S4E1: Hilaree Nelson - Long Underwear Podcast

Mountaineering, motherhood, avoiding the comfortable, and why saying “yes” is 99% of the battle.

 

 

 

Amie Engerbretson sits down with expedition climber and mountaineer, Hilaree Nelson at her home in Telluride, Colorado.

 

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About the Athlete

Named “Adventurer of the Year” by Nat Geo in 2018, Hilaree has become a world-class athlete known for her ski mountaineering feats, including her recent completion of the first ski descent of the 27,940-foot Lhotse Couloir, the fourth highest mountain in the world located in the Himalayas. Hilaree jokes about how these days, she spends more time carrying her skis than actually skiing downhill with them. 

 

Amie and Hilaree sat down to record Episode 1 of Long Underwear's Season 4 in February of 2020. 

No More “S” Word:

  • Once the topic of skiing is off-limits, Hilaree talks to Amie about how she likes to spend her down time with her two sons at home and what small town life in Telluride is like year-round.
  • From there, Hilaree discusses what she’d like her superpower to be and breaks down the best advice she ever received, which she applies to motherhood and mountaineering, every single day.
  • After that, Hilaree talks about her aversion to comfortability, saying “yes”, and why pushing boundaries has always been something she’s needed to maintain balance in her life.
  • Then, Amie asks Hilaree the Protect Our Winters (POW) sponsored question and the two examine what being a climate advocate means and Hilaree explains how her work with POW has let her focus on causes she really cares about like protecting the Arctic Refuge and having outdoors spaces available for every person.
  • From there, Hilaree tells Amie the story of that one time she broke both of her wrists around the same time her son broke his leg and how they managed to get through it all.
  • To wrap it up, Hilaree discusses the highs of watching her kids succeed and seeing them grow into thoughtful people and the lows of watching them get hurt but accepting that as part of the ride.

 

 Follow Hilaree on her world-class adventures here.

Big Thanks to our Season 4 Partners: