"Whittaker writes as he climbs mountains, with courage, grace, and a dash of humility. The result is an utterly compelling tale of a young man who bravely tackles two great challenges--one made of rock and ice and one made of doubts and fears. It's a great read." --Daniel James Brown, author of The Boys in the Boat.

"Fortunately, Whittaker brought a talent for inventive, unconstrained language along with his crampons and plastic boots. His narration breathes life into the country and its people, from the stupas, temples, lamas, and rituals along the trail from Kathmandu to Base Camp, where boredom, primitive accommodations, and altitude-related ailments compete with the camaraderie of other climbers and the simmering impatience to get on with the work." --Jon Foro, Amazon Book Review. 
Read the full review in the Amazon Book Review.

"Leif Whittaker, son of the first American to summit Everest, has given us a deliciously irreverent perspective on growing up in the shadow of a famous father, and how that journey helped shape a unique perspective on one young man's own relationship with a mountain...and a dad." --Tom Hornbein, author of Everest: The West Ridge. 

"It might be easy to feel lost in the shadow of a father who was the first American to stand on top of Mount Everest. Leif Whittaker tells the unique story of finding his own identity--as a son, and as a climber--with humility, candor, and a wonderful sense of humor." --Brendan Leonard, author of Sixty Meters to Anywhere.

"Here's an entertaining coming-of-age yarn from a likable, talented diarist." --Brian J. Cantwell, The Seattle Times.
Read the full review in the Seattle Times.

"For mountaineers, both armchair and real alpinists, Leif Whittaker's My Old Man and the Mountain, is a great read. He's from a dynastic climbing family, but doesn't let his royal lineage get to him. Book is funny and poignant." --Tim Egan, author of The Good Rain. 

Read a review by Sunriver Books and Music. 
Read a recommendation by Cool of the Wild. 

Read customer reviews on Amazon.
Read customer reviews on Goodreads.

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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. Readers 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. 

Leif heads to Nepal with all the excitement, irony, boredom, and trepidation that are part of high-altitude climbing. Well-known guides Dave Hahn and Melissa Arnot figure prominently in his story, as does "Big Jim." But Leif's story is not his father's story. It's a unique coming of age tale on the steep slopes of Everest and a climbing adventure that lights the imagination and fills an emotional human endeavor with universal meaning.