The North Face Presents: Lhotse

It’s not always what we achieve that defines us, rather it is why we achieve such things that create clarity in our existence.

On September 30, 2018, at 2:22 PM, Hilaree Nelson and Jim Morrison summited Lhotse, the fourth tallest mountain on Earth. After reaching the top of the 27,940-ft. Himalayan summit, Hilaree, and Jim clipped into their bindings and made a 7,000-ft. descent, becoming the first humans in history to ski down the Lhotse Couloir.

An amazing journey and an insane ski line at wicked altitudes. As someone that used to extreme ski, this brings back so many memories, but they pushed the limits and risks to the extreme.  Thanks to the Sherpas, film crew, assistants, and the skiers.

Hilaree Nelson

With a career spanning two decades that includes dozens of first descents through more than 40 expeditions to 16 different countries, Hilaree Nelson is the most prolific ski mountaineer of her generation. The 45-year-old mother of two was the first female to link two 8000m peaks, Everest and Lhotse, in one 24 hour push. In the fall of 2018, she returned to 27,940-foot Lhotse a second time to ski from the summit, linking turns down one of the most prized un-skied lines in the world.

With a string of successes in the past few years, Hilaree, along with partner Jim Morrison, have been on a roll. In May 2017, They summited 21,165 foot Papsura, a.k.a. The Peak of Evil, just 12 days after arriving in India, cementing the first American ascent of the mountain. After an icy, 3,000-foot, 60-degree virgin ski descent with almost no visibility, she realized a dream almost two decades in the making. Her perseverance with this objective and her ultimate success earned her recognition as a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year for 2018. Two weeks later, Hilaree and Jim headed to Denali in Alaska, where they climbed the Cassin Ridge and skied the Messner couloir. It was a breakthrough year.

Jim Morrison

In October 2018, Jim Morrison and TNF teammate Hilaree Nelson became the first people to ski from the 27,940-foot summit of Lhotse, the fourth-highest mountain in the world. Their 7,000-vertical-foot ski line down the Lhoste Couloir is considered one of the most aesthetic descents among the world’s tallest mountains. In May 2018, Jim summited Cho Oyu and Mount Everest in the Himalaya. He skied a combined 11,000 vertical feet on both mountains, including a 7,000-foot line down Cho Oyu.

In the last decade, Jim’s ski objectives have evolved from annual trips to Chamonix and Canada to climbing and skiing the highest mountains in the world. Starting with high peaks in Ecuador and Russia, Jim graduated to 8,000-meter peaks, drawn to the immensity of the challenge. He started with an attempt on Makalu, the world’s fifth-highest mountain, in 2015. In 2017, after skiing 14 of Telluride’s most difficult couloirs in just over two months with Hilaree, the duo were the first Americans to complete a ski descent of India’s 21,165-foot Papsura Peak. Then, two weeks later, Jim and Hilaree headed to Denali in Alaska, where they climbed the Cassin Ridge and skied the Messner face.