Colorado France Girl Talk Health & Fitness Mountain Living Outdoor Adventures Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride The Rockies Travel: adventurer Chamonix Colorado France Hilaree Nelson inspiration KOTO Mountain Living mountaineer podcast radio interview ski camps skier Telluride Telluride Ski Resort Telluride Women's Week
by maribeth
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Hilaree Nelson: Mountaineer, Adventurer, Skier and Tellurider
“We all need a little fear in our lives. If you don’t have it, you’re not overcoming anything.”
I heard those words on CPR (Colorado Public Radio) as a segment of an interview with Hilaree Nelson played the day after her body was found in the Himalayas. She perished on September 26, 2022 as she started to ski down Manaslu, the eighth highest mountain in the world. After having summited this monolithic peak with her partner, Jim Morrison, she sadly triggered an avalanche that swept her away.
Her thoughts on fear have resonated in my head ever since. So this is how Hilaree Nelson became so fearless.
I first heard about her disappearance on NPR (National Public Radio) earlier in the week. Somehow I had missed the update on KOTO, our local NPR-affiliate here in Telluride. It didn’t take long for me to realize, however, that our small mountain community was steeped in grief.
“She was a regular Telluride local,” said Ben Kerr, Station Manager and Program Director at KOTO. “Anybody who can accomplish what she did and maintain that sense of humility is amazing.”
Ben and I talked about Hilaree as I sat down in the studio to listen to a Travel Fun interview she did with me on March 12, 2015. In the podcast we sound like two Telluride gals chatting about travel and adventure almost as though we had met up for an après ski. It was an après ski of sorts because we taped the interview fresh off the slopes during an extraordinary snow week.
We were especially happy to talk about women and skiing, since Hilaree (then O’Neill) had just participated in Telluride Women’s Week, a long-running ski camp for women (actually the first in the country) at Telluride Ski Resort.
For a big dose of inspiration on how to live your best life, listen to the half-hour podcast below.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM MY INTERVIEW WITH HILAREE NELSON
On Everest and Lhotse
Hilaree talks about her epic 2012 adventure when she linked two peaks: Everest and Lhotse. “It was sort of a never-ending day,” she says. Pringles washed down with instant coffee mixed with protein shakes fueled Hilaree as she went almost fifty hours without sleep. But it was mostly the exhilaration she felt around that expedition that enabled her to accomplish this remarkable feat.
The Zone You Get In Before a Big Adventure
“I can do it,” Hilaree says. She also emphasizes research and gaining as much confidence and knowledge about something before diving in.
About Butterflies
“I like being uncomfortable,” she says. “I like having a big dose of fear.”
Why Telluride
“I couldn’t get enough of the peaks around here,” Hilaree says as she refers to the Fourteeners in the area.
The Motivation
Hilaree and I talk about self empowerment through sport, a theme that has been a big part of my life the past two and a half decades. (It’s also underscored in my travel memoir, A Tour of the Heart: A Seductive Cycling Trip Through France.) “It’s really empowering to push beyond our own walls,” she says. “I get that through being uncomfortable.” You’ll also hear that Hilaree’s adventures offered her a certain level of silence…both externally and internally.
Regarding Chamonix, France
“It’s French but very international…it was very eye-opening for me.” In our interview, Hilaree talks about this whole new world where the commonality was the mountains. Chamonix is also where Hilaree honed many of her roping skills.
On the French
Hilaree came to appreciate their frankness but was also happy that although she learned French, her language skills were not quite strong enough to engage in conversations about la politique. This extraordinary athlete also loved indulging in many luscious aspects of French life, including les pâtisseries, other French foods and wine. She also very much enjoyed the French people’s appreciation for leisure time.
Advice for Someone that Wants to Have More Adventure in Life
“Figure our what your passion is,” says Hilaree. If you’re really into wine, for example, she recommends going to France in the fall–during les vendanges–to pick grapes.
Cheers to you Hilaree Nelson! Thank you for being such a force and for seizing the day.
Colorado Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride The Rockies: Colorado Crested Butte great ski season PSIA Rocky Mountains ski instructor life ski towns Telluride Women's Weeks
by maribeth
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Keeping that Holiday Spirit Going
Still Festive at The Peaks Resort
Gondola Cuteness
Frosty Cold Telluride
I say pooh to the people that throw out their Christmas tree by New Year’s. I keep most of my decorations up throughout January. I put away the santas, elves and baby Jesus by mid January but most–including Christmas ornaments and stockings–remain up through the end of the month. And as for anything festive in red and green, I typically keep that up until the end of the ski season–or just before Easter depending on what comes first. That’s what they do in the Alps. That’s what they do in many mountain locales, Telluride included. Hey, when you have a snowy scene outside, twinkling lights and garlands add extra sparkle to many winter wonderland settings.
