Recently I went to see Everest with friends and it took me right back to May of 1996 when the tragedy occurred. People will quibble about the movie being true to life, but that’s not what I am addressing here. The climbing community is tight, especially in a town like Seattle, and I knew Scott Fischer through mutual friends. From time to time he would come to my office to select mountain imagery to promote his company Mountain Madness. As is often the case, I was traveling when the news came from Nepal. Scott’s wife Jeannie arrived with his precious film and my staff was galvanized into action. They assisted her with getting it developed, edited and labeled, and making sure the selects got into a stock photography agency for worldwide distribution. It was one small thing we could take care of that helped her and her two daughters through an agonizing time in their lives.
Jim Whittaker is all about this place. Growing up in Seattle gave me the good fortune to be in the same neighborhood as the Whittaker family and I delivered newspapers to their home. Jim was an early model for me when I began discovering the majesty of the mountains and landscape of the Northwest. To watch him go on to Mt. Everest was a huge inspiration and stuck with me. I was eventually given an opportunity to travel to the Himalayas, which changed my life. Congratulations on 50 years! Thank you, Jim!
Mountaineers is hosting two events for legendary climbers Jim Whittaker & Tom Horbein. Both men were huge inspirations for me. These events raise vital funds for Mountaineers conservation and stewardship programs. I am donating a place in my upcoming Seattle Art of Composition workshop and a copy of my book“THE HIGH HIMALAYA”” for their auction.
