While I was filming the Washington episode of KRUSING AMERICA I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing one of the most remarkable people on my Krusing journey and still one of my favorite interviews. I wanted to highlight the 1963 iconic image for Throwback Thursday. A remarkable man, mountaineer and today still an advisor on climbing especially during this difficult week in Nepal and on Everest…
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| Jim Whittaker: First American to Summit Mt. Everest in 1963 |
From CNN:
Jim Whittaker, the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest back in 1963, is still a mentor to experienced climbers trying to follow in his footsteps.
The 86-year-old confirmed that climbers he knows to currently be on Everest are safe.
But some are trapped above the icefall, "which is very dangerous anyway," Whittaker told CNN. Since the avalanches, "the whole route would be different now than before the quake. They'll have to put a new route in from base camp up through that icefall ... They (the climbers) will have to cool it for a couple days, way until the route is reestablished ... they've got enough food and fuel for the stoves."
His son, Leif Whittaker, told CNN that he hasn't heard from everyone he knows to be on Everest.
"It's really tragic and I'm really saddened by the news," he said. "I have a lot friends in the area and friends on Everest right now. It's hard to get news from base camp and the mountains because communication is difficult as it is. Many of my friends are safe, but I'm not sure if all of them are.
"It's been a bad few years on Everest," he said. "My heart goes out to them, and I'm sending them my love and strength."
But some are trapped above the icefall, "which is very dangerous anyway," Whittaker told CNN. Since the avalanches, "the whole route would be different now than before the quake. They'll have to put a new route in from base camp up through that icefall ... They (the climbers) will have to cool it for a couple days, way until the route is reestablished ... they've got enough food and fuel for the stoves."
His son, Leif Whittaker, told CNN that he hasn't heard from everyone he knows to be on Everest.
"It's really tragic and I'm really saddened by the news," he said. "I have a lot friends in the area and friends on Everest right now. It's hard to get news from base camp and the mountains because communication is difficult as it is. Many of my friends are safe, but I'm not sure if all of them are.
"It's been a bad few years on Everest," he said. "My heart goes out to them, and I'm sending them my love and strength."
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