Auditorium Theatre 2018-19 Issue 4 Point of No Return

10 | AUDITORIUM THEATRE 2018-19 | April 11 - May 19, 2019 Hilaree Nelson ADAM CLARK On May 7, the Auditorium Theatre's 2018-19 National Geographic Live Series , celebrating inspirational women, concludes with Point of No Return, featuring the accomplished mountain climber, adventurer, and National Geographic explorer Hilaree Nelson. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Nelson got her start as a skier on the Cascade Mountains in Washington state when she was just 3 years old. Read on to learn more about Nelson's career highlights, the obstacles she's had to overcome, and what it feels like to ski down the world's fourth-tallest mountain! Auditorium Theatre (AUD): How did you get your start as a mountain climber? When did you know you wanted to do this professionally? Hilaree Nelson (HN): I got my start with The North Face (TNF) back in 1999. I had been living and climbing in Chamonix, France and interviewed with TNF to go on an expedition to India for some high altitude ski mountaineering. It was on that trip that I fell in love with mountain climbing and simultaneously decided I wanted to pursue the sport as a profession. AUD: You’ve climbed and skied some of the highest mountain peaks in the world. Can you pick a favorite expedition or place to climb? HN: I love India and have been there many times for climbing. The mountains are endless and the culture of the country is wild and foreign. Another place that had a major impact on me was the Isle of South Georgia near the Antarctic Circle. I’ve only been there the one time but we had to go there by a small schooner and the wildlife was absolutely incredible. The mountains and the weather were humbling, to say the least. Outside of the Arctic Refuge in Alaska, it’s one of the wildest places I’ve ever been. AUD: Last year, you were part of a pair that accomplished the first-ever complete ski descent of Mt. Lhotse — the fourth-highest mountain in the world! So not only did you have to climb the (continued on page 12)