KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A famed extreme skier from Colorado who was killed after falling from one of the world’s tallest mountains was on Sunday given a traditional funeral at a Sherpa cremation ground as Buddhist monks officiated over a ceremony attended by family, friends and government officials.
Hilaree Nelson, 49, of Telluride, was skiing down from the 26,775-foot summit of Mount Manaslu with her partner, James Morrison, of Tahoe, California, on Monday when she fell off the mountain.
Nepalese rescuers in a helicopter searched for her on Tuesday.
They located Nelson’s body on Wednesday after failing to find her on Tuesday and Monday, when bad weather hampered their search. She was recovered at 22,000 feet.
In October 2018, Nelson and Morrison overcame weather conditions, delays, equipment and oxygen issues to successfully ski down from the summit of the world's fourth-highest peak Mount Lhotse.