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.