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

Jim Whittaker, the first American to summit Mount Everest, died Tuesday at his home in Port Townsend, Washington. He was 97.

Whittaker's family announced his death in a statement, noting that the celebrated mountaineer shared a lifetime of adventure, joy and optimism with those around him. His warmth, humility and belief in nature's power to unite people left an enduring legacy of care for the planet and humanity, the statement said.

Born February 10, 1929, in Seattle, Whittaker grew up in the city's Arbor Heights neighborhood with his identical twin brother, Lou, who died in 2024 at age 95. The brothers began climbing in the early 1940s as Boy Scouts, summiting 7,965-foot Mount Olympus at age 16 just as World War II ended. Whittaker credited early mentors from The Mountaineers club for shaping his skills, enrolling in their basic climbing course in 1945 and guiding on Mount Rainier by 1949.

During the Korean War, both brothers served in the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division, teaching high-altitude and winter survival skills at Camp Hale, Colorado. After an honorable discharge in 1954, Whittaker joined REI as its first full-time employee, rising to president and CEO while...