BY KAREN BOSSICK
You would think the best mountain climber Peter Whittaker could ever do is follow in the crampons of his father and uncle—two of America’s most legendary mountain climbers.
After all, Uncle Jim Whittaker was the first American to set foot atop Mount Everest. And Peter’s father Lou Whittaker had led the first American ascent of the North Col of Mount Everest, in addition to leading hundreds of trips to summits around the world.
But Peter Whittaker had them following in his footsteps when he led them to 19,341-foot Mount Kilimanjaro in 1993.
“It was the first and only time up that mountain for either of them,” he said. “And it was awesome. I was the expedition leader, although they went as guides since they had brought some of their clients with them, as well as their wives.”
Whittaker, who divides his time between Sun Valley and Mount Rainier, will take Wood River Valley residents on an armchair excursion up Kilimanjaro followed by a safari trip through Tanzania.
The show, “Kilimanjaro—The Roof of Africa,” will be presented at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13, at the Limelight Hotel in Ketchum.
Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the Limelight Hotel or at Zenergy Health Club and Spa, which is presenting the event. A swag raffle featuring Bight Gear—Whittaker’s new outdoor apparel line-- will be held during the evening.
Proceeds from the event and raffle will go to Expedition Inspiration Fund for Breast Cancer, which Whittaker co-founded with the late Laura Evans of Ketchum.
As owner of RMI Expeditions—America’s largest mountain guide service, Whittaker has climbed the tallest peaks on each of the world’s seven continents and led hundreds of treks around the world.
He has climbed Kilimanjaro 15 times, even taking the governor of Washington, the president of L.L. Bean and Olympic skier Julie Mancuso up it.
He will lead a 16th trip to the top of Africa’s highest mountain in October—a trip that still has vacancies.
Scaling the world’s tallest free-standing mountain is a trek, rather than a technical climb, said Whittaker. No crampons, ice axes or ropes required.
The trip—done over seven days to allow for altitude acclimatization--starts out at 5,900 feet in the lush rainforest of Kilimanjaro National Park
Trekkers walk through banana and coffee plantations onward and upward through giant heather and into more temperate zones with views of the Great Rift Valley. They traverse the mountain underneath the Arrow Glacier and Western Breach Wall, walking among giant groundsel and cactus-like lobelias and groundsels—vegetation that’s unique to the high attitudes of East Africa.
Then they bed down at a high camp at 15,200 feet where they awaken at midnight to start climbing through volcanic scree by headlamp so they can arrive at the crater rim by sunrise.
“You feel the altitude but you don’t have to carry a big pack,” Whittaker said.
Following the summit celebration, they descend nearly 10,000 feet before making camp.
“We get great support from the local Tanzanians—they really spoil us with big dining tents and lots of fresh food—no freeze dried food allowed,” Whittaker said. “And our success rate is high—we get 90 percent of our clients to the top.”
After a night in a hotel, guests explore the wilds of Africa for four days in pop-top Land Rovers while visiting areas that are homes to wildebeest, zebra, giraffes, elephants, rhinos, cape buffalo, topi, gazelles, lion, cheetahs and elusive leopards.
They also visit a Maasai village.
“We stay in lodges, which is a nice break from sleeping in tents on the mountain,” Whittaker said. “And the huge herds of wildebeest and other animals are amazing. After one safari I vowed I would never go to a zoo again.”
Whittaker said he was able to view the ancient glaciers during his first trip to Mount Kilimanjaro in 1984.
“There are still some up there today, but I’m old enough to have seen some melting,” he said. “I don’t, however, expect them to be gone completely in my lifetime.”
It can snow above 15,000 feet during rainy season from November to early December and mid-March through early June. And it can snow a lot.
“I’ve been up there when we’ve gotten three feet of snow,” said Whittaker, who favors climbing Kilimanjaro in October when the mountain is a little cooler but less busy.
Whittaker has climbed the highest peaks on all seven continents, including Mount Everest, Denali in North America, Mount Elbrus in Russia, and Mount Kosciuszko in Australia’s Snowy Mountains. But Mount Rainier in his childhood backyard remains his favorite—he climbed it for the first time when he was 12 and continues to lead dozens of expeditions up it every year
That said, Kilimanjaro has a special place in his heart because it was on a trip to Kilimanjaro that he and the late Laura Evans hatched the plan for what became Expedition Inspiration.
Evans, who lived in Ketchum, had to set asideher goal of climbing Kilimanjaro after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. But she fought back and soon found herself standing atop the mountain with Whittaker where they formulated plans to lead 17 breast cancer survivors up Mount Aconcagua—South America’s highest peak--in 1995.
They raised $2.3 million for cancer research and awareness on that trip.
And that tripled to others, including climbs in the Sawtooth and Pioneer Mountains surrounding Sun Valley. The money is used to bring cancer researchers to Sun Valley where they brainstorm cancer cures.
“I am very proud of that,” Whittaker said. “And I’m reminded of it every time I stand atop Kilimanjaro.”
DID YOU KNOW?
Peter Whittaker and his partner Kerry Samudio, former marketing director at Zenergy, founded Bight Gear two years ago.
The outdoor apparel line features 21 styles from base layers to outerwear. Prior to launching Bight Gear, Peter co-founded Eddie Bauer’s First Ascent line.
Both clothing lines have received great reviews from outdoor industry publications, including Ski Magazine, Backpacker, Outside and Gear Patrol.
The offices are based in Ketchum October through April and at Mount Rainer in Washington from May through September during summer climbing season.