Climbers Hilaree Nelson and Jim Morrison in Kathmandu, Nepal in October 2018. NIRANJAN SHRESTHA/AP
The mountain will have been most of his life and the place of his death. The body of American mountaineer Hilaree Neslon was discovered in the Himalayas on Wednesday September 28, two days after she disappeared on the slopes of Mount Manaslu in Nepal. “The search team that left by helicopter this morning found his body and are bringing him back,” said Jiban Ghimire, a member of Shangri-La Nepal Trek, which organized the expedition, on Wednesday (September 28). Mr Ghimire said the body had been returned to the base camp and would be flown to Kathmandu.
Hilaree Nelson, 49, began skiing down this Himalayan mountain after successfully climbing the 8,163-meter Manaslu Mountain, which makes that mountain the eighth highest in the world, with companion Jim Morrison on Monday. “She had an accident on Monday on the descent shortly after her ascent,” said Jiban Ghimire. On the same day, an avalanche hit Manaslu, killing a Nepalese climber and injuring a dozen people, according to the government’s tourism department.
“Jim and other people went on an aerial search to find her. It is difficult to land or take off in the area,” the organizer initially said when the search resumed on Wednesday. The day before, the detachment had returned empty-handed, and the helicopters were unable to take off on Monday.
Dangerous Conditions
In an Instagram post last week, the climber said the climb was particularly strenuous due to “relentless rain” and hazardous conditions. On the day of his disappearance, an avalanche occurred between Camps 3 and 4 of Manaslu, killing a Nepalese climber and injuring a dozen people, according to the Nepal Tourism Ministry.
Dubbed “the most prolific ski mountaineer of her generation” by her sponsor The North Face, Hilaree Nelson’s career has spanned two decades. In 2012, she became the first woman to reach the summit of Everest, the world’s highest mountain, and the neighboring peak of Lhotse in 24 hours. In 2018, she returned to Lhotse and made the first ski descent of this mountain, which earned her the National Geographic Award for Adventurer of the Year.