My Old Man and the Mountain, Leif Whittaker
My Old Man and the Mountain, Leif Whittaker
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
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My Old Man and the Mountain
A Memoir

Author: Leif Whittaker

Narrator: Eric Michael Summerer

Unabridged: 10 hr 11 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 09/29/2020


Synopsis

In 1963, the world followed the first American Mount Everest Expedition, and watched as "Big Jim" Whittaker became the first American to stand on top of the world. He returned home a hero.

My Old Man and the Mountain is Leif Whittaker's engaging and humorous story of what it was like to "grow up Whittaker"—the youngest son of Jim Whittaker and Dianne Roberts, in an extended family of accomplished climbers. He shares glimpses of his upbringing and how the pressure to climb started early on. Listeners learn of his first adventures with family in the Olympic Mountains and on Mount Rainier; his close yet at times competitive relationship with his brother Joss; his battle with a serious back injury; and his efforts to stand apart from his father's legacy. With wry honesty he depicts being a recent college grad, still living in his parents' home and trying to find a purpose in life—digging ditches, building houses, selling t-shirts to tourists—until a chance encounter leads to the opportunity to climb Everest, just like his father did.

About Leif Whittaker

Leif Whittaker has climbed many of the world's tallest peaks. His writing and photography have appeared in Powder, the Ski Journal, and Backcountry. He lives in Bellingham, Washington, and is a seasonal USFS climbing ranger on Mount Baker. Leif is the son of Jim Whittaker, the first American to summit Mount Everest.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Katie

I will never climb mt Everest and I'm okay with that, but I love reading about people who do!......more

Goodreads review by Leslie

Loving this Mt.Everest memoir by Northwest native (and son of the first American to summit Everest) Leif Whittaker. It has sucked me into the world of mountaineering and summits (which didn't interest me before but pulled me in and have me looking up climbing terms and and the Khumbu Icefall.) He al......more

Goodreads review by Marcia

After setting aside other books in progress to read this book, I did not wish to return to the others. This was rich in nuanced metaphor, carefully crafted, yet never stiff nor overdone. I take back everything I thought about writers needing decades of living to reach this level of smarts and skill.......more