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 Lhotse ( ne, ल्होत्से ; , ''lho tse'', ) is the fourth highest mountain in the world at , after Mount Everest, K2, and Kangchenjunga. The main summit is on the border between Tibet Autonomous Region of China and the Khumbu ...

) in one 24-hour push on May 25, 2012. On September 30, 2018, Nelson and partner Jim Morrison made the first ski descent of the "Dream Line", the Lhotse Couloir from the summit. Lhotse is the 4th-highest mountain in the world and shares a saddle with Mount Everest. Nelson was named one of "The 25 Most Adventurous Women of the Past 25 Years" by ''

Men's Journal ''Men's Journal'' is an American monthly men's lifestyle magazine focused on outdoor recreation and comprising editorials on the outdoors, environmental issues, health and fitness, style and fashion, and gear. It was founded in 1992 by Jann Wenne ...

'', as well as being named as one of ''

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...

''s 2018 Adventurers of the Year.

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. She was a mother of two sons, and resided in Telluride, Colorado. She served as

The North Face The North Face is an American outdoor recreation products company. The North Face produces outdoor clothing, footwear, and related equipment. Founded in 1968 to supply climbers, the company's logo draws inspiration from Half Dome, in Yosemite ...

global athletic team captain. She was a team member on the 2012

Montana State University Montana State University (MSU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's largest university. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's degrees in 6 ...

Everest Education Expedition. 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 ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = , song = , image_map = South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in United Kingdom.svg , map_caption = Location of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in the southern Atlantic Oce ...

, Argentina, Kamchatka, Russia, and the Tetons. Her writing has been featured in such publications as ''National Geographic Adventure'', ''The Ski Journal'', and the '' Outside Journal''.

Notable accomplishments

* First ski descent of the Dream Line (from summit), Lhotse Couloir, Nepal, 2018 * First ski descent of Papsura, India, 2017 * First female descent of Makalu La Couloir, Nepal, 2015 * First to ski all five "Holy Peaks",

Mongolian Altai The Altai Mountains (), also spelled Altay Mountains, are a mountain range in Central Asia, Central and East Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan converge, and where the rivers Irtysh and Ob River, Ob have their headwaters. The m ...

* First female to climb Everest and Lhotse in 24 hours, Nepal, May 25, 2012 * Skied from the summit of

Cho Oyu __NOTOC__ Cho Oyu (Nepali: चोयु; ; ) is the sixth-highest mountain in the world at above sea level. Cho Oyu means "Turquoise Goddess" in Tibetan. The mountain is the westernmost major peak of the ''Khumbu'' sub-section of the Mahalangur ...

, Tibet, September 22, 2005 * Skied from the summit of Denali, Messner Couloir, USA, June 16, 2011 * First female descent of Bubble Fun Couloir, Tetons, USA * European Women's Extreme Skiing Champion, 1996

Advocacy

* Part of the "She Moves Mountains" campaign between The North Face and

Girl Scouts of the USA Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA), commonly referred to as simply Girl Scouts, is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. Founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912, it was organized a ...

Death

On September 26, 2022, while skiing with Morrison, Nelson was caught by a small avalanche, leading to a fall of more than from the summit of Mount Manaslu in Nepal. 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. Nelson's body was cremated in Kathmandu on October 2, 2022.

Filmography

* ''Lhotse'' * ''Down to Nothing'' * ''The Denali Experiment'' (2011, 15 min, directed by Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk) * ''K2: The Impossible Descent'' (2020, 65 min)

Accolades

* Named one of "The Most 25 Adventurous Women of the Past 25 Years" by ''Men's Journal''. * Named one of ''National Geographic''s 2018 Adventurers of the Year

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Hilaree 1972 births 2022 deaths American female ski mountaineers Colorado College alumni Mountaineering deaths in Nepal People from Telluride, Colorado Sportspeople from Seattle