SEATTLE — The body of a famed extreme skier who grew up in Seattle and died on Mount Manaslu was recovered Wednesday and transported to Nepal's capital.
Hilaree Nelson, 49, went missing Monday while skiing down from the 8,163-meter (26,775-foot) summit of Mount Manaslu, the world’s eighth-highest mountain, with her partner, Jim Morrison.
Nelson and Morrison reached the true summit of Mount Manaslu at 10:42 a.m. in "tough conditions," Morrison said Wednesday in an Instagram post. The couple transitioned to skiing in cold and wind, planning to regroup with their sherpa team around the corner.
Morrison started skiing down and Nelson followed, triggering a small avalanche, Morrison said.
Previous reports indicated Nelson had fallen off the mountain.
Morrison said Nelson was swept off her feet and carried down a slope on the south side, which was the opposite direction of the climbing route.
"I did everything I could to locate her but was unable to go down the face as I hoped to find her alive and live my life with her," Morrison wrote on Instagram.
Rescuers searching by helicopter located Nelson's body on Wednesday after failing to find her on Tuesday and Monday, when bad weather hampered their search.
Her body was flown by helicopter to a hospital in Kathmandu where doctors planned to perform an autopsy.
"There are no words to describe the love for this woman, my life partner, my lover, my best friend, and my mountain partner," Morrison said on Instagram. "She has been the beacon of light in my life day in and day out."
Also on Monday, an avalanche at a lower elevation on the same mountain killed a Nepalese man and injured several other climbers.
Hundreds of climbers and their local guides were attempting to reach the summit during Nepal’s autumn climbing season. Nepal’s government has issued permits to 504 climbers during the autumn season. Most are climbing Mount Manaslu.
Nelson and Morrison are extreme skiers who reached the summit of Mount Lhotse, the world’s fourth-highest mountain, in 2018.
According to Nelson’s website, for more than two decades her expedition career has led her to many "firsts" in the world of ski mountaineering.
"She's been through a lot of this stuff and has come out the other side," Jason Martin, the executive director of Bellingham-based American Alpine Institute, told KING 5 Tuesday after Nelson went missing. "Yeah, it's not the type of thing you expect to hear, and it's incredibly sad."
Martin said these are the risks their mountaineering community lives with nearly every day.
"Even if you make all the right choices, we have subjective risks and objective risk. Objective is always there; it's a crevasse or weather, what have you. Subjective risks that we bring [are] the desire to summit the mountain,” Martin said.
Martin said he feels for her family. According to Nelson's website, she has two sons.
The North Face, which sponsored Nelson, sent KING 5 the following statement Wednesday:
“Today we lost our hero, mentor, and our friend. Hilaree Nelson held a spirit as big as the places she led us to. She embodied possibility. Her adventures made us feel at home in the vastness of the world.
“On September 26, 2022, Hilaree reached the true summit of Manaslu with her climbing and life partner Jim Morrison. During her ski descent, Hilaree was swept off her feet by moving snow, resulting in a fall down the south face of Manaslu.
“For us, Hilaree transcended the idea of an athlete, a sport or a community. She helped lead our family at The North Face, by being a teammate and team captain who changed our perspective of the outdoors by showing us exactly what it can mean. Her light will forever be an offering, and her optimism in the face of adversity, will forever be our guide.
“Our hearts are with Hilaree’s children, her family and her steadfast partner, Jim Morrison.”