Official statement says heavy snowstorm was not a direct factor
Authorities said Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, died when an anchor they were using to climb failed and they fell a “substantial distance” on West Apostle Mountain in Colorado. The authorities announced the findings Tuesday. An autopsy found that the two students died instantly from multiple blunt-force injuries, according to the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office and coroner’s office. The two were Colorado Mountain College students.
They set out from the college’s Leadville campus for what was supposed to be a weekend trip. It was raining when they started hiking, according to the sheriff’s office, and a severe storm arrived later, dumping up to 2 feet (0.6 meters) of snow.
They were originally aiming for Ice Mountain, a 13,958-foot (4,254-meter) peak. Sheriff Andy Rohrich said they appeared to switch to the 13,597-foot (4,144-meter) West Apostle Mountain. Their bodies were recovered last week in a snow-filled basin of West Apostle Mountain, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Aspen.
Donlon was starting to rappel from an anchor point on a rock when the anchor suffered a “catastrophic failure,” despite being backed by a metal spike in the rock and a secondary anchor, according to the statement. Matsuda was attached to the same anchor points. Both fell a long distance, although officials said the exact length of their fall was not known, according to the statement.
The statement said the heavy snowstorm was not a direct factor, and authorities had not determined why the anchor failed. The statement also commended the students for their love of the outdoors and their preparation for the climbing trip.
“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.”
Matsuda, of Ridgway, Colorado, was studying to become a wildland firefighter. Donlon, of Queensbury, New York, was an avid climber and skier studying outdoor recreation leadership. Donlon had come to Colorado to pursue his love of the mountains, and the two became fast friends at the small Leadville campus.
Colorado Mountain College has campuses throughout the Colorado Rockies, and its programs focus on the state’s outdoor recreation economy, including mountaineering, ski patrol and guiding careers.
Leadville bills itself as America’s highest city at 10,119 feet (3,084 meters) above sea level. Located about 100 miles (160 kilometers) west of Denver, the city is home to about 2,600 people and is flanked by some of Colorado’s tallest mountains.
Rohrich also said, “While their lives were far too short, they spent their final moments together surrounded by the majestic beauty of Chaffee County’s high peaks that they loved.” He added, “There is also relief knowing neither of them suffered.” The reason for the anchor failed remains unknown.