The body of prominent US ski mountaineer Hilaree Nelson, who died on Nepal’s Manaslu summit, was cremated near a Buddhist stupa in Kathmandu on Sunday.
Nelson’s body was found on the slopes of the world’s eighth highest mountain on Wednesday, two days after it disappeared while descending from its summit.
Monks chanted prayers and played traditional drums while their families and other climbers offered flowers and traditional Buddhist shawls on their bodies.
“The cremation was conducted today, accompanied by her brother, other climbers and officials,” Jiban Ghimire of Shangri-La Nepal Trek, which organized the expedition, told AFP.
Orange marigold flowers adorned the cremation area at the base of the Swayambhu Nath Stupa, one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Nepal.
Nelson, 49, was recognized as one of the world’s most talented ski mountaineers and has been involved in dozens of expeditions around the world.
A decade ago, she became the first woman to scale both the world’s highest mountain, Everest, and the adjacent Lhotse peak within 24 hours.
Then, in 2018, she returned to Lhotse and made the mountain’s first ski descent, and her accomplishments earned her the prestigious National Geographic Adventurer of the Year award that year.
Jim Morrison, who had accompanied Nelson and was able to drive away safely, led the search operations that located her body after poor weather hampered earlier rescue efforts.
Morrison said after the ceremony he would take the ashes home to the United States, where Nelson’s two children live.
“It was meant to be a beautiful tribute that Hilaree’s family and I think they would like to see things done that way,” he said. “Your charisma will continue to touch us all.”
Tributes are pouring in from top climbers around the world, thanking her and calling her a groundbreaking and inspiring adventurer.
On the day of Nelson’s accident, an avalanche hit between Camps 3 and 4 on the 8,163-meter mountain, killing Nepalese climber Anup Rai and injuring a dozen others who were later rescued.
The deaths of Nelson and Rai are the first confirmed casualties of the autumn climbing season in Nepal.
Constant rain and snow presented a challenge for the 404 paying climbers attempting to reach the summit of Manaslu this year.
Several tents were damaged when another avalanche crashed into Manaslu Base Camp on Sunday morning, according to the tourism department, but no fatalities were reported.