And boy have we had snow! After a stellar holiday season with primo ski conditions, the cold and the snow have just kept on coming. With over fifteen feet of the fluffy white stuff so far this year, the skiing in Telluride–in all of Colorado, in fact–has been fantastic. To say we have been well served by the snow gods, is an understatement.
Colorado Cycling Mountain Living Outdoor Adventures Telluride The Rockies Travel Trip Planning: Adventure Cycling bike touring cycling adventures Lindsey Mersereau Maggie Schwab Route 66 Telluride Ski & Snowboard School Warm Showers
by maribeth
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Cycling More than Halfway Across the United States
Lindsey and Maggie at the Start of Route 66 in Chicago
It’s off season here in our mountain towns and many have headed out on big travels: surfing in Costa Rica, digging at an archeological site in Peru and skiing in Chamonix, to name a few. I’ve stayed in Telluride to catch up on my writer’s life and take care of some personal business that was put on hold during the busy ski season. Plus, I like the quietude of off season and then going away to more hot and humid locales during the summer.
For now, I’m traveling vicariously through others in my writing, conversations with friends and interviews for Travel Fun, my radio show on travel based here in Telluride. Lindsey Mersereau, a Telluride local, and my guest on tonight’s program, airing at 6:30pm MST on KOTO, provided me with an especially ebullient interview. It’s no wonder she had the energy to pedal well over two thousand miles from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California. She’s young, strong (both physically and mentally), enthusiastic and beautiful inside and out. What can I say? She’s a typical Telluride gal.
Aspen Colorado Hotels & Lodging Restaurants Telluride The Rockies: Altezza Aspen Aspen/Snowmass Colorado dining Explore Booksellers Home Team BBQ Inn at Aspen Jour de Fête lodging Meat & Cheese Mountain Lodge Telluride Redstone Redstone Inn Snowmass Kitchen Telluride Telluride Ski Resort The Peaks Resort & Spa The View Bar & Grill The Westin Snowmass Tulips Body Waxing Studio
by maribeth
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A Crazy Happy Holiday Season in Aspen, Telluride and Redstone
Hitting the Fresh Pow in Telluride
Fresh Powder Turns Today in Aspen
Yay, I knew that if I were to write this story, the snows would come! Telluride received 9 inches of fresh overnight, 11 inches the past 24 hours and 15 inches the last 48. And boy, was it needed. Aspen is enjoying a good blanketing as well. In addition to the fresh snow, let’s hope this signals a significant breaking down of the high pressure system that has been sitting over Colorado (and Utah, Arizona and New Mexico actually) for the past two months!
Yet despite the paltry snow conditions, the resorts have managed to crank out a good product.
The Top of Buttermilk this Week
Teaching Snowboarding at Buttermilk
I’m back in Aspen dealing with some family matters. I arrived here Thursday night, just a month after I flew in here from a very extended stay on the east coast. Wow, what a month it has been!
Happy Clients in Telluride at Christmas
Perfect Outside Dining Weather in Colorado this Winter
After an initial few days in Aspen in December, I threw myself into the busy-ness of gearing up for ski season; this entailed rounding up my ski clothing and gear, stocking the house with an almost winter’s-worth of provisions and working my ski legs back into shape by doing my Telluride Ski & Snowboard School training.
Ski School Training in Telluride
Piles of Provisions
A nasty cold almost thwarted the start to my ski instructing schedule but thanks to mega doses of Vitamin C, fluids and fresh, chopped garlic (yes, I even had two cloves for breakfast, lunch and dinner a couple of days–followed by a chaser of Listerine of course) I was able to knock it out of my system pretty fast. I pulled it together–training, shopping, cooking and even a little decorating–to embark upon a super busy holiday season that required me to teach skiing ten days in a row.
Winter Light Show in Telluride
Phew! We always go from to zero to 150mph in no time flat. But that’s life in a resort town, especially one that typically has its busiest week of the year between Christmas and New Year’s.
Torchlight Parade: A Telluride Tradition
Happy New Year to All
By now, you must be wondering when I’m going to mention the elephant in the room–the fact that we’ve all been going about business as usual without much help from Mother Nature. Yes, indeed, it has been shocking how little natural snow we’ve had. Up through the end of last week, the snow totals for the season in Aspen and Telluride rang in at barely 20 inches. Yikes!
