By Salma El-Sakka
Two Colorado Mountain College students died after falling a substantial distance while rappelling in the Rocky Mountains last month, the Chaffee County sheriff and coroner announced Tuesday.
Missing hikers found dead
Kaden Matsuda, 19, of Ridgway, Colorado, and Jackson Donlon, 20, of Queensbury, New York, were reported missing on Oct. 26, three days after they left campus for a hike on Ice Mountain. Their bodies were later recovered from a basin below West Apostle Mountain in the Sawatch Range.
Anchor failure caused fall
Authorities said the men fell after their anchor suffered a “catastrophic failure of unknown cause” while rappelling. The coroner determined they died instantly from multiple blunt force injuries.
Experienced climbers caught in snow
Friends and family described the pair as experienced climbers who were properly equipped and had shared a route map. Ice Mountain had received about two feet of snow around the time of their hike, though officials said the storm did not directly contribute to the accident.
Sheriff reflects on tragedy
“While their lives were far too short, they spent their final moments together surrounded by the majestic beauty of Chaffee County’s high peaks that they loved,” Sheriff Andy Rohrich said. “There is also relief knowing neither of them suffered.”
