Words by Kimberly Beekman
As the world learned about the disappearance of Blizzard Tecnica athlete Hilaree Nelson in the Himalaya on Sept. 26, images of her standing atop summits or trudging up to them flooded our news and social media channels.
The two days that followed were excruciating. We hung onto bits of news like handholds on a rock wall. Whether we knew her or not, we were all trying to understand her, to make sense of how such a bright star could fall. Who was she, what drove her, how could she rationalize this risk, how did she accomplish so much?
Hilaree was one of the best ski mountaineers this planet has ever seen.
She was also a woman, an identifier that seems simple but made her career path anything but. She was a partner in both love and adventure to her soulmate, Jim Morrison. And she was, most significantly to the two boys who will now have to live with only her memory, a mother.
But who Hilaree really was cannot be defined by these words, or any others. Because Hilaree was a force of nature. She was driven by something unseeable, something that pushed her to the brink of human possibility. You can find clues about it in the photos—in her ageless beauty, intelligent eyes, and oxygen-carrying veins that coursed through her forearms. But anyone who met her will tell you the force was more palpable than that, a power humming under her skin.
“I want so much from life — I want to do everything,
she said during an interview for an athlete profile we ran a few years ago. “I want the good things and the bad things. I don’t really like to make mistakes, but I can appreciate what I learn from them, and I want to keep learning my whole life.”
On Sept. 28, 2022 two days after she went missing, the rescue team and her partner, Jim, found her body 6,200 feet down from the summit of Manaslu. This was the final, terrible answer to our biggest question.
We may never understand what, exactly, that invisible force within her was all about. But we do know this basic law of physics: Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it just turns into something else. Perhaps, then, those who loved Hilaree will feel her still. In the wind, the sun, and the snow—and in the gravity she fought so hard to conquer.
We, Hilaree’s Blizzard Tecnica family, are honored to have shared a moment in time with this remarkable human being. Our hearts are with her family, her friends, her ski community, and everyone who was touched by her. Her life was truly her own, and it was big enough to inspire us all.
The Hilareee Nelson fund
The Hilaree Nelson Fund was established to support causes that were important to Hilaree. To carry on her legacy, these funds will be distributed to initiatives concerning climate change as well as supporting and empowering women in the outdoor space.
In Malia’s words, this is the inspiration for the art.
“It is an impossible task to create an image that adequately shows the awe, passion, love, and energy that was Hilaree. To paint a ski for her and about her, I sat in a valley with my watercolors, looking up at a beautiful mountain and trying to get it right. It’s not just about capturing the shape of a ridgeline perfectly in a brushstroke, it’s also about showing how that mountain makes you feel and imagining what it would be like to be up there.
The mountain painted on these skis is Lhotse. As well as being an aesthetically gorgeous peak, it was also one of Hilaree’s most notable accomplishments—a first ski descent in 2018. At the end of Lhotse’s Dream Line Couloir stands a strong she-wolf, howling defiantly to the world. This wolf, of course, is meant to represent Hilaree. As a woman and as a mother, she stood as a caring and resilient leader of the pack for many. The two wolf cubs at the bottom represent her children, as well as all of us in her pack who follow in her footsteps. The colors of the artwork are intentionally reminiscent of the last few minutes of a winter sunset—a beautiful moment at the end of a day that felt much too short.”
LEADER OF THE PACK:
The Hilaree Nelson Story
Story by Kim Beekman, Art by Malia Reeves and Soleil Patterson
buy now
about the book: Kimberly Beekman
“Hilaree Nelson was so extraordinary—mythical even—that we felt we could only describe her in fantastical terms, which is why we chose to tell her story in the form of a children’s fairytale. We wanted to capture her intensity, magic, and the nearly inhuman drive that fueled both her passion for the mountains and her love for her sons. She broke trail for all the women who would follow behind her, and her legacy lives on in each and every one of us.
To learn more about Hilaree, read the author’s articles on TGR website and on our own website.
About the author and artists
Kimberly Beekman
Kimberly is an award-winning writer and editor, as well as a passionate lifelong skier. She’s the former editor-in-chief of the late Skiing Magazine, longtime editor of SKI before that, and her words been featured in “Best American Travel Writing” and have won numerous awards.
A Colorado native, she grew up skiing bumps at Mary Jane. She had the honor to interview Hilaree Nelson for several stories, one of which involved a rock climbing adventure far beyond her comfort zone. She now freelances for titles such as SKI, Outside, Freeskier, and more, and she lives in Steamboat Springs with her wonderful daughter and terrible cat.
Kimberlybeekman.net“For decades, Hilaree was my superhero. Then I landed a feature story about her and spent three days interviewing her in Telluride.
I was starstruck, nervous, and intimidated—until she opened her door and wrapped me in a huge hug. ‘I’m a little behind on housekeeping,’ she said, apologetically.
In that moment, she became so much more than an elite athlete—she became my friend, albeit one with insane muscles. Ironically, it was her human-ness rather than her superhumanness that inspired me. Hilaree taught me that life is messy, but if you believe in yourself first, you will find your power.”
Malia Reeves
Malia grew up playing outside in the beautiful Southern Rocky Mountains of Taos, N.M. After leaving home early to complete her high school education at an international boarding school in Wales, U.K., she attended Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. When she arrived at Dartmouth, she became actively involved in the Dartmouth Outing Club, where she spent most of her time rock climbing, mountain biking, and backcountry skiing.
Malia moved back home to Taos after graduating with a degree in fine arts. She has since thrived on the seasonal existence, working winters as a ski patroller at Taos Ski Valley, summers guiding outdoor adventure for kids all over the world, and the off-seasons creating and exhibiting her artwork. Malia’s continuing passion for outdoor education and art stems from her love for sharing the beauty and exhilaration of being outside.
“When I started with Taos Ski Patrol, I was one of two women on a crew of 45 men. But I found that the intimidating path through this male-dominated winter mountain world was already clear,
thanks to the leadership of the women who came before me. They were few, but they were strong. And Hilaree was one of the strongest and bravest of all.
We now have nine women on my crew, and that number continues to grow. Hilaree’s influence is a pebble thrown in the lake that will send ripples out forever. I am honored to be one of the pack that follows in her path.”
@maliamountainartSoleil Patterson
Soleil is both a passionate promoter of excellence in sports and a talented artist. Growing up skiing at Red Mountain, B.C., she pursued competitive ski racing for more than 10 years, competing internationally both on the provincial B.C. Ski Team as well as on the NCAA circuit with the University of Alaska Anchorage.
After overcoming many injuries and rehab cycles, she decided to put ski racing aside to coach the younger generations as well as ski for herself as a big-mountain skier. In the last three years, she has starred in ski films shot near her new home resort of Revelstoke and rediscovered her childhood passion for art. She has plans to expand and explore new areas in both the ski world as well as the media, art, and design world.
@soleilpatt“Following a strong leader can have a powerful impact on your personal growth. Even if that leader has been on the path for years or is far ahead of you,
knowing that he or she set the track before you can give you the confidence to follow in their footsteps, branch off on your own path, or take the path even farther for others to follow. Hilaree’s leadership has inspired me to pursue my dreams to the fullest. I am grateful to have a strong leader to follow and be a part of an unstoppable pack.”
@soleilp_artwork