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Jim Whittaker<\/b>, the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest, died Tuesday, April 7, at his home in Port Townsend, Wash. He was 97.<\/span><\/p>\n His death closes a chapter in American mountaineering. From the summit of Everest to the halls of Congress to the helm of REI, Whittaker helped build the outdoor industry and advocated to protect the public lands that defined it.<\/span><\/p>\n Whittaker <\/span>summited Everest in 1963<\/span><\/a> alongside <\/span>Nawang Gombu<\/b>, a decade after <\/span>Sir Edmund Hillary<\/b> and <\/span>Tenzing Norgay<\/b> became the first people to reach the top.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The achievement made him an instant celebrity, landing him on magazine covers and generating demand for public appearances. It also helped spark American interest in mountaineering and the growth of the outdoor industry in the U.S.<\/span><\/p>\n Whittaker grew up in Seattle and began climbing in the 1940s with the Boy Scouts alongside his identical twin brother, <\/span>Lou Whittaker<\/b>. At 16, the two summited Mount Olympus (7,965 feet), the highest peak in Washington\u2019s Olympic Mountains. Returning from that climb, they arrived in Port Angeles to celebrations marking the end of World War II.<\/span><\/p>\n Whittaker climbed K2, the world\u2019s second-tallest peak, and scaled Mount Rainier more than 100 times.<\/span><\/p>\n In 1990, he led the Mount Everest International Peace Climb, uniting climbers from the U.S., Soviet Union and China.<\/span><\/p>\n One of his proudest moments, he said, came in 1981, when he led 10 handicapped climbers up Mount Rainier (14,410 feet). \u201cFor them, that was Mount Everest,\u201d he said, <\/span>per PBS<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n He cautioned against underestimating any mountain, noting that even modest peaks\u2019 weather \u201ccan turn a good climber into a beginner\u201d in hours.<\/span><\/p>\n His identical twin, Lou, was himself a world-class climber who led the first American expedition to scale Everest\u2019s north face.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Lou sometimes filled in for Jim at parades and events when Jim grew tired of appearances. \u201cOnly our families and closest friends ever knew the difference,\u201d Lou wrote in his memoir, \u201cLou Whittaker: Memoirs of a Mountain Guide.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Lou Whittaker died in 2024 at age 95.<\/span><\/p>\n Whittaker was REI\u2019s first full-time employee, hired in 1955 by co-founder <\/span>Lloyd Anderson<\/b>. He served as president and CEO from 1971 to 1979. During his tenure, membership grew from nearly 250,000 to more than 900,000, a surge powered in part by his Everest celebrity.<\/span><\/p>\n His influence extended well beyond retail. His congressional testimony and advocacy helped establish North Cascades National Park and Pasayten Wilderness in Washington and Redwood National Park in California.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cLong before outdoor advocacy was commonplace, Jim gave his voice \u2014 and his leadership \u2014 to protecting the places we love, reminding us that wild places endure only if we choose to care for them,\u201d his family <\/span>said in a statement<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Whittaker was one of the many people who pushed back on the idea of requiring climbers to wear electronic locators.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf you take all of the risk out of life, you lose a lot. You\u2019re removing a personal liberty from somebody who wants to go and explore without having a safety net,\u201d he told the Associated Press in 2007.<\/span><\/p>\n In a 1981 interview, he described the spiritual pull of the mountains: \u201cYou\u2019re in nature, participating in God\u2019s creation \u2026 it\u2019s such a high, such a spiritual thing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhen you live on the edge, you can see a little farther,\u201d he added.<\/span><\/p>\n Whittaker is survived by his wife of 52 years, <\/span>Dianne Roberts<\/b>; sons <\/span>Bob<\/b>, <\/span>Joss <\/b>and <\/span>Leif Whittaker<\/b>; three grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhether at home, in the mountains, or at sea, he sought to share adventure, joy, and optimism with those around him,\u201d his son Leif wrote in a statement. \u201cHis warmth, humility, and belief in the power of nature to bring people together left an enduring legacy of care for our planet and for one another.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nThe Day Jim Whittaker Made American History<\/h2>\n
What Jim Whittaker Accomplished Beyond Mount Everest<\/h2>\n
How Jim Whittaker Shaped REI and Conservation<\/h2>\n
What Jim Whittaker Believed About Risk and Nature<\/h2>\n