Tributes to US Ski Mountaineer Who Died in Nepal
29th September 2022
Last modified on September 30th, 2022
49 year old Hilaree Nelson died near the summit of Mount Manaslu in the Himalayas as she began a ski descent. She was one of the finest ski mountaineers of her generation. NEW
She was descending the world’s eighth highest summit with her partner, Jim Morrison, when she went missing on Monday.
First reports said she fell into a crevasse near the summit while skiing down the mountain.
A local guide that had been working with the couple told Outside magazine that other climbers who were with them reported that “her ski blade skidded off and she fell off the other side of the peak”.
Jim Morrison has posted on Instagram.
View this post on Instagram
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Hilaree Nelson grew up climbing mountains near Seattle and lived with her two children near Telluride in Colorado.
She had dozens of first ski descents through more than 40 expeditions to 16 different countries, according to North Face, her sponsor, which called her “the most prolific ski mountaineer of her generation.”
Many tributes have been paid.
With immense sorrow, we say goodbye to our dear friend and board member Hilaree Nelson. We know the pain and grief felt by those closest to her, particularly her children and partner, are unbearable. Our thoughts are with all her loved ones.https://t.co/Zn8KkyRvIt
— American Alpine Club (@americanalpine) September 28, 2022
This one hurts. @hilareenelson has been an underground hero of mine for a long time. Before I knew of ski mountaineering, before I started partaking in the act of climbing and skiing mountains, I remember being a young skier who was mesmerized by this wo… https://t.co/8HrArU2vHr pic.twitter.com/wihJdHmWIp
— Cody Townsend (@codytownsend) September 28, 2022
In 2018, she and her partner Jim Morrison became the first people to ski down Mount Lhotse in Nepal, the world’s fourth-highest peak.
She is also the first woman to climb both the world’s highest mountain, Everest, and Lhotse, in a 24-hour period.
Hilaree Nelson leaves behind two children.
