Jim Morrison completes historic Everest North Face ski descent

Ski mountaineer Jim Morrison has become the first person to ski the North Face of Mount Everest, completing a mission originally planned with his late partner, Hilaree Nelson. Following a seven-week expedition that reached the summit in October 2025, Morrison descended the Super Direct line, a feat requiring extreme technical precision at high altitudes.

The descent included navigating wind-scoured snow and steep terrain. Due to the rocky nature of the Hornbein Couloir, Morrison performed a 200-metre rappel before continuing his ski descent through the Japanese Couloir to the Rongbuk Glacier. The expedition team included climber Jimmy Chin and a group of 12 people, including Sherpa climbers.

Morrison intended the mission as a tribute to Nelson, who died in September 2022 during a climbing accident on Mount Manaslu in Nepal. He honored her memory by scattering some of her ashes at the summit. The journey is documented in the film ‘Everest: The Other Side’, directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin.