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.

“You wouldn’t believe how fast you get to know yourself when you’re in situations of consequence. That’s what it’s all about and why I’ve been able to keep doing this for so long. There’s still so much I can learn about myself.”

In This Episode:

• Adjusting to the new normal of life during Coronavirus… it creates anxiety
• How does she handle that anxiety? Is she able to recognize it before it hits?
• What it means to be a professional ski mountaineer
• As someone who’s been immersed in life threatening situations, how does she manage the uncertainty?
• Her process for overcoming fear… being present and breaking down challenging obstacles into small chunks
• A time when she let fear conquer her and what she learned from it
• Coming to the realization that she had the skill set to handle challenging descents but needed to more concretely believe in those skills
• Why has she chosen a life where she’s in environments of consequence?
• What she’s learned about confidence from her endeavors
• How does she manage being a mother when she’s away on an expedition for months at a time?
• Her mindfulness practice
• What she hopes her kids can learn from her… to identify and live with passion
• How she defines mastery