SEATTLE — Jim Whittaker, the celebrated mountaineer who became the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest, has died at 97. He passed Tuesday at his home in Port Townsend, Washington, the family said in a statement emailed by his son Leif Whittaker.
Whittaker’s 1963 ascent of Everest, alongside Nawang Gombu and a decade after Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay’s pioneering climb, helped ignite widespread interest in mountaineering in the United States and made him a national figure. The lanky, soft-spoken climber appeared on magazine covers and was in constant demand for public events following the feat.
Hired in 1955 by REI co-founder Lloyd Anderson, Whittaker was the co-op’s first full-time employee and later served as its president and CEO from 1971 to 1979. Under his leadership, REI’s membership grew from nearly 250,000 to more than 900,000, the company noted. The family statement said he sought to “share adventure, joy, and optimism” and left “an enduring legacy of care for our planet and for one another.”
Whittaker was also a vocal conservation advocate. His congressional testimony and other efforts helped advance the creation of North Cascades National Park and the Pasayten Wilderness in Washington, and played a role in protecting Redwood National Park in California. “Long before outdoor advocacy was commonplace, Jim gave his voice — and his leadership — to protecting the places we love,” the family statement said.
His circle included public figures such as Robert F. Kennedy; Whittaker became a close friend of Kennedy’s and climbed a 14,000-foot Canadian peak with him that was later named Mount Kennedy after the senator’s assassination. Whittaker was at Kennedy’s bedside when he died and was deeply affected by the killing.
Born and raised in Seattle, Whittaker and his twin brother Lou began climbing in the 1940s through the Boy Scouts. He described summiting Mount Olympus at 16 in his memoir A Life on the Edge. He reflected often on how the sport sharpened his senses: “When you live on the edge, you can see a little farther,” he wrote.
Beyond Everest, Whittaker logged climbs on peaks including K2 and led international efforts to use mountaineering for diplomacy, such as the 1990 Mount Everest International Peace Climb that brought together climbers from the U.S., the Soviet Union and China. One of his proudest moments came in 1981, when he led 10 climbers with disabilities up Mount Rainier — an achievement he said meant “that was Mount Everest” to them. He climbed Rainier more than 100 times and often warned that mountain weather can humble even experienced climbers.
Former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee called Whittaker’s legacy “just as impressive, and just as lasting, as Mount Rainier itself,” saying he lifted many climbers and “did the same for all our spirits.”
Whittaker’s twin brother Lou, also a famed mountaineer, died in 2024 at age 95. Jim Whittaker is survived by his wife of 52 years, Dianne Roberts; sons Bob, Joss and Leif; three grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.