Hilaree Nelson
Hilaree Nelson | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 13, 1972 Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Died | September 26, 2022 (aged 49) Mount Manaslu, Nepal |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Ski mountaineer |
| Spouse |
Brian O'Neill (divorced) |
| Partner | Jim Morrison |
| Children | 2 |
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.
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 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.
Her writing has been featured in such publications as National Geographic Adventure, The Ski Journal, and the Outside Journal.[14]
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[15]
- First female descent of Makalu La Couloir, Nepal, 2015[4]
- First to ski all five "Holy Peaks", Mongolian Altai[16][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][17]
- Skied from the summit of Denali, Messner Couloir, USA, June 16, 2011[18]
- First female descent of Bubble Fun Couloir, Tetons, USA[18]
- European Women's Extreme Skiing Champion, 1996[7]
Advocacy
- Part of the "She Moves Mountains" campaign between The North Face and Girl Scouts of the USA which endeavors to inspire, prepare, and mobilize the next generation of female explorers[19][20]
Death
On September 26, 2022, Nelson fell while skiing with her partner, Jim Morrison, down from the summit of Mount Manaslu in Nepal.[21][22][23] Initial rescue efforts were hampered by bad weather but on September 28 her body was located on the south face of Mount Manaslu and was carried down to the base camp by rescuers.[24][25]
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.[7]
- Named one of National Geographic's 2018 Adventurers of the Year[8]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Branch, John (September 28, 2022). "Hilaree Nelson, 49, Top Ski Mountaineer, Is Dead in Nepal Avalanche". The New York Times. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
- ^ a b Klingsporn, Katie (June 14, 2012). "On top of the world, and then back again; Telluride athlete Hilaree O'Neill summits Everest Lhotse in 24 hours". Telluride Daily Planet.
- ^ Crylen, Mary (May 11, 2019). "Ski mountaineer Hilaree Nelson at National Geographic Live". Chicago Stage Standard. Archived from the original on July 5, 2020.
- ^ a b c Quarrier, Sadie (October 12, 2018) "Interview: First ski descent of the world's fourth tallest peak". National Geographic.
- ^ a b Brown, Julie. "How Hilaree Nelson and Jim Morrison Skied Lhotse". Outsideonline.com
- ^ a b Chris Ballard (February 6, 2020). "Love and Lhotse". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Potts, Mary Anne The 25 most adventurous women of the past 25 years Men's Journal
- ^ a b National Geographic’s 2018 Adventurers of the Year nationalgeographic.com
- ^ The North Face Athlete profile thenorthface.com
- ^ Black Diamond Equipment Athlete profile blackdiamondequipment.com
- ^ Mitka, Nate (July 17, 2018). Hilaree Nelson Replaces Conrad Anker as TNF Team Captain". Gearjunkie.com
- ^ Beekman, Kimberley. "Breaking through: A six-part series profiling athletes reaching the next level in their sport: Hilaree Nelson". Tetongravity.com
- ^ "MSU Everest Education Expedition team members". Montana.edu
- ^ "About Hilaree Nelson". Adventuremedicalkits.com
- ^ Bisharat, Andrew (2018) This Ski Mountaineer Found Redemption on India's Peak of Evil
- ^ Olson, Emily (November 27, 2017)Above the clouds and beyond the brink with adventurer Hilaree O'Neill thesixfifty.com
- ^ Cho Oyu Autumn 2005 Ascents himalayandatabase.com
- ^ a b Brown, Julie (February 16, 2018) The mountains are calling, and Hilaree O'Neill must go
- ^ Hilaree Moves Mountains thenorthface.com
- ^ Hinton, Graham (February 7, 2019)Where Gillette got it wrong, The North Face gets it right with its "She Moves Mountains" campaign creativemovement.co
- ^ Binaj Gurubacharya (September 27, 2022). "Famed American ski mountaineer missing in Nepal mountain". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
- ^ Max Matza (September 26, 2022). "Hilaree Nelson: US mountaineer missing after 'skiing into crevasse'". BBC. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
- ^ Frederick Dreier (September 26, 2022). "Hilaree Nelson Is Missing on Manaslu After a Deadly Day on the Mountain". Outside Online. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
- ^ "Missing ski mountaineer Hilaree Nelson found dead". The Himalayan Times. September 28, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
- ^ Andrew Thorpe (September 28, 2022). "American mountaineer Hilaree Nelson found dead after fall from Nepal's Mount Manaslu". abc.net.au. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
