Body of missing US ski-mountaineer Hilaree Nelson found in Nepal
Kathmandu, Sep 28 (EFE).- Renowned American ski-mountaineer Hilaree Nelson was found dead on Wednesday, two days after she went missing during an expedition to Mt. Manaslu, the eighth highest peak in the world, in the Himalayas in Nepal.
The body was found early morning buried in the snow on a slope of Mt. Manaslu, and at a height of about 6,000 meters, Jeevan Ghimire, head of the trekking company Shangrila-Nepal – overseeing the expedition to Manaslu -, told EFE.
Three sherpas and skier Jim Morrison, who was also Nelson’s partner, were taken in a helicopter to the place where she was believed to have fallen, and “the body was taken out at 11am,” Nepalese government official Bigyan Koiral told EFE.
The renowned mountaineer suffered a fall on Monday while skiing back to the base camp after reaching the summit of Mt.Manaslu (8,163 meters) with Morrison.
Initially, it was thought that Nelson had fallen into a crevasse, according to information from the authorities, who started a search operation on land and air early Tuesday.
However, this theory was soon ruled out.
The search operations had to be suspended later due to bad weather.
Almost a week ago, Nelson had shared on social media that unlike other expeditions in the Himalayas, this time she felt less confident, and the mountain conditions made her yearn for home.
“I am challenged to find the peace and inspiration from the mountain when it’s been constantly shrouded in mist,” she had posted six days ago.
Nelson, 49, was the first woman to climb two eight-thousanders – peaks above 8,000 meters -, Everest and Lhotse, in 24 hours in May 2012.
In 2018 she returned to climb Lhotse, the fourth highest mountain in the world at 8,516 meters, with Morrison and they achieved the feat og being the first to descend this peak skiing.
The same year she was named adventurer of the year by National Geographic.
Nelson went missing the same that a large avalanche was recorded in the lower altitude camps of Manaslu, in which one guide died and several others were injured, four of them seriously.
The Nepalese authorities authorized a record 404 permits this autumn season to climb Mt. Manaslu, known as the “killer mountain” due to the high number of deaths that occur despite a relatively low number of climbers.
In September 2012, an avalanche killed 11 climbers on the mountain. EFE
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