The body of American skier Hilaree Nelson was discovered and removed from the south face of Manaslu. This morning, a search helicopter crew found it.
“Rescuers found her body about 6,200 feet (1,900m) from the summit,” helicopter pilot Capt. Surendra Poudel of Simrik Air told The Washington Post.
Jim Morrison, Nelson’s partner, and two mountain climbers from Sherpa were taken off by helicopter nearby. According to Poudel, they discovered Nelson’s body roughly 50 metres from the landing area.
A ski and some clothing were spotted by yesterday’s airborne searchers during their reconnaissance trip, but deteriorating weather prevented them from finishing the work. Today, the helicopter departed as soon as the weather improved and returned immediately to the same location on the mountain’s southern flank.
Nelson’s remains were discovered after an hour and a half of digging. After that, the chopper took them back to Base Camp and transported her body to Kathmandu.
Hilaree Nelson, a local of Telluride, Colorado, vanished on Monday not long after reaching the top of Manaslu. She tumbled down the opposite side of the mountain while skiing downhill with Jim Morrison. The North Face-sponsored team’s captain was an American climber and skier. She had climbed and skied both Cho Oyu and Lhotse, and she was a very skilled ski mountaineer.
