The two college students whose bodies were recovered last week in the Colorado mountains died when an anchor they were using to climb failed and they fell a “substantial distance,” authorities said Tuesday.

Kaden Matsuda, 19, and Jackson Donlon, 20, died instantly from multiple blunt force injuries, an autopsy found, according to the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office and coroner’s office. Their bodies were found in a snow-filled basin of West Apostle Mountain, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Aspen .

It was not known why the anchor failed, but the heavy snowstorm was not a direct factor, according to the statement, which commended the college students for their love of the outdoors and 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,” said Chaffee County Sheriff Andy Rohrich.…