Colorado Food & Wine Restaurants Shopping The Rockies: Colorado fruit Grand Junction lavender festival Palisade Palisade Café peach festival Peach Street Distillers peaches St. Kathryn Cellars Talon wine wine festival wineries
by maribeth
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In Praise of Palisade and Colorado Peaches
Peach Syrup at Talon Winery
Ball: One of Many Fruit Stands in Palisade
Main Street Palisade
Pretty Palisade
I’ve been back east in upstate New York most of the summer. Probably the best part of being here is that I’m loving the warm, humid weather. It’s a welcome change from the chilly and rainy days that are so much a part of July and August in Telluride. (The monsoonal flow brings terrific moisture to our arid western climate but boy, can it bring on the blues, especially since it snows well into May in Colorado’s mountain towns and as much as I love the snow, I do require a good, long blast of heat in the summer.)
But what I miss most are the peaches.
Americans love to talk about Georgia peaches. But those in the know, know that Colorado peaches are the best. Sorry, Georgia. But I really am speaking the truth here. I might go so far as to say that our Colorado peaches are even better than those from Provence. Mon dieu!
Heading Out of Grand Junction
View from My Car
On My Way to Palisade
Palisade, Colorado, a charming little town just outside of Grand Junction, is the peach capital of our beautiful Rocky Mountain state. Don’t worry, temps there run about twenty degrees hotter than in our mountain towns and rain is scarce. (Thankfully the smartly irrigated lands off of the Colorado River provide a fertile environment for the growing of peaches, grapes and other delicious fruit.)
Pretty Palisade
So Palisade
I popped into Palisade on a weekday in early June on my way back from some doctoring in Grand Junction. (Yes, that’s life in the mountains; folks from our best known ski resort towns must travel about two and a half hours for tests and treatments, which most people have just a short drive from their home.) So I decided to make it fun and stop by some of the places that give this quaint little town much of its charm. The peaches weren’t in season yet, however, the cherries were plump, luscious and as sweet as candy.
Right now–the latter part of August–is considered the height of peach season and this weekend the Palisade Peach Festival will be in full bloom. Colorado Mountain Winefest goes off here September 14-17.
Beaver Creek Colorado Denver Hotels & Lodging Mountain Living Restaurants Spas Telluride The Rockies: Beaver Creek Broadmoor Colorado Colorado Springs Denver Mountain Lodge Telluride Park Hyatt Beaver Creek pools Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch Spas Telluride The Peaks Warwick Denver Westin Beaver Creek
by maribeth
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One Sensational Colorado Spa and Six Perfect Pools
Warwick Denver Hotel
Many people come to Colorado in the summer to hike, bike, jeep, fish and sit outside to enjoy great concerts amid breathtaking scenery. Yes, Colorado ranks supreme for all that, however, this Rocky Mountain state also boasts some of the best pools and spas in the country. They’re terrific because of the mountains.
Mountain Lodge Telluride
Most of the pools highlighted below are backdropped by scenery eloquently described by Katharine Lee Bates in “America the Beautiful.” And because of the purple mountain majesties where we work our bodies to near exhaustion, it’s important to have glorious pools and spas where we can relax and rejuvenate. We have a good amount of them in Colorado, all of which are attached to prized hotels and resorts.
The Peaks Pool in Telluride
See the photos and my blurbs below to begin your journey through some of the best hydrotherapy offerings in Colorado. Whether you’re going to these establishments for a stay, a treatment or a day pass (often in conjunction with poolside dining), go ahead and plan your travels around them. The benefits you derive from these mountain oases will carry you well past the end of your vacation. And best of all: Most of these pools are open year-round because they’re heated.
The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch Resort
The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch Pool and Spa in Beaver Creek
My boyfriend, Steve, and I experienced The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch Spa a while ago during a spring ski getaway. I wrote about it at Pick a Spa, Pick a Ski Destination. We loved it then, however, recently we had an even more extraordinary experience, since we logged some delicious pool time as well.
Ritz-y Pool
Poolside Offerings
Oh, the pool. Drawn in by its black lines, we knew this stunning, infinity pool was the place for us. We arrived at lunchtime on a busy Friday and were thrilled to see that there was still a designated lane where we could do laps away from the din of Marco-Polo and all the other activity that characterizes a day at the pool in summer.
Steve diligently knocked out his sixty lengths while I bronzed, something I rarely find the time to do. I decided to forgo my workout because I had already sunk deeply into a lolling around mood, one enhanced by a stack of magazines and my phone turned off. (It actually went dead because of the heat.)
Bottoms Up
Food tastes best when eaten outside, particularly in the summer when salty chips and fries are de rigueur. We feasted on fish tacos and a grilled chicken wrap served in large Bento-type boxes that far exceeded your average poolside chow. (My phone had died by the time the food arrived, however, I did take a snapshot of the menu!)
