Colorado mom-of-two is missing after reaching summit of Mount Manaslu

A celebrated American mountaineer goes missing after climbing a Himalayan mountain and falls 15 minutes later into a crevasse while skiing down.

Hilaree Nelson, 49, disappeared Monday morning while skiing on Mount Manaslu with her boyfriend, Jim Morrison. He continued to base camp to report her missing, but rescue efforts were hampered by inclement weather, meaning helicopters cannot access the remote and extremely high location.

Elsewhere on the mountain, at least one person was killed in an avalanche on Monday and 12 people were trapped, four of whom were seriously injured, according to reports.

An eyewitness to Nelson’s descent told The Himalaya Times that she fell about 80 feet into a vertical fissure that was 2,000 feet deep. It was not known if she survived the first fall.

Based in Telluride, Colorado, Nelson lives with her sons Quinn, 15, and 13-year-old Graydon – the boys live with Nelson’s ex-husband while she is away.

She was the first woman to climb two 8,000-meter peaks – Everest and Lhotse – in a single 24-hour push.

Nelson posted a photo of their failed attempt to reach the top on Friday, saying she found the conditions challenging – but loved the ski back down

Morrison echoed Nelson and said their attempt to reach the top was difficult, but the return was a joy

She returned to Nepal with Morrison in 2018, and the pair became the first to successfully ski down Lhotse, the world’s fourth highest mountain at 27,940 feet.

Nelson is seen as a trailblazing, trailblazing mountaineer

They then decided to ski down another 8,000m peak, Manaslu – not a record attempt, but still considered extremely challenging.

On Friday, Nelson and Morrison tried to make it to the top, but failed.

“I haven’t felt as confident on Manaslu as I did on my previous adventure into the rarefied atmosphere of the high Himalayas,” Nelson posted on Instagram.

“The past few weeks have tested my resilience in new ways. The constant monsoon with its incessant rain and humidity has left me hopelessly homesick. I am challenged to find the tranquility and inspiration of the mountain when it is constantly shrouded in fog.

“Yesterday we ended our top bid when we decided it was too dangerous to go from C3 to C4.

“We then decided to ski down from C3, knowing that that would mean carrying our skis all the way up the mountain again if, big as here, we try to reach a summit again. It was the best we could have done.’

Nelson is pictured in the Himalayas on a previous trip

Morrison, pictured with Nelson on her 38th birthday, skied down the mountain on Monday to raise the alarm after she fell

The Colorado couple travels the world together in search of new mountaineering challenges

She then described the sheer joy of skiing down the mountain.

“As soon as I made the first turn in the sticky hot powder, into a total white out, all the weight and seriousness that had plagued me this entire journey faded into the background.

“With @jimwmorrison we skied about 4500ft of the 6000ft descent to BC.

“It was full of shenanigans rappelling over seracs with our skis on and posing for photos with climbers going uphill.”

She said their team was “laughing, racing and generally just being there and really seeing what I’ve seen for weeks but didn’t absorb (hope that makes sense).”

Nelson concluded, “Smiling and laughing felt great!”

The couple is pictured campaigning for governments to take action on climate change

Morrison also documented Friday’s failed attempt.

“We went high and tried, but the mountain said no,” he wrote.

‘Tails between our legs we jumped out of camp 3 and went down, (on skis).

“What we weren’t prepared for was the sheer elation of skiing. I love to ski. At home and at 7000 meters.

“We skied to base camp, drank some @tincupwhiskey and our smiles from ear to ear are rising again.

“My skis were great in some wild conditions and I really hope we can ski off the top this time.”

Nelson’s friends, family, peers and admirers all prayed for a miracle and her safe return.

North Face, its sponsor, said: “With a career spanning two decades with dozens of first runs and more than 40 expeditions to 16 different countries, Hilaree Nelson is the most prolific ski mountaineer of her generation.”

Nelson said last month: “[Climbing] has significantly shaped who I am, the places I’ve traveled, the people I’ve had the privilege of sharing climbing experiences with.

“From terror to triumph, from tears to laughter, from loneliness to partnership, it was a path of joy, a path I hope to share with others.”

In 2018, she was recognized as National Geographic Adventurer of the Year after climbing and skiing Papsura, known as the Peak of Evil, in India, and doing the same on Denali in Alaska.

When asked what her children thought of their mother’s adventurous life, she shared: The Outside Journal: ‘Skiing and mountaineering for them, it’s always just been a part of their lives for as long as they can remember.

“I don’t think they fully understand the dangers of it, but I also think they understand that it’s dangerous.

“I don’t know if they’re okay with it, but it’s just what I do, and they love what I do.”

She spoke of the joy of being in the mountains with her children and said her career has improved their lives.

“It took me a long time to realize that having my job and being a mother has been beneficial to my children so that they have seen me as a person, individually, and trusting in them,” she said.

“It was a struggle for me for a long time that I hurt my children by continuing my profession.

“But I can now see their joy and their support for what I’m doing, and we can have rational conversations about it. I see they are proud of me.

‘I see that they appreciate what I do and see me as a person.

“So I think it’s all been worth it, but it wasn’t without a lot of tears and a lot of hard times.”

Alexander Pancoe — one of only 16 Americans to complete the Explorer’s Grand Slam of reaching the North and South Poles and all Seven Summits — tweeted, “Tragic. Hoping for a miracle – I’ve been mesmerized by Hilaree Nelson and Jim Morrison ever since I discovered my love for climbing.”

Nick Heil, who wrote Dark Summit: The True Story of Everest’s Most Controversial Season, said, “Oh no. This doesn’t sound right.’

Another admirer, Dash Hegeman, tweeted: “I had the pleasure of working with her on a project before. Such a great person! Really hoping for a positive result. The world needs more Hilaree Nelsons… not less.”