NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE Explorer Hilaree Nelson Announced At Playhouse Square

National Geographic Live, National Geographic's touring speaker series, and Playhouse Square are proud to announce "Point of No Return" with Hilaree Nelson, a National Geographic Explorer and mountaineer who ascended Myanmar's Hkakabo Razi with a National Geographic team to determine its exact height. Nelson is also the first woman to have climbed both Everest and its neighbor, Lhotse, in a single 24-hour period. The event will take place at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, November 6, 2019, at the Mimi Ohio Theatre.

Nelson started skiing at age three at Stevens Pass in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State. Shortly after graduating from Colorado College, she took a leap of faith and moved to Chamonix, France, to explore the world of ski mountaineering and climbing. In 1999 Nelson skied the Bubble Fun Couloir on Wyoming's Buck Mountain, a technical run that drops into a 61-foot cliff. It was the first female descent, and it caught the attention of The North Face. Less than a month later, The North Face sent her on her first expedition to India's Deo Tibba, in the Himalaya. Two years later, the company signed Nelson as one of their professional athletes. She joined legendary climbers and extreme athletes from multiple disciplines.

As the recipient of a National Geographic Explorers grant, Nelson led a team of alpinists, photographers, and filmmakers to attempt a first ascent of Hkakabo Razi in northern Myanmar in 2014. The film about their adventure and well-publicized feuding, Down to Nothing, won the Best Cinematography Award at the Telluride Mountainfilm festival in 2015. Nelson attempted another Himalayan giant, Makalu, which was named by Outside as one of the "most badass adventures of 2015."

Between expeditions, Nelson spends her time as a mother, adventuring with her two sons. In addition, her writing has been published in National Geographic Adventure, National Geographic's "The Call of Everest", the Ski Journal, Outside Magazine Online, the Outdoor Journal and several other publications. Nelson also shares her stories through motivational speaking engagements across the country.

For tickets and information, please call 216-241-6000 or visit playhousesquare.org/natgeolive.

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