Since this is Colorado, the clouds rolled in practically on cue by mid afternoon. Pas de problème. We just snuggled up to their poolside bar and sipped a frothy one, a beer that we found very amusing because it was a perfect pour by Bottoms Up. Many guesses later, we discovered that a magnet holds the key to the beer not bottoming out. You might have seen these beers at stadiums and now it appears they’re gaining popularity at certain mountainside resorts. (Just think après ski/large volumes of beer served/perfect every time.)
Steve and Me at the Poolside Bar of The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch
Colorado Health & Fitness Hotels & Lodging Mountain Living Telluride The Rockies: altitude sickness Colorado Diamox Don Bowie Dr. Peter Hackett Institute for Altitude Medicine lodging Telluride Mountain Lodge New Sheridan oxygen therapy traveling to elevation
by maribeth
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Dealing with Altitude Issues at Our High Mountain Destinations
Almost Summer at Mountain Lodge Telluride
The Town of Telluride, Colorado: Fun at 8,750 Feet
Me Feeling Happy and High at the Delightful Rooftop Bar at the New Sheridan Hotel
I’m long overdue in talking about how to combat the effects of high elevation with you. I apologize. Please forgive me.
In some ways, I’m new to the game myself. Although I’ve lived at heights as great as almost 10,000 feet for fifteen and a half years, I’m somewhat new to a magical little pill that has made a world of difference for me: It’s a diuretic called Diamox.
It was just a year ago that I began taking Diamox, a prescription medicine long touted to me by my ski clients but somehow I was lax in asking my doctor for a script. I finally did last spring and have used it many times this past year as I’ve traveled in and out of Telluride many times. At the risk of sounding like a drug pusher, ask your doctor about it and see if it’s good for you.
In other ways, I’m not at all new to the effects of elevation on my body. I think I first felt them when I went to the Alps during the time I was living in France. I was slammed with a headache that carried all the force of an avalanche down Mont Blanc. Ever since then, I take precautionary aspirins when I first arrive at elevation, even before the head pounding sets in.
But the Alps are nothing–at least in terms of height–to the Rockies. And I found that out when I moved here. Sure, after a few days I adjust to our thin air (about 30% less oxygen when you’re at over 9,000 feet), but if I leave a high destination for over a week, I have to reacclimatize each time, sometimes with effects worse than other times.
It’s no wonder I was fascinated with a Travel Fun interview I did many years ago with Dr. Peter Hackett, a world renowned high altitude expert and director of the Institute for High Altitude Medicine here in Telluride. I am rebroadcasting that interview on KOTO at 6:30pm MST today. Dr. Hackett, a leading authority on altitude illness with years of experience on big expeditions in Colorado, the Himalayas, Denali and South America, talks about his experiences along with, Don Bowie, one of the world’s top climbers. Don also shares sketchy elevation issues he has succumbed to during some of his adventures. It’s important to note that elevation sickness is genetic; it has nothing to do with what kind of shape you’re in.
Colorado Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Telluride The Rockies: Ajax Avalanche Colorado Mountain Living Skiing & Snowboarding Snow Removal Telluride Telluride Ski Resort The Rockies
by maribeth
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January 2017: One of the Snowiest on Record for Colorado
Spectacular Telluride Weather
Our Cold and Snowy Mountain Town
Cold and Snow Make for Great Skiing
Brrrrr
Into the Mist
Whoa! What a month it has been. With over eight feet of snow that fell in Telluride–as well as tons in other mountain towns of Colorado–the skiing and riding have been epic. It seems as though visitors and locals have been alternatively stoked and exhausted. It takes a lot of energy to plow through all that fresh powder whether it’s on the slopes, in your driveway, on your deck or on the snow-packed roads you travel on to go to work. (I’m an exceptional driver on our windy, mountain roads, especially with the help of my Arctic Claw snow tires, however, many aren’t, so it takes an infinite amount of patience to putz behind slow-moving vehicles when driving to work in such wintry conditions. That’s after the morning departure has already been greatly delayed by having to defrost and clean off the car. No, the start-of-the-day routine in the dead of winter in the Rockies is not for sissies.)
My Windshield
January: A Big Month for Ongoing Ski Instructor Training
Avalanche Control Work on Ajax Mountain
But we made it! The past few days have almost felt like spring. Sure, there will still be a lot of cold and snow left to this winter–let’s hope so at least–but I doubt we’ll see a string of days like the many we just endured in January. It must have been one of the greyest months on record, too. And as much as I like the cold and snow, there was many a morning when I felt a sense of dread about going out and freezing my butt off yet again. No matter how many layers I wore and despite electric boot warmers, boot gloves and hand warmers, it was hard most days to shake off the chill. When the sun doesn’t shine here in Colorado, it can feel mighty cold indeed. more »
