Whittaker, widely recognized for making the first American summit of Mount Everest, died Tuesday at his home in Port Townsend, Washington, his family said. He was 97.
In a statement emailed by his son Leif Whittaker, the family described Whittaker as someone who sought “to share adventure, joy, and optimism with those around him,” whether “at home, in the mountains, or at sea.” The statement added that 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 climb to Everest’s summit in 1963 came about 10 years after the earlier groundbreaking ascent by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. That feat, the story said, helped generate interest—and, in time, an industry—in mountaineering in the United States, turning the once-shy Whittaker into an instant celebrity.
Beyond Everest, Whittaker’s life included major work in the outdoor industry and advocacy for public lands. He had been working for REI since 1955, when he was hired by the company’s co-founder, Lloyd Anderson. After REI’s popularity surged following Whittaker’s Everest climb, he went on to lead the business from 1971 to 1979.
During his tenure as REI president and CEO, the company reported that its membership grew from nearly 250,000 to more than 900,000. REI also credited him with congressional testimony and other efforts associated with establishing North Cascades National Park and the Pasayten Wilderness in Washington, along with Redwood National Park in California.
Whittaker’s prominence also brought him into the orbit of the Kennedy clan. He became a close friend of Robert Kennedy and climbed a 14,000-foot peak in Canada with him; the peak was later named Mount Kennedy after Robert Kennedy’s 1968 assassination. Whittaker was at Kennedy’s bedside when he died and the family statement said he was devastated by the killing.
Whittaker grew up in Seattle and began climbing with his twin brother Lou Whittaker in the 1940s, with the Boy Scouts. At 16, the brothers reached the top of Mount Olympus, at 7,965 feet, and when they got to Port Angeles on the way home, they saw celebrations that marked the end of World War II.
His family recalled other moments that reflected his views about the sport and the role of nature in bringing people together. It said Whittaker led additional climbs, including the 1990 Mount Everest International Peace Climb that brought together climbers from the United States, the Soviet Union and China, and that he believed shared challenges in the natural world could unite people across borders and ideologies.
The story also noted that Whittaker led an 1981 climb of Mount Rainier with 10 handicapped climbers and said later that “that was Mount Everest” for them. It added that Whittaker scaled Mount Rainier more than 100 times, but cautioned that weather can change quickly even on a “comparatively modest mountain,” quoting him as saying, “can turn a good climber into a beginner” within hours.
Washington’s former governor Jay Inslee called Whittaker’s legacy “just as impressive, and just as lasting, as Mount Rainier itself,” writing on social media that “He pulled many a climber up the peak” and “He did the same for all our spirits. He still does.” Whittaker, in an interview in 1980, also said he hoped to “die in my sleep with the television on.”
Whittaker was survived by his wife of 52 years, Dianne Roberts, sons Bob, Joss and Leif Whittaker, three grandchildren and one great-grandchild, the family said.