Colorado France Girl Talk Health & Fitness Mountain Living Outdoor Adventures Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride The Rockies Travel: adventurer Chamonix Colorado France Hilaree Nelson inspiration KOTO Mountain Living mountaineer podcast radio interview ski camps skier Telluride Telluride Ski Resort Telluride Women's Week
by maribeth
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Hilaree Nelson: Mountaineer, Adventurer, Skier and Tellurider
“We all need a little fear in our lives. If you don’t have it, you’re not overcoming anything.”
I heard those words on CPR (Colorado Public Radio) as a segment of an interview with Hilaree Nelson played the day after her body was found in the Himalayas. She perished on September 26, 2022 as she started to ski down Manaslu, the eighth highest mountain in the world. After having summited this monolithic peak with her partner, Jim Morrison, she sadly triggered an avalanche that swept her away.
Her thoughts on fear have resonated in my head ever since. So this is how Hilaree Nelson became so fearless.
I first heard about her disappearance on NPR (National Public Radio) earlier in the week. Somehow I had missed the update on KOTO, our local NPR-affiliate here in Telluride. It didn’t take long for me to realize, however, that our small mountain community was steeped in grief.
“She was a regular Telluride local,” said Ben Kerr, Station Manager and Program Director at KOTO. “Anybody who can accomplish what she did and maintain that sense of humility is amazing.”
Ben and I talked about Hilaree as I sat down in the studio to listen to a Travel Fun interview she did with me on March 12, 2015. In the podcast we sound like two Telluride gals chatting about travel and adventure almost as though we had met up for an après ski. It was an après ski of sorts because we taped the interview fresh off the slopes during an extraordinary snow week.
We were especially happy to talk about women and skiing, since Hilaree (then O’Neill) had just participated in Telluride Women’s Week, a long-running ski camp for women (actually the first in the country) at Telluride Ski Resort.
For a big dose of inspiration on how to live your best life, listen to the half-hour podcast below.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM MY INTERVIEW WITH HILAREE NELSON
On Everest and Lhotse
Hilaree talks about her epic 2012 adventure when she linked two peaks: Everest and Lhotse. “It was sort of a never-ending day,” she says. Pringles washed down with instant coffee mixed with protein shakes fueled Hilaree as she went almost fifty hours without sleep. But it was mostly the exhilaration she felt around that expedition that enabled her to accomplish this remarkable feat.
The Zone You Get In Before a Big Adventure
“I can do it,” Hilaree says. She also emphasizes research and gaining as much confidence and knowledge about something before diving in.
About Butterflies
“I like being uncomfortable,” she says. “I like having a big dose of fear.”
Why Telluride
“I couldn’t get enough of the peaks around here,” Hilaree says as she refers to the Fourteeners in the area.
The Motivation
Hilaree and I talk about self empowerment through sport, a theme that has been a big part of my life the past two and a half decades. (It’s also underscored in my travel memoir, A Tour of the Heart: A Seductive Cycling Trip Through France.) “It’s really empowering to push beyond our own walls,” she says. “I get that through being uncomfortable.” You’ll also hear that Hilaree’s adventures offered her a certain level of silence…both externally and internally.
Regarding Chamonix, France
“It’s French but very international…it was very eye-opening for me.” In our interview, Hilaree talks about this whole new world where the commonality was the mountains. Chamonix is also where Hilaree honed many of her roping skills.
On the French
Hilaree came to appreciate their frankness but was also happy that although she learned French, her language skills were not quite strong enough to engage in conversations about la politique. This extraordinary athlete also loved indulging in many luscious aspects of French life, including les pâtisseries, other French foods and wine. She also very much enjoyed the French people’s appreciation for leisure time.
Advice for Someone that Wants to Have More Adventure in Life
“Figure our what your passion is,” says Hilaree. If you’re really into wine, for example, she recommends going to France in the fall–during les vendanges–to pick grapes.
Cheers to you Hilaree Nelson! Thank you for being such a force and for seizing the day.
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by maribeth
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Going Forth with Fabulousness
Mom and Me Faking It Until We Make It
I’m back. Or at least I hope so. This is by far the longest I’ve gone without posting a blog since I started Bonjour Colorado in 2008. Even throughout the craziness of working as a ski instructor at Telluride Ski Resort during epic snow years, I’ve never let so much time pass without being in touch. But I can’t begin to explain how upended my life has been these past months.
