Jim Whittaker, Mountaineer Who Transformed REI and American Alpinism, Dies at 97
Jim Whittaker, the pioneering mountaineer who became the first American to summit Mount Everest and later steered the outdoor cooperative REI into a national retail powerhouse, died at his home in Seattle this week at the age of 97. His passing marks the end of an era for American adventure, as Whittaker was instrumental in…