Premiere Climbing Guide Visits Connecticut

The image projected behind Peter Whittaker must have made the lifelong Washington state native feel right at home in Old Saybrook Middle School’s auditorium.
"It’s literally my backyard," said Whittaker to the dozens of adventure enthusiasts looking up at the giant profile of the 14,410-foot Mt. Rainier last Wednesday night.
Whittaker’s presentation, "Climbing Mt. Rainier: A Family Tradition," discussed a legacy of climbing and guiding on one of the lower 48's most challenging peaks.
He began his talk by asking the audience how many had been above 14,000 feet before. A good amount of hands went up. 15,000: a few went down. 16,000: more went down. This continued until Whittaker reached 22,000 feet and only one hand remained- a man in the front row who had climbed Aconcagua, the 22,832-foot peak in Argentina up which Whittaker guided seventeen breast cancer survivors in 1995, raising 2.3 million dollars in the process.
Whittaker co-owns Rainier Mountaineering Incorporated (www.rmiguides.com), one of the oldest and most respected mountain guide services in the nation. Started by his father Lou in 1969, RMI has guided thousands of people up Mt. Rainier. Peter, however, has since extended the services to include big mountains all over the globe, such as Denali, Elbrus, Kilimanjaro and the volcanoes of Mexico and Peru. Next March, RMI will even offer an expedition up the North Side of Mount Everest.
Whittaker, 47, has been guiding climbs up Rainier since he was sixteen years-old and recently summited that peak for the 219th time. He admits, though, that his first ascent of Rainier at the age of twelve isn’t the best of his climbing memories. Whittaker recalled- amid the crowd’s laughter- that he cried his way up the mountain.
"Skiing was my passion,"said Whittaker, who has been hitting the slopes since he was two years-old, but felt at a young age that mountaineering in particular was not for him.
That aversion, however, was destined to change.
"I was born with mountaineering in my blood," said Whittaker, whose uncle, Jim Whittaker, was the first American to summit Mt. Everest in 1963, followed by his identical twin, Lou.
Jim and Lou began mountaineering as Boy Scouts after their doctor suggested that the clean air of the higher altitudes might relieve their asthma. And so the legacy began.
Packed with exciting mountain photography, Whittaker’s presentation showed just how strong his family’s passion is for the mountains. From his father jumping over a deep crevasse just for the fun of it, to his own acrobatic maneuvers on skis, it is easy to see that mountaineering certainly is in their blood.
But Whittaker sees his role in the mountains a little differently than those photos might suggest.
"I’m more of a guide than I am an extreme [athlete]," said Whittaker. During a question and answer segment, he fielded questions ranging from global warming to the responsibilities that come with being a guide. Whittaker stressed that people skills are among the most important while leading a group to a summit.
The discussion veered to the philosophical, hitting such poignant topics as the 1996 Everest disaster, which was recounted in Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air. Whittaker knew several of the mountain’s victims that year, including Rob Hall and Scott Fischer, climbers Whittaker had met on other mountains throughout the world.
This year’s season on Everest was nearly as deadly, and Whittaker addressed the issue of rescuing climbers on the world’s highest peak, something that has been brought into the spotlight since a recent Matt Lauer interview with Lincoln Hall.
"It’s like being underwater," said Whittaker, referring to the limited amount of oxygen that is carried there and the difficulties that rationing presents for a possible rescue on Everest.
Whittaker is a trained EMT and has been involved in numerous rescues on Rainier. After twenty five years of guiding, and an entire lifetime in the culture of climbing, Whittaker has accumulated knowledge that only time on the mountain can teach you, certainly a good trait to find in your guide.
Aside from bringing that experience on his expeditions, Whittaker works with companies like Jansport to develop more efficient packs, as well as Buck Knives to create a carabiner/knife. The presentation itself was sponsored by North Cove Outfitters in Old Saybrook and Mountain Hard Wear, an outdoor gear company with whom Whittaker also works closely.
But as much as equipment improves, Whittaker says that climbing may get more comfortable, but it will never get easier.
"It’s still basically you and the mountain," he said.
From objective dangers to personal obstacles, mountains will always be challenging, which is why we will always dream about mountains. Guys like Peter Whittaker, though, help make those mountains reality.