Two College Students Die After Rappelling Accident on Colorado Hike

Two Colorado Mountain College students died after a catastrophic failure during a rappel on Ice Mountain, according to authorities. The men, Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, were reported missing on Oct. 26, three days after they left campus for a hike.

Officials said the men fell after their anchor experienced a 'catastrophic failure of unknown cause' while rappelling in the Rocky Mountains. Their deaths were confirmed to be instant, resulting from multiple blunt force injuries.

The sheriff’s office received a call from the Leadville Campus of Colorado Mountain College reporting the students missing. Friends and family noted the pair were experienced climbers who should have been properly equipped and shared a map of their route.

Ice Mountain, where the incident occurred, received about 2 feet of snow around the time of the hike. Officials said the heavy snowstorm did not directly contribute to the accident, though it may have had an indirect impact.

Authorities located Matsuda’s car and the pair’s tent, which collapsed under the weight of the snow, several days after the men were reported missing. Their bodies were recovered from a basin below West Apostle Mountain, which is part of the Sawatch Range in the central Rockies.

The peak of Ice Mountain is approximately 13,600 feet, about nine times higher than the Empire State Building. Officials did not specify the exact distance the men fell, but emphasized the technical difficulty of the climb.