JACKSON HOLE, WY— Last Sunday, Jackson Hole local cinematographer Dutch Simpson accompanied North Face athletes Hilaree Nelson and Jim Morrison as the duo made ski mountaineering history by skiing the famed Lhotse Couloir.
Nelson and Morrison are the first to ski from the 27,940-foot summit of Lhotse, the 4th highest peak in the world and Mount Everest’s sister peak. The expedition, sponsored by the North Face, was filmed and photographed by Simpson and Nick Kalisz, formerly of Jackson, now Salt Lake City-based.
Lhotse Couloir is considered by ski mountaineers to be one of the most aesthetic ski lines and has only been attempted by a handful of elite skiers.
The team traveled to Nepal in late August and slowly made their way to Everest Base Camp. Typically, the high-season for climbing Everest and the surrounding peaks is in the Spring, but the crew decided Fall would be optimal for snow conditions—and they were right. This also meant that the group was alone at Base Camp, which offered a unique experience of the often heavily-trafficked camp. The expedition was supported by a number of Sherpas, base camp support staff, and a camp cook.
Simpson and Kalisz documented the journey from arrival in Kathmandu to summit.