I never imagined that the death of one parent might trigger a whole series of events that would make my brain feel like mush. Honestly. (The six months leading up to this life-changing event were extremely stress inducing, however, the last few months have been mind numbing.)
I’ve barely been able to keep up with emails let alone string two sentences together for a story. I had a deadline for Forbes Travel a few weeks ago that I just kept putting off. I’ve never blown off deadlines like that but I felt like I couldn’t compose a proper sentence. Finally, I forced myself to sit down and commit to the act of writing. What first sounded like an instruction manual ended up reading with more of a flourish after an hour of tweaking, so that experience helped me to regain confidence in myself as someone that has not become totally unhinged.
From that point on, I swore I would write at least a couple of hours every day. It has been a couple of weeks and I’m just sitting down now to jot off a few lines. So much for deadlines and goals.
What have I been doing? Well, I guess the best response is I’ve been juggling a ton of physical, emotional and mental clutter. I’ve been seeking some kind of normalcy, some kind of routine while everything around me has been shifting and transforming like an iceberg in the Arctic during the month of July.
My father passed away in March and since then, there has been an endless series of to-dos, none of which have had much to do with my own work. I spent a sweet period of mourning this spring with my mother in upstate New York, during which time we started to adjust to the idea of Dad no longer being around while writing thank you notes to the many people that sent flowers, goodies, donations and mass cards. I also accompanied Mom to a lot of her doctors’ appointments and attempted to gain better knowledge of what was happening in her world.
Then as if my father was upstairs pulling strings, we learned that there was a serious offer on our house at Lake George in the Adirondacks. After having been on the market for almost five years, it seemed as though it was now time to sell. Well, you know what they say about death and moving.
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by maribeth
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Telluride’s Women’s Week Celebrates Thirty-Five Years
My Ladies and Me
I just finished teaching skiing to some great ladies during the January session of Telluride Women’s Week at Telluride Ski Resort. It was wonderful and since there are two more sessions this year (in February from the 7th to the 11th and the 26th to the 28th), I thought I’d let you in on some of the fun. Originally published in Masters of the Mountain 2015-2016, the new Telluride Ski & Snowboard School magazine, I’m posting my unedited version of my story below along with my own selection of Telluride Women’s Week photos from this year and years past.
Atop Prospect Bowl with My Ladies
Snowboard Instructor Lindsey Mersereau Photographed Atop Revelation Bowl by Her Lady
Snowy Smiles
Women, skiing, snowboarding, instruction, wine, apps, laughs, hot chocolate, girl talk, girl power, toasts, victories, sharing, learning, shopping, dining, fun. Of course all this and more occurs on a daily basis at Telluride Ski Resort, however, it happens tenfold during Women’s Week, ladies-only programs for skiers and riders interested in improving their skills within a supportive environment.
Founded by Annie Vareille-Savath, Telluride Women’s Week will be celebrating its thirty-fifth year this season with three sessions: one in January and two in February. “Whenever you immerse yourself with the same instructor and the same group of people for several days, you have the opportunity to get in depth knowledge followed up with consistent feedback and the support of the rest of the group,” says Annie, Telluride’s veteran ski instructor who is entering her forty-fourth season. “This really helps you to progress.”
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by maribeth
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Glamping Through Breast Cancer Fears
Doing the Two-and-a-Half-Hour Drive to Grand Junction for My Mammogram First Time Around
Serving Myself a Wine in Fruita, Colorado
My world shifted into a surreal-like state of uncertainty three weeks ago when I learned that I needed a second mammogram after my first one revealed troublesome findings. I was called back for a second mammo a year and a half ago, so at first I wasn’t overly concerned.
This time though I could clearly see the area that the radiologist told me appeared suspicious. “Your breasts look like chocolate milk, so it’s hard to see clearly,” she continued. I studied the section she indicated and thought that indeed the spot in question looked like flecks of cream clumped upon my frothy chest.
My heart rate quickened despite the fact that I exchanged casual small talk with her as she performed the second mammogram. Calm down, I said to myself. There’s nothing to worry about. Don’t automatically think about breast cancer.
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by maribeth
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Girl Power Extraordinaire: Women from the Telluride Ski & Snowboard School, Part One
Marti, Cristina and Me on a Ski Break
As I ease into off-season mode, I find myself almost sentimental about all the camaraderie I share at Telluride Ski & Snowboard School. Indeed, I’m now shifting into a more solitary existence, left to fend for myself–as a lone freelance writer–instead of being part of the team that helps to make magic at Telluride Ski Resort. Within Ski School, we’re very much like a family; we’re part of a tribe that speaks the same language and shares many of the same passions even though we are a mix of astonishingly unique human beings.
The women at Telluride Ski & Snowboard School feel like sisters to me and over the years I’ve come to love many of them in my own special way. They are strong, beautiful ladies that radiate a sense of well-being that’s surely the envy of many. They’ve chosen a lifestyle that embraces the outdoors and the physical and a profession that focuses on how to share their remarkable love of the mountains with others. These gals are hot–not so much from what they wear (although a new pair of shades is always remarked). But rather their sizzle comes from how they turn their skis and boards; or even better, from the self assuredness that those skills give them, on and off the slopes. They exude a self confidence and authenticity far superior to anything you might see on the runway or red carpet. Solid and grounded, our band of Telluride Ski & Snowboard instructors serve as terrific role models for women of all ages.
There are many gals that standout at Ski School. So I thought it would be fun to start highlighting them in posts here at my blog, a series that I plan to continue next year. This lineup is by no means all-inclusive. The idea is to spotlight some of the girl power in our special club and also perhaps to provide a few beauty tips along the way.
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by maribeth
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A Tour of the Heart: Getting Personal
A Tour of the Heart: A Story of Fun, Adventure, Hope and Inspiration
OK, time to get really personal. If you or anyone you know has experienced the pain and sadness of miscarriage, consider reading my new book, A Tour of the Heart: A Seductive Cycling Trip Through France. Sure, this story is filled with lots of fun and adventure, food and wine, romance, travel and love. But to me, one of it’s most powerful messages is that there is life after miscarriage; there is hope.
People don’t talk about this “m” word much. They seem to more easily relate trials and tribulations surrounding infertility/in vitro issues rather than speak of miscarriage. But the truth is there are many women (and consequently their men, too) that suffer tremendously from both the physical and mental pain of miscarriage. There was little that could console me years ago after having experienced this myself—far too many times. I’m proud that I’ve written a book that I strongly believe brings comfort to women (and men) confronted by such disappointment, such despair. I noticed recently that amazon includes one of the more raw scenes that deals with this subject (at the end of the second chapter) in their excerpts from my book. I felt a big WOW on that one but hopefully in so doing, it will serve to get A Tour of the Heart into the hands of people it might help most. (Thank you to Deb Dion, my copy editor, who encouraged me to dig deeper in revealing my emotions around this most sensitive matter.)
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by maribeth
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World Cup Adventures: from Yoga to Yowza
Birds of Prey World Cup at Beaver Creek
I love travel. Yes, it can be terribly tiresome but it usually brings about some of the most unexpected and exciting happenings. Case in point: Last week I stayed at The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa at Beaver Creek Mountain, one of my favorite properties in Colorado. It was to be a stopover with my friend, Mary Dawn, on our way back from combined promotions (for my new book and her delightful alpine goods) in Denver and Breckenridge as we made our way toward Telluride, Colorado, home base for us both. I was planning to just chill and recover from almost five weeks away, soaking up all the amenities of this first-class resort. But what an adventure it turned out to be!
The stay started out quietly enough. We had both settled into our luxurious digs replete with full kitchen and glorious beds piled high with comfy pillows in a variety of sizes, half of which we wanted to take home. I padded down to The Westin’s newly renovated fitness center the first morning to see how I could begin to restore myself after way too much time at my desk followed by extensive travel. This beehive of fitness fiefdom was still buzzing with activity at 11 a.m.—no wonder since it’s one of the preferred athletic clubs of the Vail Valley. I peeked into their fully-equipped pilates and spinning rooms before opting for the solitude of their yoga studio where I was thankfully in time for a much-needed class. Susan, the yoga director, took special care to address my needs, those of a weary travel writer that hadn’t devoted much time to being fit since last ski season ended. Thanks to her and the calming surroundings of this specially-designated yoga oasis, I felt one step closer to being whole again.
