The north face dream

Ski mountaineers Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson met in 2015 on an expedition to Makalu, the world's fifth-highest mountain.

“There's a connection I don't feel anywhere else…I love how it makes me feel alive.”

The documentary begins

Directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin set out to capture Morrison and Nelson's historic feat in a new documentary, Everest: The Other Side, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival and hit theaters on…

Tragedy on Mount Manaslu

On September twenty-sixth, twenty twenty-two, Nelson and Morrison were climbing nearby Mount Manaslu in Nepal when an avalanche swept down the slope, killing Nelson. The devastating moment was captured on camera.

Morrison's history of loss

Morrison had experienced tragic loss before.In two thousand eleven, he lost his wife Katie and their two children in a plane crash.

Chin steps in as partner

After Nelson's death, the filmmakers and Morrison questioned whether to continue. Ultimately, Chin, a longtime friend of the couple and experienced climber, stepped in as Morrison's climbing partner, replacing Nelson.

The filmmakers' conflict

Vasarhelyi and Chin disagreed on continuing. Vasarhelyi said her professional interest came into direct conflict with her personal responsibilities. At the time, they were married with two children and later divorced in twenty twenty-five.

Morrison decides to continue

After a seven-month break in filming, Morrison decided to continue. He said the inner fire and passion for the project he shared with Hilaree became a driving force, pushing him to complete the goal for…

“I'm going to go back into the mountains. I'm going to go on another expedition and push myself to complete this goal for us and for her legacy and her story.”

Why the north face matters

The north side of Everest is the more challenging route, an extremely steep nine-thousand-foot face.

The first expedition attempt

The twenty twenty-four expedition involved dozens of people and three different camps.The climb would start at twenty thousand feet and go up nine thousand feet to the summit.

The return to Everest

In September twenty twenty-five, Morrison, Chin, and a team of twelve climbers, including a healed Gurung, returned to Everest. The expedition took seven weeks with no injuries or unforeseen weather circumstances.

The summit reached

On October fifteenth, twenty twenty-five, Morrison, Chin, and their team of climbers reached the summit.

Honoring Hilaree at the peak

Morrison arrived at the peak about two pm and spent forty-five minutes on top.He connected with Hilaree and spread some of her ashes.

“We got to the summit about 2 p.m. We spent about 45 minutes on top. I connected with Hilaree and spread some of her ashes.”

The historic ski descent

Morrison skied down Everest's north face in four hours and five minutes, becoming the first person ever to do so.

“the greatest run of my life, the hardest, longest, deepest, scariest, most dramatic ski run.”

The descent strategy

Morrison took the descent one step at a time, one turn at a time, with frequent stops.

“You take it one step at a time, one turn at a time, and there's a lot of stopping.”

The emotional arrival

When Morrison reached safety, he experienced what he described as a tidal wave of emotions. He broke down crying and yelling at the sky, feeling that he and Hilaree had accomplished their shared dream together.

“I felt like we did it together, and we accomplished it.”

A team effort remembered

Morrison reflected on the scale and scope of what they all accomplished together. He felt it was a tremendous team effort and something that humanity helped him do, reverberating from Hilaree and himself to the…

“I felt like it was a tremendous team effort and something that humanity helped me do.”