50th Anniversary of first summit of Mt. Everest! This May honor the first man to reach world's highest peak!

[Jennie Boddy]

  HONOR THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST AMERICAN TO SUMMIT MOUNT EVEREST
AMERICAN ADVENTURE ICON JIM WHITTAKER RELEASES TELL-ALL AUTOBIOGRAPHRY
"Trapped in the Death Zone, out of oxygen, and freezing at 28,000 feet...the most daring climb in Everest history." - Outside magazine cover

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  "My father's greatest living heroes were John Glenn and Jim Whittaker - a physical giant with a huge heart, a decent soul, and inspirational courage. We can all be grateful that Whittaker has finally put his extraordinary life on paper. Whittaker's story is a riveting saga of high adventure by one of history's greatest climbers."  -Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

"Jim Whittaker is an American adventure hero of the highest order-on the highest peaks and deepest oceans. His story is a timeless tale of inspiration and living life to the fullest-on the edge and at home. He's a model for us all."
-Tom Brokaw

"If you aren't living on the edge, you're taking up too much space."  -Jim Whittaker, still climbing at 83!


NEW YORK, NY April 18, 2013 -- If you like adventure, the Kennedy's, REI, or gut-wrenching true tales, then Jim Whittaker is your man. Whittaker's autobiography, A LIFE ON THE EDGE: MEMOIRS OF EVEREST AND BEYOND, to be released this May, chronicles Whittaker from his time honing his skills as a climbing guide on Mount Rainier and as a member of Olympic Mountain Rescue, through his triumphs and defeats as REI's President and CEO, through his laughs and losses as close friend and confidante to Kennedy's, to organizing a Mount Everest International Peace climb uniting China, Russia and America. Jim Whittaker is inspirational American history -- with a pick axe.

Jim was only 34-years-old when he stepped onto the summit of Everest at 1:00 PM on May 1, 1963. What could the following fifty years possibly hold to compare? Everest may have been the high point topographically, but Jim's life has contained many more peaks-and valleys too. Starting as its only full-time employee, he built REI from a small mountaineering co-op to a multimillion-dollar business with stores nationwide. He led Bobby Kennedy on a first ascent of Canada's Mt. Kennedy, and then developed a close friendship with Kennedy-later running his presidential campaign in Washington State. He led the climbing expedition that put the first Americans on the summit of K2, the world's second-highest mountain. His organization of the 1990 Mount Everest International Peace Climb united Chinese, Soviet, and American climbers in a common goal of reaching Everest's summit while also cleaning up more than two tons of trash left by previous expeditions. In honor of the 50th Anniversary of the first American ascent of Mount Everest, Robert Kennedy Jr. paid special tribute to Jim Whittaker-as he led his father, Bobby Kennedy, to the summit of Mt. Kennedy (named for President John F. Kennedy) in 1965 The young Bobby Kennedy names Whittaker as "a part of the family," saying:  "He taught my father things about wilderness and the importance of wilderness that became part of my father's gestalt . . . Jim Whittaker is the example of the best thing our country produces."


[Schaeffler, Kennedy, Glenn, Whittaker photo]
(L to R) Willy Schaeffler (coach of the US Olympic Ski Team), Ted Kennedy, John Glenn, Jim, Robert Kennedy - in Sun Valley, about 1966. - Whittaker family collection


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Jim receives the Hubbard Medal from President Kennedy - George Mobley photo/National Geographic




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Jim teaching John F. Kennedy Jr. the 'Snow Plow' to the amusement of Jackie Kennedy and older sister, Caroline

Whittaker, became a part of world history when he became the first American to summit the Earth's highest mountain, Mount Everest, on May 1, 1963, and is regarded as a ground-breaking figure in North American Mountaineering.

PRESS HERE<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO2Xa7SY288> to view footage from Jim Whittaker's 1963 Everest Expedition (courtesy Eddie Bauer)
PRESS HERE<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qnpg3k4CTA4> to view footage from Jim Whittaker's return to Everest in 2012 (courtesy Eddie Bauer)
For MEDIA wishing for more info or to speak with Jim Whittaker, contact:
Jennie Boddy or Angela Burke at Press Here
jennie at pressherepublicity.com<mailto:jennie at pressherepublicity.com> // angela at pressherepublicity.com<mailto:angela at pressherepublicity.com>
212.246.2640






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