Hilaree Nelson
Telluride local Hilaree Nelson grew up skiing at Steven’s Pass in Washington state. After college, Nelson followed some friends to Chamonix, France, where she intended to spend the winter — a winter that turned out to be five years long. During that time, she transformed from a lift-served skier to a big-mountain, backcountry ski mountaineer, discovering a calling that would take her to some of the world's tallest and most challenging summits. With more than 40 expeditions to some of the most remote corners of the globe, the skier, mother and climber is The North Face's Team Leader and has several notable accomplishments. Her passion and dedication to climbing and skiing have won her recognition as a 2018 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year. She has become a mentor for an upcoming generation of mountain athletes. As a member of Protect Our Winters Riders' Alliance, she shares her stories and life experiences as a voice for advocacy of our wild places. She is the first woman to climb two 8000 meter peaks, Everest and its neighboring peak Lhotse – in a single 24-hour period. In September of 2018, Nelson returned to Lhotse to complete the first-ever ski descent of the 4th highest peak in the world, aka the Dream Line. Today, her favorite mountain town is Telluride, Colorado where she raises her two boys and is fortunate to call home.