Extreme sportswoman Hilaree Nelson was initially thought to be missing. After days of searching, the ski mountaineer has been found dead on the world’s eighth highest mountain, Mount Manaslu in Nepal. The 49-year-old mother of two sons – who live in Colorado – enjoyed great prestige among other skiing and climbing enthusiasts worldwide and was a role model for many younger women.
Together with her partner Tim Morrison – who published photos of the ascent in the snow – Hilaree Nelson had reached the summit of the 8,163-metre Manaslu in the Himalayas on Monday. She was the first to ski down after the climb, but then apparently got caught in an avalanche and fell into a crevasse. The rescue operation was hampered by bad weather.
As National Geographic reports, in 2012 Hilaree Nelson became the first woman to climb two eight-thousanders, Mount Everest and Lhotse, in a single 24-hour expedition. Six years later, Nelson returned to Lhotse and became the first woman to attempt the ski descent from the summit.
As a teenager, Seattle native Hilaree Nelson played basketball. After high school, she bought a one-way ticket to Europe to perfect her mountaineering and skiing.
On Instagram, her partner Tim Morrison, who she met in 2018, writes there are no words to describe his love for this woman, she has been the beacon of his life day in and day out.
Skiing icon Lindsey Vonn also posts a photo of Hilaree Nelson on Twitter.
RIP Hilaree pic.twitter.com/AOb7UzvAad
– lindsey vonn (@lindseyvonn) September 28, 2022
Many other extreme sports athletes share mourning messages.
Rest In Peace, Hilaree ✨ pic.twitter.com/aFO5mjsybA
– Sasha DiGiulian (@sashadigiulian) September 28, 2022
So 29-year-old mountaineer Sasha DiGiulian quotes the deceased as saying, „It’s really necessary to have a passion – as a compass in life.“