West Coast climber Jim Whittaker reached the highest point on Earth on May 1, 1963. He later turned recreation co-op REI into a business success story.
For 20 minutes of his life, Jim Whittaker was on top of the world.
He was the first American to summit Mt. Everest, reaching the highest point on Earth on May 1, 1963, with Sherpa Nawang Gombu.
“We were standing in the jet stream, on the edge of spac… [7223 chars]
Source: Los Angeles Times | Published: 2026-04-09T03:46:30Z
Credit: Los Angeles Times
