Two Colorado Mountain College students were found dead on October 28 in a basin on West Apostle Mountain, a remote summit in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness northwest of Buena Vista. Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, had set out from the college's Leadville campus on October 23 aiming to climb nearby Ice Mountain, a 13,960-foot peak. They were reported missing on October 26 after failing to return as planned.
The peaks they targeted are part of the Three Apostles — Ice Mountain, West Apostle and North Apostle — a trio of rugged 13,000ers in the Sawatch Range. Local guide Dillon Geiger, who owns Buena Vista-based Ark Valley Mountain Guides, says the group is far harder than its elevation suggests. Colorado's famous 14ers often have walkable, non-technical routes, but the Apostles involve steep gullies, loose rock and scrambling. Ice Mountain's standard northeast ridge requires hands-on climbing over exposed rock, with known rockfall risk and tricky route-finding, according to 14ers.com. The peak also sports the Refrigerator Couloir, a respected backcountry ski line.
Remoteness adds to the danger. Geiger notes that climbers in the area during late October could hike a full day without seeing another person. Weather compounds the risk: the National Weather Service had forecast several inches of snow at high elevations for October 24, the day after the students set out. Fresh snow hides loose rocks, and freeze-thaw cycles destabilize rock further, making an already serious climb treacherous fast.
Details from the search underscore the conditions. Students' tents were found collapsed near Lake Ann, and no climbing gear turned up in their tent, car or dorms — officials said that suggested the pair had carried equipment on the mountain. Up to two feet of snow fell on Ice Mountain, drifting to four feet in spots. Around 60 search-and-rescue volunteers took part, backed by helicopters, drones and dogs. The Chaffee County Sheriff's Office says foul play is not suspected, pending autopsy results with the county coroner.
The loss hits hard in the outdoor community: Matsuda was training to be a wildland firefighter and Donlon was working toward becoming a mountain guide.
For travellers, the takeaway is straightforward — Colorado's less famous 13ers demand more skill than many 14ers, and shoulder-season conditions can turn technical terrain hostile within hours. Anyone heading into the Sawatch backcountry in late autumn should carry full mountaineering gear, check forecasts obsessively, and tell a reliable contact their exact route and return window. Outbound: Outside Online.
