In 2012, Hilaree Nelson climbed to the 29,029-foot summit of Mt. Everest, descended to the South Col, and then headed across the saddle to neighboring 27,940-foot Lhotse, which she climbed and descended. Passing dead bodies and contending with a severely sprained ankle and torn ligaments, it was at the time the hardest thing she had ever done, but in so doing she became the first woman to link the summits of Everest and Lhotse within twenty-four hours.
Today, Nelson is one of the world’s preeminent ski mountaineers. Her list of achievements includes the first complete ski descent of the Lhotse Couloir (2018) and, her proudest accomplishment, the first ski descent of India’s “Peak of Evil,” Papsura (2017), which led to her being named National Geographic Adventurer of the Year in 2018.
The path to these firsts wasn’t easy, however. In addition to the usual challenges of physical effort, logistics, travel, uncooperative weather, and funding, Nelson also became the mother of two boys in 2007 and 2009. By
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