journey (3). Some

think the government is

covering up radiation from

an atomic blast (4); others

blame Bigfoot. Today, a

memorial stands at the

friends’ last campsite (5).

Dyatlov Pass

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