Catastrophic anchor failure killed two Colorado Mountain College students

Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, died instantly from multiple blunt force injuries after a climbing anchor failed on West Apostle Mountain, authorities said Tuesday. The Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office and coroner’s office confirmed the deaths of the two Colorado Mountain College students, whose bodies were recovered last week in a snow-filled basin. The location is situated about 100 miles southeast of Aspen.

Sheriff Andy Rohrich stated that the pair had departed the college’s Leadville campus for a planned weekend climb. Although they initially targeted Ice Mountain, a 13,958-foot peak, Rohrich said they switched their objective to West Apostle Mountain, which rises to 13,597 feet. The students were equipped for the conditions and familiar with the terrain.

The accident occurred while Donlon was beginning to rappel from an anchor point on the rock. The anchor suffered a catastrophic failure despite being secured by a metal spike and a secondary anchor. Matsuda was attached to the same system. Both students fell a long distance, though officials noted the exact length of the drop remains unknown. The heavy snowstorm that followed was not a direct factor in the failure.

Rohrich emphasized that the students had prepared thoroughly for the excursion. “In most similar cases that have led to a devastating conclusion we find it easy to pick apart what was done wrong,” Rohrich said. “That was not the case with Kaden and Jackson.” He added that the students spent their final moments together in the high peaks of Chaffee County.

Matsuda, from Ridgway, Colorado, was training to become a wildland firefighter. Donlon, from Queensbury, New York, was studying outdoor recreation leadership. Both were students at the Leadville campus, which is located at 10,119 feet above sea level. The college is known for programs in mountaineering and ski patrol.

Weather conditions worsened during the trip. It was raining when the students began hiking, and a severe storm later dumped up to two feet of snow on the area. The sheriff’s office commended the pair for their love of the outdoors and their readiness for the climb.

The exact cause of the anchor failure was not determined in the initial statement. Officials confirmed that neither student suffered before death. The bodies were found in a basin on the mountain, approximately 100 miles southeast of Aspen.