50 years ago, identical twin brothers came to a crossroads
in their lives. Both were invited on an
American expedition to Mt. Everest. The
tallest mountain on earth had been climbed 10 years earlier by New Zealand’s
Sir Edmund Hillary but an American had not yet summited. Lou and Jim Whittaker
had distinguished themselves as young men by guiding on Mt. Rainier and
throughout the mountains of the Pacific Northwest at a time when a mere handful
of outdoors people were leading the uninitiated in the white wilderness of the
US. They both were strong climbers and were up to the challenge of Everest.
Then two weeks before the expedition was scheduled to
depart, Lou had an epiphany. Both of the brothers being gone to the Himalayas would put much of their lives here in jeopardy.
Many people had already been lost on the high mountains, leaving
families and livelihoods behind. With a business in the beginning stages and
new families to support, Lou made the difficult decision to stay behind to take
care of things. He told Jim that if
anything happened to him on the mountain, his family would always be cared
for. It was a hard but very
compassionate and thoughtful thing to do. But that’s Lou Whittaker.
Jim went on to become the first American to climb Mt.
Everest and to turn his celebrity into a career focused on business. Lou has
spent his entire life in the mountains of the world and has established himself
as the dean of climbing in America and as a true leader in mountaineering circles
around the globe.
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It was in a large conference room at the then-new corporate
headquarters for Cummins Engine Company that I first met Lou Whittaker, when we
were both much younger. He had a great handshake (my grandfather’s first
measure of a man) and we were instantly kindred spirits. I was part of the acquisition team that first
bought the K2 Ski Company on Vashon Island and, in order to balance off the
seasonality of the ski business, we then purchased JanSport Backpacks. Lou had
just signed on as JanSport’s company spokesperson and chief product consultant.
This was the first of many forays into the commercial world for Lou and he is
now credited with a long list of outdoor products, like soft hiking or trekking
shoes with strong soles that we all now wear.
Wherever he saw the need and he would find a company to help him make it
a reality.
Few climbers have found a way to succeed or certainly even
make a living in pursuit of their passion for the mountains. Lou Whittaker has been a leader in both the
sport and the industry of climbing. From
his earliest days, caution and safety have been at the top of Lou’s list of
tenants as he has lived his life on the edge.
The guide service he built has as its first priority to bring everyone
down safely from the mountains. Lou has
been a part of hundreds of rescues in mountain ranges around the world that
have saved the lives of so many who have gotten themselves in trouble. No one
has more respect for nature and the mountains than Lou. It’s the safety of those
around him that always comes first.
That’s a lesson for many people yet to learn.
On my first adventure up Mount Rainier, Lou pointed to the
ridge across from us and said, “Do you see that guy coming down? He walks with sort of a stutter step. That’s
Willi Unsoeld.” Willi lost his toes on Mt. Everest doing one of mountaineering
history’s most legendary climbs with his partner Tom Hornbein (on the left in
this picture with Lou and K2 veteran Jim Wickwire). They completed the first
ascent of the Mountain’s West Ridge and the first traverse of a major Himalayan
peak. It was the highlight of the 1963 American Everest Expedition.
When Lou introduced me to Willi as a former football player
from back east, Willi said, “Well these mountains will make a flat-lander like
you a little more humble. Don’t take anything for granted. This will be the
hardest thing you’ve had to do, I guarantee it. Good luck and have fun.” Thanks
to Lou, it was one of those special encounters with people who are bigger than
life…and Willi was right…it was very hard.
On a later adventure, I first met Reinhold Messner with Lou
in a slightly different way. Reinhold is
somewhat of a mountain god having been first to climb all the world’s tallest
peaks without supplemental oxygen and having completed several of those climbs
solo when it was said to be impossible.
I invited Reinhold to one of our Mountain Summit events and he accepted.
We were at Snowbird Ski Resort in Utah and I’ve always said I should have saved
the voicemail that Reinhold left at my Seattle office. “I am Reinhold Messner. I have been waiting at the Salt Lake City
airport for two hours. If no one is coming to get me, I am returning to my home.”
The words don’t do the inflection or the Germanic accent justice. Reinhold was
a day early on the schedule he gave us.
When he got to Snowbird, he and I had a toe-to-toe encounter
that was pretty high pitched. Just short of the first fist flying, Lou stepped
in between us. He’s bigger than we are and he had a smile on his face when he
said, “Now let’s calm down, boys. We’re here to have fun.” That’s another great
talent of Lou’s. He knows how to read
and handle people in almost any situation. Once our blood pressure reached the
normal range, Reinhold and I became friends and we’ve had many great
experiences together over the years. And he did finally admit he had gotten his
dates wrong.
There are almost as many stories about Lou Whittaker as he
tells himself. When he enters a room, everyone’s attention is drawn to him. Two
expeditions to Mt. Everest and one to the third highest mountain, Kanchenjunga,
raised Lou’s profile around the world in the 80’s and 90’s. The films about
Lou’s Everest expeditions won national Emmy Awards and received long television
runs in a host of countries. Lou has made a difference in the sport of
climbing. The access we have to the mountains. The National Parks management of
the mountains. The style of guiding and the equipment we use have Lou’s
fingerprints all over them. 
Personally, I discovered the mountains through Lou
Whittaker. We’ve been to Everest together. We’ve literally been around the
world and, thanks primarily to Lou, I’ve come to know many of the legends from
Hillary to Bonington to Miura. And Lou’s protégés are the current generation of
climbing greats beginning with Ed Viesturs and Phil Ershler. I’m very fortunate
to say that Lou also introduced me to one Hungarian…my close friend and
colleague Laszlo Pal.
Laszlo is an award-winning producer/director. He is a
teacher, a mentor and an icon in the documentary business. We joined together
on Lou’s first Everest expedition and have been collaborating ever since. We
have now produced 8 documentaries for television and, as a result, have walls
and mantels full of awards and trophies, thanks mostly to Laszlo’s creativity and
incredible skills as a filmmaker. I feel like a graduate of the Pal School of
Film and together we make a pretty formidable team.
Over a year ago, at one of our regular Chinese lunches, we
decided that our friend Lou deserved to take the spotlight for a
while. In every sport, one name becomes synonymous with the challenge of the
endeavor. In baseball, it’s Mickey Mantle. In basketball, Wilt Chamberlain and
race car driving, Mario Andretti.
As a labor of love, we've produced a documentary called, “A
Life in the Mountains…the Legacy of Lou Whittaker”. It’s our homage to Lou and
the impact his career and his personality have had on the sport of climbing in
the past half century. We’re headed toward a Seattle premier showing and then
the film festival circuit with the program.
Later this week, I’ll announce more details.
Suffice it so say, Lou Whittaker deserves credit where
credit is due. He has quietly led a
revolution in the climbing and guiding industry. He has grown one of the most
highly regarded guide services in the world, which he is handing over to one of
his sons. It’s truly ironic that a person who has dealt with life threatening
situations for most of his career is a master storyteller and
limerick-ophile…but that’s Lou Whittaker too. As a joke years ago, Lou had a
t-shirt made to wear at public events that said “I’m not Jim” on the back. He’s
safely put the shirt away for good. He
is not Jim. Lou is every bit his own man and he
commands the respect and adoration of the thousands who have climbed and trekked in the
mountains with him as their guide and leader.
I am proud to call him my friend.
Lou, you’re the best.
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