Hilaree Nelson and Jim Morrison make first full descent of 27,940-foot Lhotse

by Louise Lintilhac October 2, 2018 3 Comments

View of Lhotse. [Photo] Courtesy Stefanos Nikologianis

On Sunday, September 30, ski mountaineers Hilaree Nelson and Jim Morrison made the first ski descent of Lhotse, one of Nepal’s famous 8,000-meter peaks, looming at 27,940 feet and the fourth tallest in the world.

The Himalayan Times reports that the team, also comprised of Ila Nuru Sherpa and Fu Tashi Sherpa, in addition to two videographers, Dutch Simpson and Nick Kalisz, made their way to the summit at 1:27 p.m. where they then began their ski descent.

“They made a ski descent to Camp II from the top of Mt. Lhotse while the climbers will descend to Camp I tomorrow, covering a total of around 7,000-vertical-foot ski line comprising a 2,500-foot couloir and an open face of Mt. Lhotse,” Pemba Sherpa, cofounder of the Xtreme Climbers Treks and Expeditions, who helped organize the expedition, reported for the Himalayan Times Monday.

Nelson and Morrison on the approach to Camp I. [Photo] Courtesy Hilaree Nelson via Instagram

Nelson and Morrison’s bid to ski Lhoste was not the first, but success has eluded skiers in the past. In 2007, Jamie Laidlaw skied the 1,500-vertical-foot Lhotse Couloir, but was forced to start his decent 800 feet from the summit due to an oxygen malfunction.

He described the experience to Backcountry Magazine in the October 2011 issue, explaining, “The summit pyramid of Lhotse is one huge mass of rock, and there’s this tiny couloir that carves it’s way though.” And he explains about success, and his own 800-foot shortcoming, “It takes preparation, but really, it takes a lot of luck.”

Dutch Simpson and Nick Kalisz make their way through the icefall on Lhotse. [Photo] Courtesy Hilaree Nelson via Instagram

We will continue to release more information as we learn more about Nelson and Morrison’s descent. View Nelson’s Instagram feed here.

Filed Under: Stories

Comments

James says

October 4, 2018 at 1:01 pm

Thought your name was O’Neill?

Reply
- Louise Lintilhac says
  
  October 4, 2018 at 1:26 pm
  
  Hi James, Nelson is her maiden name that she’s choosing to go by these days.
  
  Reply

Trackbacks

Tahoe Man Become's the First to Ski Down World's Fourth Largest Mountain says:

October 6, 2018 at 6:59 am

[…] This wasn’t the first time someone has attempted to ski down from the icy summit. In 2007, Jamie Laidlaw skied the 1,500-vertical-foot Lhotse Couloir, but was forced to start his decent 800 feet from the summit due to an oxygen malfunction. He described the experience to Backcountry Magazine: […]

Reply

Speak Your Mind Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

: DOUG STOUP: THE ICEMAN
From playing NCAA soccer to a successful modeling and acting career to being the top polar explorer of his time, Doug Stoup is an enigma. Host Adam Howard recently journeyed to Antarctica with Stoup and their conversation ranges from Doug’s personal training of A-list Hollywood actors to near death experiences; adventures with Doug Coombs; and taking novice skiers to the South Pole.
Listen Now »

: TELE MIKE RUSSELL: TURNS FOR ALL
Tele Mike Russell grew up as a sharecropper’s son in Delaware before attending college and becoming an executive in the pharmaceutical industry. Then he watched the second plane hit the World Trade Center and decided he’d better follow another path, this one to skiing in Colorado, where he’d go on to find a family in the National Brotherhood of Skiers and help found its backcountry program.
Listen Now »

: ERIC BLEHM: MEET YOUR HEROES
Eric Blehm’s roots in snowboarding run deep. He started riding during the sport’s infancy, and after college became an editor at Transworld SNOWboarding Magazine. Years later, he was in a lift line when a fellow rider saw the “Craig Kelly is my Co-Pilot” sticker on his board, and asked Blehm: “Who is Craig Kelly?” He was floored by the notion that there were snowboarders out there who didn’t know who Craig was. And this inspired him to write The Darkest White.
Listen Now »