Famed ski mountaineer from Telluride missing after fall on mountain in Nepal
Hilaree Nelson, 49, was skiing down from Mount Manaslu’s 8,163-meter summit when she fell off the mountain
Niranjan Shrestha/AP
KATHMANDU, NEPAL — Nepalese rescuers in a helicopter were searching Tuesday for a famed U.S. ski climber a day after she fell off near the peak of the world’s eighth-highest mountain.
Also Monday, an avalanche at a lower elevation on Mount Manaslu swept several climbers, killing a Nepali guide and injuring others.
Hilaree Nelson, 49, of Telluride was skiing down from the 8,163-meter summit with her partner Jim Morrison when she fell off the mountain, according to Jiban Ghimire of the Kathmandu-based Shangri-La Nepal Trek that organized and outfitted the expedition.
Bad weather hampered rescue efforts Monday. But visibility was good in improved weather conditions Tuesday while a helicopter was hovering over the mountain for signs of the missing climber, Ghimire said.
Hundreds of climbers and their local guides were attempting to reach the summit during Nepal’s autumn climbing season.
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