Lhotse first ski descent carried out by Hilaree Nelson and Jim Morrison
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Nicola Bonaiti
After the historic first ski descent of K2 carried out in July by Andrzej Bargiel, at 2:22 on 30 September the Americans Hilaree Nelson and Jim Morrison added another chapter to the rich history of extreme skiing at the highest altitudes by becoming the first to ski directly off the summit of Lhotse, the fourth highest mountain in the world.
Nelson and Morrison had opted for the post monsoon season as this gave them a better chance of more snow for skiing. After reaching the summit - having used supplementary oxygen from 8300m circa - the duo descended the Lhotse Couloir down the west face all the way to Camp 2, requiring 17 hours in total.
According to The Himalayan Times, the two reached the summit with Dutch Simpson, Nicholas Kalis, Ila Nuru Sherpa and Fu Tashi Sherpa, while the route to the summit was fixed the evening before by Urken Lendu Sherpa and Palden Namge Sherpa. The expedition was the only team operating on Everest and Lhotse from the south this seaons, meaning that they had to prepare the entire route themselves.
Naturally the comments were extremely positive. Posting on Instagram, Morrison explained: "We did it! Ski tips about to make the first turn ever off the summit of #lhotse. Almost 28’000’ the summit was sugar snow and extra steep. An few careful turns and a hop got me into the couloir to complete a dream I’ve been working towards for a lifetime."
Nelson, who in 2012 failed to ski Lhotse as conditions were too dry, stated "I’m still absorbing the whole last month but, without a doubt, this was one of the highlights of my 20 year ski mountaineering career."
