Two Colorado college students found dead after snowstorm mountain hike
Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, disappeared during a Rocky Mountains hiking trip and were found Wednesday in a basin on West Apostle Mountain. Searchers located their collapsed, snow-buried tent nearby; foul play was not suspected, while their cause of death remained under investigation.
By DoomRadar · Published on DoomRadar . Updated .
How the effects could reach youConditional effects
Based on two sources with available article excerpts. Source-linked claims are not independent confirmation.
Event date: The students were found on Wednesday, October 28, after being reported missing on Monday, October 26. [1][2]
What happened
Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, were reported missing after leaving Colorado Mountain College Leadville on Friday for a planned Rocky Mountains hike. They were expected back by Sunday, and college staff reported them missing Monday morning. [2]
References for this detail (1)
- 2 college students found dead after going missing during Colorado hikeksat.com · Article published: Oct 29, 2026, 11:37 AM UTC
Authorities said the bodies were found Wednesday afternoon in a basin on West Apostle Mountain. The location suggested the students had changed plans from Ice Mountain and were well into a technical climb on the 13,597-foot peak. [2]
References for this detail (1)
- 2 college students found dead after going missing during Colorado hikeksat.com · Article published: Oct 29, 2026, 11:37 AM UTC
A helicopter crew had found their tent near a lake northwest of Ice Mountain, collapsed beneath the snow, with sleeping bags, a stove and clothing nearby. Their climbing equipment was absent from the tent, dormitories and vehicle. [2]
References for this detail (1)
- 2 college students found dead after going missing during Colorado hikeksat.com · Article published: Oct 29, 2026, 11:37 AM UTC
About 60 search-and-rescue volunteers from multiple counties joined helicopters, drones, canine teams and beacon-detection technology. Recovery was delayed by gusty winds affecting helicopter crews, according to the Chaffee County Sheriff's Office. [1]
References for this detail (1)
- Bodies Of Missing College Students Found On Colorado Mountainveropatriot.iheart.com · Recorded source date: Oct 29, 2026, 4:17 PM UTC
A snowstorm had dropped as much as two feet of snow on parts of the mountain. Investigators found partially buried footprints near the tent and are seeking phone and app data to reconstruct the students' movements. [1]
References for this detail (1)
- Bodies Of Missing College Students Found On Colorado Mountainveropatriot.iheart.com · Recorded source date: Oct 29, 2026, 4:17 PM UTC
Context from the sources
The students had planned to hike Ice Mountain, a nearly 14,000-foot peak requiring technical climbing, but investigators said the tent's location indicated they instead aimed for West Apostle Mountain. [2]
Explore the sources and reporting timeline
2 source links · 2 domains
These counts describe the references, not independent confirmations. Different outlets can repeat the same original report.
Source timeline
Oldest to newest among the available source dates, not a chronology of the incident. Article publication dates come from the source; other recorded dates may reflect when a link was found.
- [2] 2 college students found dead after going missing during Colorado hikeksat.comReferenced for: detail 1, detail 2, detail 3
- [1] Bodies Of Missing College Students Found On Colorado Mountainveropatriot.iheart.comReferenced for: detail 4, detail 5
Questions answered by the reporting
Where were the students found?
Their bodies were found in a basin on West Apostle Mountain in Chaffee County, about 100 miles southeast of Aspen. [2]
What this could mean for you
Mountain routes can become inaccessible or dangerous for hikers during heavy snow and high winds.
Snow can bury camps and tracks, while gusts can prevent helicopters from reaching search or recovery locations.
Reported basis: [1][2] · The possible effect is interpretation.
Depends on: A comparable storm affects high-elevation routes or an emergency requires aviation support.
Possible time frame: days, if those conditions hold.
Missing-person searches in severe mountain weather may require large, prolonged deployments of rescue personnel and aircraft.
Buried equipment, obscured footprints and difficult technical terrain expand the search area and slow recovery.
Reported basis: [1][2] · The possible effect is interpretation.
Depends on: A hiker fails to return from a high-elevation route during or after heavy snowfall.
Possible time frame: days, if those conditions hold.
Possible consequences, not a forecast. Their relevance depends on your location and the conditions above.
For your country
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What changes the outlook
Risk increases if…
Further snowfall or high winds could bury additional tracks and delay helicopter-supported recovery or investigation.
New phone, app or field evidence could show that the students travelled farther into technical terrain than initially understood.
Pressure eases if…
Autopsy results could establish the cause of death and narrow the investigation.
Phone, app and search evidence could clarify the route and sequence of events.
Still unclear
Autopsies had not yet established how the students died.
Investigators had not determined the full sequence of their route or why they changed objectives.
Market implications
Market impact
Sources (2)
References for the reported details. Separate links do not necessarily mean independent confirmation.
Available excerpt
The bodies of two missing Colorado Mountain College students, Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, were found on West Apostle Mountain in Chaffee County,…A short excerpt from our source record; open the original for the full article.
Available excerpt
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…A short excerpt from our source record; open the original for the full article.
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