A Life on the Edge – Jim Whittaker

In May of 1963 Seattle mountaineer Jim Whittaker stepped into world history by
becoming the first American to summit Mount Everest. Fifty years later, he is
still regarded as a seminal figure in North American mountaineering, as well
as an astute businessman who helped create the outdoor recreation industry.

A Life on the Edge: Memoirs of Everest and Beyond is Jim`s courageous, no-
punches-pulled autobiography and a look at a peripatetic, sometimes difficult
life. Beyond the glory of the Everest summit and his other extraordinary
climbing feats, including the first American summit of K2, he openly describes
his personal, «everyman» experience of social upheaval in the 1960s and 70s,
an early divorce, family strife, a passionate new love later in life, near-
bankruptcy, and business triumphs and losses. Jim tells it all with verve and
honesty and, true to his nature, turns every setback into the stage for new
adventure. This special 50th anniversary edition celebrates the story of Jim`s
life and features a new foreword by Ed Viesturs, as well as a new final
chapter that brings readers up-to-date, including details of his trek to
Everest Base Camp in 2012 and his son Leif`s recent successful summits of
Everest.

This is the 2013 special anniversary edition to commemorate the 50th
anniversary of the first American ascent of Mount Everest with a new foreword
by Ed Viesturs and a new afterword by the author – more than 100 photos,
including several never-before-published images.