Khamar-Daban Explained

Khamar-Daban
Other Name:	Russian: Хама́р-Даба́н / Buriat: Һамар дабаан
Country:	Russia
Subdivision1 Type:	Federal subject
Borders On:	Eastern Sayan
Highest:	Utulinskaya Podkova
Elevation M:	2396
Range Coordinates:	51.4167°N 134°W
Parent:	South Siberian System
Map:	Russia Far Eastern Federal District#Russia Buryatia
Length Km:	420
Length Orientation:	E/W
Width Km:	65
Width Orientation:	N/S
Easiest Route:	From Gusinoozyorsk

Khamar-Daban (Russian: Хама́р-Даба́н; Buriat: Һамар дабаан, from Buriat: хамар – "nut", and Buriat: дабаан – "pass" or "ridge"), is a mountain range in Southern Siberia, Russia.

Geography

The range is located in Buryatia, with a small section in Irkutsk Oblast. It rises near the Baikal Mountains not far from Lake Baikal. It forms a geographic prolongation of the Sayan Mountains.^[1] The highest peak is Utulinskaya Podkova at 2396m (7,861feet); 2090m (6,860feet) high Chersky Peak is another important summit.^[2] The southern end of the range is part of the Selenga Highlands.^[3] The climate of the northern part of the range is affected by Lake Baikal, being temperate and humid, with precipitation up to 1300mm per year. The average January temperature is -16C-18C.^[4]

Climate

In popular culture

The song of the same name by Yuri Vizbor, written in 1962, is dedicated to the range.

1993 incident

Six members of a seven-person hiking group led by Lyudmila Korovina died in mysterious circumstances in 1993.^[5] Valentina Utochenko was the only survivor.^[6] Despite the police receiving a report, no formal search was carried out until August 24. It took two days for the helicopters to locate the remains because Valentina had not yet been able to recount her version of what had happened. According to an autopsy report, all of them, except Lyudmila, who had a heart attack, were found to have died of hypothermia.^[7]

They were all found to have bruised lungs. But a protein shortage brought on by starvation and extreme hypothermia was identified as their cause of death. In the end, it was decided that the deaths were unintentional.^[8]

Notes and References

Book: Lake Baikal and Its Life . Kozhov . M. . 11 November 2013 . Springer Science & Business Media . 9789401573887 . 7 . en.
Web site: Природа Байкала – вершина Пик Черского . ru . The nature of Baikal – the top of Chersky Peak . https://web.archive.org/web/20210419034026/https://nature.baikal.ru/obj.shtml?obj=peak&id=cherskii . 19 April 2021 . live.
Book: Селенгинское среднегорье: природные условия и районирование . Natalʹi︠a︡ Vasilʹevna . Fadeeva . ru . Selenga Highlands: Natural Conditions and Zoning . Buryat Book Publishing House . 1963.
Sinyukovich . V.N. . Chumakova . E.V. . Современные особенности гидрометеорологического режима южного побережья оз. Байкал . Modern features of the hydrometeorological regime of the southern coast of Lake Baikal . ru . Bulletin of Irkutsk State University . 2009 . 2 . 2 . 117–133 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131002201730/http://lin.irk.ru/pdf/9882.pdf . 2 October 2013 .
Buryatia Incident: Russia's other Dyatlov Pass . 20 November 2019 . 14 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210116110446/https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-darker-side-of-life/episode/buryatia-incident-russias-other-dyatlov-pass-65405510 . 16 January 2021 . live.
Web site: Что произошло на бурятском "перевале Дятлова" . What happened at the Buryat "Dyatlov pass" . Komsomolskaya Pravda . Natalia . Varsegova . 24 July 2018 . 14 January 2021 . ru . https://web.archive.org/web/20211202225918/https://www.kp.ru/daily/26859/3901807/ . 2 December 2021 . live.
Web site: Morbid . Mr . 2022-11-22 . The Khamar Daban Incident: Horror on the Mountain Slopes of Soviet Russia - Morbid Kuriosity . 2024-04-29 . en-US.
Web site: Beyond the Dyatlov mystery: 2 other creepy tragedies in the Russian mountains . Beyond Russia . Oleg . Yegorov . 25 February 2019 . 14 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210511223109/https://www.rbth.com/history/330020-russia-dyatlov-pass-mystery-analogues . 11 May 2021 . live.