Key keywords: Jim Whittaker, first American to summit Everest, Washington mountaineering icon, 1963 U.S. Everest Expedition, REI former CEO, Nawang Gombu Sherpa, Mount Rainier, outdoor industry pioneer Jim Whittaker, the legendary Washington-based mountaineer who made global history as the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest, passed away peacefully at his home in Seattle earlier this week surrounded by family members, his official publicist confirmed in a press release Thursday. He was 97 years old. On May 1, 1963, the 34-year-old Whittaker, who worked as a gear specialist for regional outdoor cooperative REI at the time, stood atop the 8,848-meter peak alongside Nawang Gombu Sherpa, a seasoned mountaineer who had previously participated in the 1953 British expedition that delivered the first confirmed Everest summit. The milestone ascent was part of the larger 1963 U.S. Everest Expedition, backed by the National Geographic Society, which deployed 19 American climbers and more than 90 Sherpa support staff over a two-month mission to place the first U.S. citizens on the world’s highest point. For his achievement, Whittaker was awarded the Hubbard Medal, the highest honor of the National Geographic Society, by President John F. Kennedy later that year. Beyond his Everest record, Whittaker dedicated the majority of his life to expanding access to outdoor spaces and building the U.S. outdoor recreation industry into the inclusive, conservation-focused space it is today. He served as CEO of REI from 1964 to 1986, growing the member-owned cooperative from a small local gear shop with fewer than 10,000 members to a national retail brand with over 1 million members and 52 locations across 20 states by the end of his tenure. A lifelong advocate for Washington’s Mount Rainier, where he first learned to climb as a 16-year-old, Whittaker also led a 1965 expedition up the mountain with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., marking the late president’s son’s first major alpine climb. In his later years, Whittaker launched multiple nonprofit initiatives focused on bringing low-income youth from across the Pacific Northwest to public lands, and remained an outspoken voice for federal climate and conservation policy to protect wild spaces for future generations. In a 2021 interview with a local Seattle outlet, he noted that his Everest summit was far from his proudest achievement: “The real win is seeing a kid who grew up in a city apartment climb their first mountain and realize what they’re capable of. That’s the legacy that matters.” His family has announced that a public memorial service will be held at Mount Rainier National Park later this year, with full details to be released to the public in the coming months.