You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again… So why bother in the first place? Just this: What is above knows what is below.

Lou Whittaker is a legend on Mount Rainier with over 250 summits while leading thousands of novice and experienced climbers to the 14,410′ summit of Mount Rainier. He has also climbed in Alaska, the Himalaya, and the Karakoram. In 1984, he led the first successful American summit of the North Col of Mount Everest. The team consisted of guides that gained much of their knowledge while working for Rainier Mountaineering, Inc.

Today, Lou and his wife, Ingrid, spend the winters in Sun Valley, Idaho, and the summers in Ashford. Lou remains an owner and Chief Guide of RMI. While in Ashford, Lou can be seen mingling with climbers at Rainier BaseCamp or Whittaker’s Bunkhouse. Lou is very involved with many other organizations including the American Lung Association of Washington and continues to be their Honorary Chairman for the Climb for Clean Air. In 1993, alongside Dan Evans and Melinda French Gates, Lou founded Washington’s National Park Fund, and remains involved as an Honorary Board Member, and friend of the Fund, to this day.

Find out more about Lou at LouWhittaker.com