First American to summit Mount Everest dies at 97

Seattle (AP) — Celebrated mountaineer Jim Whittaker, the first American to summit Mount Everest, has died. He was 97.

Whittaker, who also served as the first full-time employee of the outdoor retailer REI and later as its president and CEO, died last Tuesday, April 7, at his home in Port Townsend, Wash.

Whittaker’s 1963 ascent of Everest alongside Nawang Gombu came 10 years after the pioneering climb of Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. The feat helped spawn interest – and an industry – in mountaineering in the U.S., and it made the once-shy, rangy climber an instant celebrity. He was featured on magazine covers and in demand for public appearances.

Whittaker had been working for REI since 1955, when he was hired by the co-op’s co-founder, Lloyd Anderson. The company’s popularity surged after Whittaker’s Everest climb, and he would lead the business from 1971 to 1979.