Anchor failure killed two Colorado students in mountain climb
Chaffee County officials report Kaden Matsuda and Jackson Donlon fell from West Apostle Mountain after their climbing gear failed during a snowstorm.
By Luis Medina ·
Two Colorado Mountain College students died this past week after a climbing anchor broke on a high-altitude peak in Chaffee County. Authorities confirmed on Tuesday that the failure caused both men to fall a substantial distance, resulting in their deaths.
Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, suffered multiple blunt force injuries that caused them to die instantly, according to an autopsy released by the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office. Their bodies were discovered in a snow-filled basin on West Apostle Mountain, located about 100 miles southeast of Aspen. The mountain reaches 13,597 feet, slightly lower than Ice Mountain, which the pair had originally targeted for their weekend trip.
The sheriff’s office stated that the anchor point failed catastrophically while Donlon was beginning to rappel. Although the setup included a metal spike and a secondary anchor for backup, the primary hold gave way. Matsuda was attached to the same system. Officials noted that the exact length of the fall remains unknown, but the severity of the injuries indicated a long drop.
Chaffee County Sheriff Andy Rohrich said the heavy snowstorm that dumped up to two feet of snow on the area was not a direct factor in the accident. He praised the students for their preparation and love of the outdoors, noting that in similar tragedies it is easy to find errors, but that was not the case here.
“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 was from Ridgway, Colorado, and was studying to become a wildland firefighter. Donlon, from Queensbury, New York, was studying outdoor recreation leadership. The two became close friends at the college’s Leadville campus, a small city at 10,119 feet elevation that serves as a hub for mountaineering and ski careers. They started their hike in rain before the severe winter weather arrived.
Rohrich added that the students spent their final moments together amidst the high peaks they loved. “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 said. “There is also relief knowing neither of them suffered.”
