Hilaree Nelson: Famous American ski climber missing in Nepal after fall from mountain

Kathmandu, Nepal - Rescuers in Nepal are searching for famous US ski climber Hilaree Nelson, a day after she reportedly fell off Mount Manaslu.

Hilaree Nelson became the first woman to reach the summit of both Mount Everest and the adjacent Mount Lhotse within 24 hours in 2012.
Hilaree Nelson became the first woman to reach the summit of both Mount Everest and the adjacent Mount Lhotse within 24 hours in 2012.  © Collage: 123rf/ skazz & screenshot/Instagram/Hilaree Nelson

Nelson (49) was skiing down Manaslu, the eighth-tallest mountain in the world, when she went missing on Monday, according to multiple outlets. She was with her partner and husband, Jim Morrison, at the time.

"The duo reached the true summit of Manaslu at 11:30 AM local time. And about 15 minute later I got a call from our staff at Base Camp that her ski blade skidded off and [she] fell off the other side of the peak," Jiban Ghimire of Shangri-La Nepal Treks, which organized the expedition, told Outside.

Morrison reached base camp safely and is working with the search and rescue team.

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That same day, an avalanche at a lower elevation killed a Nepali climber on the same peak and injured others.

The Nepali climber's death is the first confirmed casualty of the 2022 autumn climbing season in Nepal.

Search for Hilaree Nelson continues

Rescue helicopters were unable to fly on Monday due to bad weather. Tuesday as the weather cleared and visibility improved, per the Associated Press, two attempts to find Nelson were made, so far without success.

Last Thursday, the 49-year-ld mother-of-two wrote on Instagram that this Himalaya adventure has tested her more than others.

"I haven’t felt as sure-footed on Manaslu as I have on past adventure into the thin atmosphere of the high Himalaya. These past weeks have tested my resilience in new ways," she said.

Nelson became the first woman to reach the summit of both Mount Everest and the adjacent Mount Lhotse within 24 hours in 2012.

Cover photo: Collage: 123rf/ skazz & screenshot/Instagram/Hilaree Nelson

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