The Westin Riverfront’s Yoga Studio
After chitchatting with the staff about all the doings at the hotel, I learned that the resort was in a flurry of activity largely due to the Audi FIS Birds of Prey World Cup Men’s Race that was taking place at Beaver Creek during that period. “Yes, I saw the gates and skis piled up in the lobby when I checked in last night,” I said. “I had totally overlooked the fact that that was going on. Then someone told me the Austrian team was staying here,” I added.
Skis & Gates in The Westin’s Lobby: Sure Sign of World Cup Doings
“Come back later in the afternoon to see the athletes working out,” a couple of the staffers exclaimed practically in unison. “It’s quite the show—with all those good looking guys lifting weights and swirling in their hula hoops,” one chuckled.
Sadly, my afternoon passed all too quickly up in my room at my laptop and by the time I sauntered down to the fitness area at 5:45p.m., all the studly dudes had left. Darn, I thought. There’s nothing like checking out world-class athletes in action and I missed it.
That evening, however, on the tail end of a most enjoyable dinner at Cima, the Westin’s signature restaurant and a Richard Sandoval creation, Mary Dawn wasted no time getting in on the World Cup fun. “Would you please tell those guys over there Grüß Gott?” she kindly asked the waiter. Already it was clear they were part of the Austrian ski team, so why not send the classic Austrian/Bavarian greeting from the Alps over to them? Why miss out on some Euro schmoozing? Three guys bopped over to our table and sidled into the curvilinear booth faster than you can say hooray. We enjoyed trading cross cultural stories and experiences until the wee hours of the morning. Since MD lived in Germany six years and is fluent in German, she particularly enjoyed the exchange. My French experience (eleven years in Paris) brought less to the table yet we were all in a bon vivant mood nonetheless. Fortunately our Austrian ski team companions were comprised of the director, a coach and a technician or else I can’t see how they would have been able to race the next day.
Cima’s Curvaceous Decor
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by maribeth
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A Tour of the Heart and KOTO Love
My New Book: A TOUR OF THE HEART
Last year around this time, I celebrated a milestone birthday. I was grateful that I was feeling healthy and well, the most fit I’d been in ages and ten pounds thinner (a rarity for me since my weight never fluctuates). Here I am a year later having perhaps gained back five of those pounds—I don’t really know since I stopped weighing myself (a good sign of maturity). And now I’m two days away from another b-day with something far more significant to celebrate—a new book!
Twelve years. Yes, twelve years. I can’t believe it myself. It was twelve years ago that I began to plan a trip that would forever change my life. I actually took that trip in the fall of 2000. We all have transformative events and travels in our lives. I just happen to take a lot of notes on mine. “A Tour of the Heart: A Seductive Cycling Trip Through France” is the fruit of all that note taking and so much more.” Click here to see a preview and download excerpts. I hope you’ll enjoy the read. Books are rolling into bookstores now; be sure to ask for it if you don’t readily see it on the shelf. You can also purchase it as a paperback through amazon now or as an eBook on kindle.
Since it’s KOTO fundraising time and I love my NPR-station here in Telluride, Colorado, you can receive a free e-book with every $20. donation and a free paperback with every $30. donation. Books sell for $8. and $20. respectively. Contact me directly through this site to make your donation. Also, if you enjoy Travel Fun, my talk radio show on travel, and the podcasts of those interviews I post here on this blog, please make a pledge or donation to KOTO as well. For that also, it’s best to contact me directly. Community radio is a rare breed in the U.S. and ours is almost entirely supported by caring people like you.
I will be talking about “A Tour of the Heart: A Seductive Cycling Trip Through France,” on Travel Fun tomorrow, August 21, at 6 p.m. mountain time. You can also tune in on the Internet at KOTO.org at the time of the broadcast. I hope to post that interview as a podcast on this blog within the upcoming week.
One more thing: Click here to become a fan of A Tour of the Heart on Facebook.
Merci!
