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. More than three dozen expeditions later, the skier, mother and climber is the North Face's Team Leader and has several notable accomplishments — including the first ski descent of Lhotse — under her belt.