College students killed in Colorado mountain rappelling accident

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 4 Nov, 18:15 · Archive

Two Colorado Mountain College students fell to their deaths after their rappelling equipment suffered catastrophic failure on Ice Mountain.

Jackson Donlon, 20, and Kaden Matsuda, 19, were college students at Colorado Mountain College Leadville who set out to climb Ice Mountain, a peak of nearly 14,000 feet, on 23 October. When they did not return as scheduled, the college alerted the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office. Their bodies were found five days later near a basin on the mountain, lying next to each other.

The two were experienced outdoorsmen who died when their rappelling equipment failed. Donlon was beginning to rappel from a primary anchor point on rock substrate, backed up by a metal spike and secondary anchor. Matsuda was attached to the same anchor points via his personal anchor device. The anchor then suffered what police describe as a catastrophic failure of unknown cause, causing both to fall a substantial distance. The exact distance they fell has not been established.

Autopsies showed that both died instantly from multiple blunt force injuries. A heavy snowstorm occurred during their climb, but police said it did not play a direct contributing factor in their deaths, though it is unknown whether it had a negative impact on the incident. Donlon was from Queensbury, New York, and Matsuda was from Ridgway, Colorado and an aspiring firefighter.

How it is being reported

• Authorities pinpoint likely cause of 2 students' deaths after plunge off mountainsideSheriff Andy Rohrich said college students Kaden Matsuda and Jackson Donlon died instantly and did not suffer in the West Apostle Mountain climbing accident.Fox News · 5 Nov, 19:45
• Young outdoorsmen found dead on Colorado mountain were killed after falling from cliff, medical examiner saysThe bodies of Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, were found next to each other near a basin on Ice Mountain.Daily Mail · 4 Nov, 17:57
• Horrific cause of death revealed for college students who went missing on Ice Mountain climbTwo college students who vanished during a Colorado mountain hike fell to their deaths after suffering a “catastrophic failure” while rappelling, police have revealed. Colorado Mountain College Leadville students Jackson Donlon, a 20-year-old Upstate New York native, and Kaden Matsuda, 19, “fell a substantial distance” and landed in a mountain basin after their equipment malfunctioned...New York Post · 4 Nov, 12:32

In this story: Jackson Donlon · Kaden Matsuda · Colorado Mountain College Leadville · Ice Mountain · Chaffee County · Colorado

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log