Two Colorado college students found dead after mountain blizzard

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 29 Oct, 13:20 · Archive

The bodies of Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, were found on Wednesday in a remote basin after they went missing during a hiking trip.

Two Colorado college students, Kaden Matsuda, 19, of Ridgway, Colorado, and Jackson Donlon, 20, of New York, have been found dead after going missing during a hiking trip in the Rocky Mountains. The pair left Colorado Mountain College's Leadville campus on Friday to climb Ice Mountain, a nearly 14,000-foot peak that requires technical climbing. They were expected back by Sunday, but college staff reported them missing on Monday morning.

A search and rescue team of about 60 volunteers, along with helicopters, drones and search dogs, was deployed to find them. The area where they were hiking was covered in around two feet of snow, and authorities noted the region has little or no cell phone service. A helicopter crew discovered a collapsed tent with sleeping bags, a stove and clothing near a lake north-west of Ice Mountain, but the students were not there.

Their bodies were found on Wednesday afternoon in a basin of West Apostle Mountain, about four miles from where Matsuda's car was located at the Mt. Huron trailhead. Authorities do not suspect foul play. Chaffee County Sheriff Andy Rohrich said autopsies were pending but expressed relief that the search had found them before an incoming storm. Matsuda was studying to be a wildland firefighter and Donlon was studying to be a mountaineering guide.

How it is being reported

• Two Colorado college students found dead after going missing during hikeKaden Matsuda and Jackson Donlon were on a trip in Rocky Mountains last weekend when heavy snowstorm hit Two Colorado college students have been found dead after going missing during a hiking trip in the Rocky Mountains last weekend when a heavy snowstorm hit, authorities said. The bodies of Kaden Matsuda, 19, of Ridgway, Colorado , and Jackson Donlon, 20, of New York, were found on Wednesday afternoon in a basin of West Apostle Mountain, about 100 miles (160km) south-east of Aspen, the Chaffee county sheriff’s office said in a statement posted on social media. Continue reading...Guardian World · 29 Oct, 12:57
• Two young hikers found dead in remote Colorado basin after brutal mountain blizzardKaden Matsuda, 19, from Ridgway, Colorado, and Jackson Donlon, 20, from New York, left Colorado Mountain College Leadville’s campus on Friday and didn’t returnIndependent World · 29 Oct, 11:31

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

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