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

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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: […]

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