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.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. On September 30, 2018, Nelson and her partner Jim Morrison made the first ski descent of the "Dream Line", the Lhotse Couloir from the summit.Quarrier, Sadie (October 12, 2018) "Interview: First ski descent of the world's fourth tallest peak" . National Geographic.Brown, Julie. "How Hilaree Nelson and Jim Morrison Skied Lhotse" . Outsideonline.com Lhotse is the 4th-highest peak 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,Potts, Mary Anne The 25 most adventurous women of the past 25 years Men's Journal as well as being named as one of National Geographics 2018 Adventurers of the Year."National Geographic's 2018 Adventurers of the Year" . nationalgeographic.com.
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 global athletic team captain."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.comBeekman, Kimberley. "Breaking through: A six-part series profiling athletes reaching the next level in their sport: Hilaree Nelson" . Tetongravity.com She was a team member on the 2012 Montana State University Everest Education Expedition."MSU Everest Education Expedition team members" . Montana.edu 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."About Hilaree Nelson" . Adventuremedicalkits.com
Notable accomplishments First ski descent of the Dream Line (from summit), Lhotse Couloir, Nepal, 2018 First ski descent of Papsura, India, 2017Bisharat, Andrew (2018). "This Ski Mountaineer Found Redemption on India's Peak of Evil" . First female descent of Makalu La Couloir, Nepal, 2015 First to ski all five "Holy Peaks", Mongolian AltaiOlson, Emily (November 27, 2017). "Above the clouds and beyond the brink with adventurer Hilaree O'Neill" . thesixfifty.com. First female to climb Everest and Lhotse in 24 hours, Nepal, May 25, 2012 Skied from the summit of Cho Oyu, Tibet, September 22, 2005"Cho Oyu Autumn 2005 Ascents". . himalayandatabase.com. Skied from the summit of Denali, Messner Couloir, USA, June 16, 2011Brown, Julie (February 16, 2018). "The mountains are calling, and Hilaree O'Neill must go". . 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 USAHilaree Moves Mountains thenorthface.comHinton, Graham (February 7, 2019). "Where Gillette got it wrong, The North Face gets it right with its 'She Moves Mountains' campaign". . creativemovement.co.
Death On September 26, 2022, while skiing with Morrison, a small avalanche led to a fall of more than from the summit of 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) Fine Lines (2018, 96 min) K2: The Impossible Descent (2020, 65 min)
Accolades Named one of "The 25 Most Adventurous Women of the Past 25 Years" by Men's Journal. Named one of National Geographics 2018 Adventurers of the Year
See also List of ski descents of eight-thousanders
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