Auditorium Theatre 2018-19 Issue 4 Point of No Return

12 | AUDITORIUM THEATRE 2018-19 | April 11 - May 19, 2019 mountain, you also skied back down. Can you describe that journey? For us Midwesterners who are barely familiar with hills, let alone mountains, what does it feel like to ski 8,516 meters down a peak? HN: This was a longtime dream of mine to ski this particular line o— of Lhtose. I had climbed the peak before, in 2012, and knew that with the right conditions it was possible. We took a lot of risks in order to be in the right place at the right time and it paid o— for our team. Standing on the summit with our entire view filled by the southeast ridge of Mt. Everest, buckling our ski boots and stepping into our bindings, was perhaps the single coolest feeling I’ve ever had in the mountains. The air is very thin so skiing is incredibly strenuous and di›cult. I had to stop every few turns to catch my breath. The conditions were challenging and there was no room for error. I think a huge part of our success was the teamwork involved in reaching the summit and then again, knowing my partner so well that we could descend safely. AUD: You’re an accomplished explorer and mountaineer. What’s a career highlight that you are most proud of? HN: Skiing Lhotse, of course. I’m also really proud of climbing and skiing the Papsura peak in India in 2017. It was a first American ascent, only the 2 nd ascent of the route we climbed and first-ever ski descent. I had failed on the peak on a previous attempt, and to return and have success was definitely a career highlight. AUD: You’ve said that you’ve faced some obstacles as a woman in a male-dominated field — and this came into play when you were climbing the mountain Hkakabo Razi in Burma, which you’ll talk about in Point of No Return. How have you overcome these obstacles? Have things changed in the field at all in the past few years? HN: I often find myself as the only woman on an expedition team. There were obstacles when I was first starting out because I very much needed to prove my abilities. I overcame most of those obstacles through persistence, being an attentive and active learner, and through working really, really hard. With that said, however, I have found that generally speaking, there have been more opportunities in the world as a mountaineer because I am a woman. Hkakabo Razi was unique in that, unlike any of my previous expeditions, our whole team was not able to go for the summit together due to the technicality of the climb and a lack of resources available to us. The team was then divided along gender lines and the two women, myself and Emily Harrington, were immediately dismissed as the weak links. It was very unfortunate that things transpired the way they did. In general, I have found men to be very supportive and respectful of their female counterparts and I see that only improving in the future. AUD: Do you have any advice for young women (or young people in general!) who want to be explorers/adventurers/mountain climbers? HN: My best advice would be to take the first step. I find it very easy in our modern world to talk oneself out of adventure, out of risk-taking and to settle into a comfortable and easy life. In order to be an explorer/adventurer or a climber you have to go exploring and engage in adventures. Take that first step, be open-minded, and when met with inevitable failures, find resilience and continue to move forward. ADAM CLARK Hilaree Nelson skiing in Greenland Hilaree Nelson in Burma CORY RICHARDS Hilaree Nelson speaks at the Auditorium Theatre as part of the National Geographic Live series on May 7, 2019.