Hilaree Nelson

Hilaree Nelson (December 13, 1972 – September 26, 2022) was an American ski mountaineer. She became the first woman to summit two 8000-meter peaks (Everest and Lhotse) in one 24-hour push on May 25, 2012.[2][3] On September 30, 2018, Nelson and partner Jim Morrison made the first ski descent of the "Dream Line", the Lhotse Couloir from the summit.[4][5][6] Lhotse is the 4th-highest mountain in the world and shares a saddle with Mount Everest.

Hilaree Nelson
Nelson in 2018
Born(1972-12-13)December 13, 1972
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
DiedSeptember 26, 2022(2022-09-26) (aged 49)
Manaslu, Nepal
OccupationSki mountaineer
Spouse
Brian O'Neill
​
(divorced)​
[1]
PartnerJim Morrison
Children2

Nelson was named one of "The 25 Most Adventurous Women of the Past 25 Years" by Men's Journal,[7] as well as being named as one of National Geographic's 2018 Adventurers of the Year.[8]

Career

Nelson was born on December 13, 1972, in Seattle, where she grew up and started skiing at Stevens Pass at the age of three.[1] She was a mother of two sons, and resided in Telluride, Colorado.[1] She served as The North Face global athletic team captain.[9][10][11][12] She was a team member on the 2012 Montana State University Everest Education Expedition.[13] Nelson was a National Geographic Explorers grant recipient, a member of over 40 expeditions, and had first ski descents on Baffin and South Georgia Islands, Argentina, Kamchatka, Russia, and the Tetons.[14]

Her writing has been featured in such publications as National Geographic Adventure, The Ski Journal, and the Outside Journal.[15]

Notable accomplishments
  • First ski descent of the Dream Line (from summit), Lhotse Couloir, Nepal, 2018[4][5][6]
  • First ski descent of Papsura, India, 2017[16]
  • First female descent of Makalu La Couloir, Nepal, 2015[4]
  • First to ski all five "Holy Peaks", Mongolian Altai[17][7]
  • First female to climb Everest and Lhotse in 24 hours, Nepal, May 25, 2012[2]
  • Skied from the summit of Cho Oyu, Tibet, September 22, 2005[7][18]
  • Skied from the summit of Denali, Messner Couloir, USA, June 16, 2011[19]
  • First female descent of Bubble Fun Couloir, Tetons, USA[19]
  • European Women's Extreme Skiing Champion, 1996[7]

Advocacy

Death

On September 26, 2022, while skiing with Morrison, Nelson was caught by a small avalanche, leading to a fall of more than 1,800 meters (5,900 ft) from the summit of Mount Manaslu in Nepal.[22][23][24] Initial rescue efforts were hampered by bad weather, but on September 28, her body was located above the Thulagi glacier on the south face of Mount Manaslu, and was flown to Kathmandu by rescuers.[25][26]

Nelson's body was cremated in Kathmandu on October 2, 2022.[27]

Filmography
  • Lhotse[28]
  • Down to Nothing[29]
  • The Denali Experiment (2011, 15 min, directed by Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk)[30]
  • Fine Lines (2018, 96 min)[31]
  • K2: The Impossible Descent (2020, 65 min)[32]

Accolades
  • Named one of "The Most 25 Adventurous Women of the Past 25 Years" by Men's Journal.[7]
  • Named one of National Geographic's 2018 Adventurers of the Year[8]

See also

References
  1. Branch, John (September 28, 2022). "Hilaree Nelson, 49, Top Ski Mountaineer, Is Dead in Nepal Avalanche". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  2. KlingspornEditor, Katie. "On top of the world, and then back up again". Telluride Daily Planet. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  3. Crylen, Mary (May 11, 2019). "Ski mountaineer Hilaree Nelson at National Geographic Live". Chicago Stage Standard. Archived from the original on July 5, 2020.
  4. "Interview: first ski descent of Lhotse in Nepal by Hilaree Nelson and Jim Morrison". Adventure. October 12, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  5. "The Story Behind the First Descent on Lhotse". Outside Online. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  6. Chris Ballard (February 6, 2020). "Love and Lhotse". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  7. Potts, Mary Anne. "The 25 Most Adventurous Women of the Past 25 Years". Men's Journal. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  8. "National Geographic's 2018 Adventurers of the Year". National Geographic. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  9. VFC, Divante &. "Hilaree Nelson - The North Face Ski Mountaineer". The North Face. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  10. Group, The ZaneRay. "Hilaree Nelson | Black Diamond Ambassador". Black Diamond. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  11. Mitka, Nate (July 17, 2018). "Hilaree Nelson Replaces Conrad Anker as TNF Team Captain". GearJunkie. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  12. Research, Teton Gravity. "Hilaree O'neill: The 44-Year-Old Ski Mountaineer With No Plans to Stop". www.tetongravity.com. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  13. "About the Expedition - Everest Education Expedition | Montana State University". www.montana.edu. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  14. "Hilaree Nelson notched many firsts in a life of high-altitude adventures". Adventure. September 28, 2022.
  15. "Hilaree Nelson, Author at Adventure Equipped". Adventure Equipped. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  16. "Meet National Geographic 2018 Adventurer of the Year Ski Mountaineer Hilaree Nelson O'Neill". Adventure. March 1, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  17. staff, THE SIX FIFTY (November 27, 2017). "Above the clouds and beyond the brink with adventurer Hilaree O'Neill". The Six Fifty. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  18. "The Himalayan Database, The Expedition Archives of Elizabeth Hawley". www.himalayandatabase.com. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  19. "The Mountains Are Calling, And Hilaree O'Neill Must Go". POWDER Magazine. February 16, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  20. VFC, Divante &. "Move Mountains | #SheMovesMountains | The North Face Canada". The North Face. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  21. "Where Gillette got it wrong, The North Face gets it right with its 'She Moves Mountains' campaign". Creative Moment. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  22. Binaj Gurubacharya (September 27, 2022). "Famed American ski mountaineer missing in Nepal mountain". ABC News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  23. Max Matza (September 26, 2022). "Hilaree Nelson: US mountaineer missing after 'skiing into crevasse'". BBC. Archived from the original on September 26, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  24. Frederick Dreier (September 26, 2022). "Hilaree Nelson Is Missing on Manaslu After a Deadly Day on the Mountain". Outside Online. Archived from the original on September 26, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  25. "Missing ski mountaineer Hilaree Nelson found dead". The Himalayan Times. September 28, 2022. Archived from the original on September 28, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  26. Andrew Thorpe (September 28, 2022). "American mountaineer Hilaree Nelson found dead after fall from Nepal's Mount Manaslu". abc.net.au. Archived from the original on September 28, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  27. "Hilaree Nelson: An inspiration for women mountaineers". BBC News. October 3, 2022.
  28. "Watch Film About Epic First Ski Descent of Lhotse". Gripped Magazine. October 16, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  29. "Down to Nothing | Mountainfilm Festival, Telluride CO". www.mountainfilm.org. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  30. "Down to Nothing". Mountainfilm. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  31. "Fine Lines".
  32. "FILMOGRAPHY Hilaree Nelson".
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