Jason Apffel, an 18-year-old just off to college, was killed during a climbing accident in southern Utah, said a spokesman for his new school.
The popular Hemet High School graduate died Tuesday at a hospital in St. George, said Mark Petersen, director of public relations for Dixie College.He fell about 60 feet down a mountainside while climbing with friend Jeremy Largey, Petersen said.
They had attended their first classes a day earlier and were at a get-acquainted party with about 200 classmates in Snow Canyon state park. The two wandered away and began climbing on their own.