Anchor Failure Kills Two Colorado College Climbers

Matsuda and Donlon died from multiple blunt force injuries after falling a substantial distance, autopsies found. Their bodies were recovered from a snow-filled basin on West Apostle Mountain, roughly 100 miles southeast of Aspen. Officials have not determined what caused the anchor to fail, but said the snowstorm was not a direct cause of the accident.

The students had left Colorado Mountain College’s Leadville campus for a weekend climbing trip. They initially planned to climb Ice Mountain, but appeared to change their destination to West Apostle Mountain, which rises 13,597 feet. Donlon was beginning a rappel from a rock anchor when it failed, despite having a metal spike and a second anchor as backups. Matsuda was connected to the same system. The distance of their fall has not been established.

Rain fell as the pair began hiking, and a severe storm later brought as much as two feet of snow. Chaffee County Sheriff Andy Rohrich said investigators could not identify an obvious mistake in the pair’s preparations. Matsuda, from Ridgway, Colorado, was studying to become a wildland firefighter. Donlon, from Queensbury, New York, was studying outdoor recreation leadership and was an experienced climber and skier. The two had become close friends at the Leadville campus.