Jim Whittaker, first American to summit Mount Everest, dies at 97

Jim Whittaker, First American to Conquer Everest, Dies at 97

Legendary mountaineer Jim Whittaker, who made history as the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest, died Tuesday at his home in Port Townsend, Washington. He was 97.

“Whether at home, in the mountains, or at sea, he sought to share adventure, joy, and optimism with those around him,” his family said in a statement. “His 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.”

Whittaker’s pioneering 1963 ascent of Everest, accomplished alongside Sherpa climber Nawang Gombu, came a decade after Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay’s groundbreaking climb. The achievement catapulted the once-shy mountaineer into immediate celebrity status, placing him on magazine covers and in high demand for public appearances across America.

His accomplishment helped spark widespread interest in mountaineering throughout the United States, contributing significantly to the growth of America’s outdoor recreation industry.

Beyond his mountaineering feats, Whittaker played a pivotal role in the development of Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI), the outdoor retail cooperative that has become a cornerstone of American outdoor culture. He joined the company in 1955 as its first full-time employee, hired by co-founder Lloyd Anderson, and later served as its president and CEO from 1971 to 1979.

Under his leadership, REI’s membership exploded from 250,000 to more than 900,000. The company credits Whittaker’s congressional testimony and advocacy efforts with helping establish North Cascades National Park and the Pasayten Wilderness in Washington, as well as Redwood National Park in California.

“Long before outdoor advocacy was commonplace, Jim gave his voice — and his leadership — to protecting the places we love, reminding us that wild places endure only if we choose to care for them,” REI noted in a statement honoring his legacy.

Whittaker’s fame brought him into contact with America’s political elite, including a close friendship with Robert Kennedy. The pair climbed a 14,000-foot Canadian peak together that was later named Mount Kennedy. Following the presidential candidate’s assassination in 1968, a devastated Whittaker was present at Kennedy’s bedside when he died.

Born and raised in Seattle, Whittaker began climbing with his twin brother Lou in the 1940s through Boy Scouts activities. At just 16, they conquered 7,965-foot Mount Olympus, the highest peak in the Olympic Mountains. When they returned to Port Angeles afterward, they discovered cars honking and people celebrating the end of World War II.

Whittaker once reflected that mountaineering’s combination of beauty and danger heightened one’s awareness: “When you live on the edge, you can see a little farther.”

While Jim pursued the historic Everest expedition, Lou chose a different path, opting to open a sporting goods store in Tacoma rather than join the 1963 climb. In his memoir, Lou revealed he occasionally substituted for his identical twin at parades and events when Jim tired of public appearances. Lou died earlier in 2024 at age 95.

Throughout his life, Whittaker led numerous expeditions, including the notable 1990 Mount Everest International Peace Climb. This groundbreaking expedition united climbers from the United States, Soviet Union, and China “to demonstrate what could be accomplished through cooperation and goodwill,” his family said.

“Jim was a lifelong advocate for peace and believed deeply in the ability of shared challenges in the natural world to unite people across borders and ideologies,” the family statement added.

One of Whittaker’s proudest achievements came in 1981 when he led 10 climbers with disabilities to the summit of 14,410-foot Mount Rainier. He later remarked that for them, “that was Mount Everest.” Though he himself climbed Rainier over 100 times, Whittaker maintained profound respect for mountains of all sizes, noting that changing weather conditions “can turn a good climber into a beginner” within hours.

Former Washington Governor Jay Inslee honored Whittaker’s legacy as “just as impressive, and just as lasting, as Mount Rainier itself.”

“He pulled many a climber up the peak,” Inslee wrote. “He did the same for all our spirits. He still does.”

After decades of facing extraordinary risks on the world’s most challenging peaks, Whittaker once quipped in a 1980 interview that he hoped to “die in my sleep with the television on.”

He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Dianne Roberts; sons Bob, Joss and Leif Whittaker; three grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.