# Authorities pinpoint likely cause of 2 students’ deaths after plunge off mountainside

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/authorities-pinpoint-likely-cause-of-2-students-deaths-after-plunge-off-mountainside/
- Published: 2026-11-05T19:45:09+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T21:50:35+00:00
- Original publisher: Fox News (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.foxnews.com/travel/authorities-pinpoint-likely-cause-2-students-deaths-plunge-off-mountainside
- Topics: World

## Key points

- A shared rappelling anchor likely failed.
- Both students died instantly from their injuries.
- Investigators found no obvious preparation mistakes.

## Summary

Two Colorado college students died while rappelling from West Apostle Mountain after the rock holding their shared anchor likely gave way, authorities said. The findings offer a likely explanation for the accident, while investigators say they found no obvious errors in the pair’s preparation.

Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, were found in a snow-filled basin after failing to return from a climbing trip. They had set out from Colorado Mountain College’s Leadville campus, initially planning to climb Ice Mountain. Autopsies found that both died instantly from multiple blunt force injuries; authorities said a severe snowstorm was not a direct cause.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.