Jim Whittaker, the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest, has died aged 97, according to his family.

He climbed to the highest point on earth on 1 May 1963 and remained among the most highly regarded mountaineers for decades, returning to Everest with his family when he was 83 years old.

Whittaker - the first full-time employee and former president of outdoor company Recreational Equipment Inc (REI) - died on Tuesday at his home in Port Townsend, Washington, surrounded by family and loved ones, his son Leif confirmed to the BBC.

An American folk hero, Whittaker lived a life "devoted to adventure, stewardship, service, and family", his family said in an obituary.

Whittaker died at home, in a bed "with a sweeping view of the region he loved: the Olympic Mountains, Port Townsend Bay, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca," Leif Whittaker, the youngest of his five sons, said in the Cascadia Daily News obituary.

Known as Big Jim, Whittaker was born in Seattle, Washington, on 10 February 1929 and began climbing with his twin brother Lou Whittaker as Boy Scouts in the 1940s.

The brothers summited Washington state's 7,965-foot (2,428m) Mount Olympus - the highest peak in the Olympic Mountains west of Seattle - aged 16.

The climber cemented his name in history in 1963 alongside Nawang Gombu Sherpa when they climbed the 29,032-foot (8,849m) peak on the border of Nepal and China - an achievement that would inspire generations of explorers and ignite the modern mountaineering movement in the US, his family said.

He was awarded the Hubbard Medal by former US President John F Kennedy for the feat.

Whittaker later recalled that he was the tallest hiker in the group, and Gombu was the shortest.

"You learn, when you climb a difficult mountain, you leave your ego behind and learn that you're just a little micro-speck in this life. You learn your weaknesses and have a little broader perspective," he told the BBC.

Whittaker returned to Everest in 2013 with his son Leif, who is also a climber and specialises in training athletes for high-altitude ascents.

He described summiting Everest and his life beyond that in his memoir, A Life on the Edge. Whittaker remained connected to the climbing community throughout his life, spending decades in leadership and service with The Mountaineers, an alpine club in Washington founded in 1906.

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson paid tribute to Whittaker on X, saying that he was "one of the great Washingtonians".

"He inspired many generations of mountaineers to explore the outdoors, including me. I'm grateful for the time I spent with him over the years," Ferguson wrote on Wednesday.

His renown grew after the Everest climb and he fostered a close friendship with the Kennedy family.

Whittaker served as the state chairman for Senator Robert F Kennedy's ill-fated presidential campaign, and they made history together when they climbed a 14,000-foot (4,267m) peak in Canada, which was later named Mount Kennedy after the assassinated US president.

The climber left his imprint on REI as well, becoming the company's first full-time paid employee in 1955 and serving as the outdoor retailer's second president and CEO from 1971 to 1979.

"Jim showed the world what's possible when courage is grounded in purpose," REI said in a statement to the BBC.

REI said he was "a true trailblazer and generous leader" and one of the most important voices in the history of REI and the outdoor community.

"He expanded our sense of what exploration can be," REI said, adding that Whittaker also became a prominent voice advocating for the protection of the outdoors.

Whittaker testified before Congress in 1968, and his advocacy helped establish North Cascades National Park and the Pasayten Wilderness in Washington state, as well as Redwood National Park in California.

"Throughout his life, Jim measured success not by personal achievement, but by the communities he built, the responsibility he modeled, and the countless people he inspired to step outside and discover something larger than themselves," REI said. (BBC News)

•PHOTO: Jim Whittaker became the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest on 1 May 1963 - a moment captured by Sherpa climbing partner Nawang Gombu

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