Two Colorado Mountain College Students Die After Climbing Anchor Fails

Two students from Colorado Mountain College died instantly on Tuesday when a climbing anchor failed on West Apostle Mountain, causing them to fall a substantial distance. The Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the cause of death for Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, whose bodies were recovered in a snow-filled basin about 100 miles southeast of Aspen.

The pair had departed from the college’s Leadville campus for a planned weekend trip. Although they initially targeted Ice Mountain, a 13,958-foot peak, sheriff officials stated the students switched their destination to West Apostle Mountain, which stands at 13,597 feet. The weather turned severe during the climb, with a storm dumping up to two feet of snow on the area.

According to the coroner’s office, Matsuda died from multiple blunt force injuries. The statement detailed that Donlon was beginning to rappel from an anchor point on a rock face when the structure experienced a catastrophic failure. The anchor was secured with a metal spike and a secondary backup, yet it still gave way, dropping both students who were attached to the same points.

Sheriff Andy Rohrich noted that while the heavy snowstorm was present, it was not a direct factor in the anchor’s failure. Rohrich praised the students for their preparation and love of the outdoors, stating that their deaths were not the result of obvious errors in judgment. He emphasized that neither student suffered during the fall.

Matsuda, who resided in Ridgway, Colorado, was pursuing a career as a wildland firefighter. Donlon, from Queensbury, New York, was studying outdoor recreation leadership. Both students met at the Leadville campus, which is located at 10,119 feet above sea level. The college is known for its programs in mountaineering and guiding within the Colorado Rockies.

The exact length of the fall was not determined by officials. The bodies were found in a basin on the mountain, a location roughly 100 miles west of Denver. The city of Leadville, where the students lived, has a population of approximately 2,600 and is surrounded by some of the state’s highest peaks.