Famed mountaineer who died in an avalanche in Nepal was a Shorewood graduate

Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson in Nepal

The Seattle Times has reported on the death of Hilaree Nelson who was caught in an avalanche while skiing down a peak in Nepal.

KATHMANDU, Nepal — The body of an American mountaineer whose daring achievements brought her acclaim among some of the world’s most elite climbers was found Wednesday on a peak in Nepal, two days after she went missing, a government official said.

Hilaree Nelson, 49, and her romantic and climbing partner, Jim Morrison, were attempting to ski down Manaslu, the world’s eighth-highest peak, on Monday.

Jim Morrison posted on Instagram

 On September 26th at 10:42 am we reached the true summit of Manaslu in tough conditions. We quickly transitioned from climbing to skiing in cold and wind with a plan to ski around the corner and regroup with our Sherpa team. I skied first and after a few turns Hilaree followed and started a small avalanche. She was swept off her feet and carried down a narrow snow slope down the south side (opposite from climbing route) of the mountain over 5000’

He searched for two days before finding her body.

According to the Shorewood Boosters Club, Hilaree was a 1991 graduate of Shorewood High School in Shoreline. They posted "We are saddened by the loss of Hilaree Nelson. An amazing human, adventurer seeker and pioneer of  her sport.  A 1991 Shorewood graduate. Our prayers surround her boys, family, Jim and the community who loved her."

 

The Times quotes from her biography

Her many successes include earning a National Geographic Explorers grant in 2014 to lead an expedition to a “little known” peak in the northern region of Myanmar, Hkakabo Razi, that was captured in an award-winning documentary, “Down to Nothing.”

Nelson was named National Geographic’s Adventurer of the Year in 2018, according to the biography. She was also named captain of The North Face Athlete Team the same year, a title only U.S. climber Conrad Anker has held.