# Jim Morrison Skied Down Everest After Losing Family

> Jim Morrison completed the first ski descent of Everest's north face after his children's deaths, scattering their ashes at the summit.
- Title: Jim Morrison Skied Down Everest After Losing Family | Shortify
- Summary: Jim Morrison completed the first ski descent of Everest's north face after his children's deaths, scattering their ashes at the summit. Jim Morrison skied…
- Keywords: jim morrison, everest, skied, north face, hilarie nelson, morrison family, mountain climbing, ski descent, everest summit, skier, politics, news
- Source: The New Yorker — https://newyorker.com/magazine/2026/11/02/how-jim-morrison-surmounted-tragedy-and-skied-down-everest
- Author: Nick Paumgarten
- Published: 2026-10-26T10:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: jim morrison, everest, skied, north face, hilarie nelson, morrison family, mountain climbing, ski descent, everest summit, skier, politics, news
## Jim Morrison's children appeared to him
Jim Morrison saw his children laughing with him on Everest's North Ridge seven years after their deaths.
## Children died in plane crash
Jim Morrison's wife and children died when their Cessna crashed during a flight from California to Nevada.
## Morrison's grief and recovery
Morrison found his grief transformed by endorphins after climbing, turning it into a twisted exultation.
## Morrison met Hilaree Nelson
Morrison met Hilaree Nelson, a mountaineer estranged from her husband, during a 2015 expedition to Makalu.
## First ski descent of Lhotse Couloir
Morrison and Nelson completed the first-ever ski descent of the Lhotse Couloir, the so-called Dream Line.
## Everest north face challenge
Morrison and Nelson planned a ski descent of Everest's north face via the Hornbein and Japanese Couloirs, a route few had climbed.
## Nelson's death and aftermath
Hilarie Nelson died in an avalanche on Manaslu in 2022, leaving Morrison to complete the Everest descent alone.
## Morrison's Everest summit attempt
Morrison reached the summit of Everest via the north face in October 2023, scattering Nelson's ashes.
## Morrison's descent of Everest
Morrison skied down Everest's north face in four hours, scattering Nelson's ashes at the summit.
## Morrison's home in Tahoe
Morrison owns a house on Lake Tahoe with stone walls and cedar beams, a retreat from his climbing adventures.
## Morrison's construction business
Morrison built over a hundred luxury homes in the Lake Tahoe area, leveraging his construction business for financial success.
## Morrison's relationship with Oprah
Morrison met Oprah Winfrey, who planned a party for him after his Everest descent, calling him 'one of the most extraordinary people on the planet.'
## Morrison's final message
Morrison wrote a card for his mother: 'The mountains have given me so much.They’ve also taken a great deal from me.I don’t climb or ski for the risk.I do it for the presence it demands.'

> The mountains have given me so much. They’ve also taken a great deal from me. I don’t climb or ski for the risk. I do it for the presence it demands.
## Key takeaway

Jim Morrison skied down Everest's north face after his children died in a plane crash, scattering their ashes at the summit.