For most mountaineers, summiting Everest marks the pinnacle of human achievement. For Tahoe-area climber Jim Morrison, who is originally from Walnut Creek, it was just the halfway point. On October 15, Morrison became the first person to ski down the mountain’s treacherous Hornbein Couloir — a narrow, icy chute that begins just over 1,100 feet below the summit.
Only five climbers have ever successfully ascended this north-face route, considered one of the most technically challenging on Earth. For Morrison, the descent required not only world-class skill but years of preparation and experience managing extreme risk.
Morrison completed the ski descent at 7:45 p.m. local time after spending more than six weeks on Everest. The feat was five years in the making and took three separate attempts to complete, with support from acclaimed filmmaker and mountaineer Jimmy Chin — best known for directing the Oscar-winning Free Solo.
Chin and Morrison trained for years to take on the project, which they describe as a “Tesla moment” for ski mountaineering: a breakthrough that redefines what’s possible in the sport. The climb required a rare alignment of weather, snowpack, and timing — a one-day window that opened on the final day of their permit.
The achievement was deeply personal for Morrison, who dedicated the descent to his late partner Hilaree Nelson, a fellow ski mountaineer who died during a similar expedition in Nepal in 2022.
The full story of Morrison’s historic ski descent will be featured in an upcoming National Geographic documentary currently in production.
