Remembering Hilaree Nelson | Staying Confident in Life-Threatening Environments

This week’s conversation is with Hilaree Nelson.

With a career spanning two decades that includes dozens of first descents through more than 40 expeditions to 16 different countries, Hilaree is the most prolific ski mountaineer of her generation. 

Some of these ‘firsts” in the world of ski mountaineering include linking two 8000m peaks (Everest and Lhotse) in one push, first ski descents on Baffin Island, a first American ascent and ski descent of Papsura peak in India , and a first ski descent of the 4th highest peak in the world, Lhotse. 

Hilaree is the Captain of the North Face Athlete Team, an active leader on climate with Protect Our Winters, and an avid proponent of wild places such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

She was also named by Men’s Journal as one of the most adventurous women of the last 25 years, as well as National Geographic’s 2018 Adventurer of the Year.

In this conversation, Hilaree shares some key takeaways from her expeditions, where the wrong decision could mean the difference between life and death.

We touch on everything from confidence to managing anxiety --- and that’s applicable for the difficult times we find ourselves in now.

In Hilaree’s words:

Managing anxiety starts with being present and dealing with what you have right in front of you. I break it up into things I can manage instead of overwhelming myself by trying to figure out the whole picture all at once.

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