WWU to host Alumnus and Mountaineer Leif Whittaker on Thursday, March 30

Western Washington University will host renowned mountaineer and Western alumnus Leif Whittaker at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 30 in Western Washington University’s Performing Arts Center Concert Hall.

Admission to the event is $5 per person and is open to the public.

In this presentation, Whittaker, son of the first American to summit Mount Everest, will shed light on growing up in the shadow of a famous father, and how that journey helped shape a unique view of his own relationship with a mountain and his dad.

Whittaker is a mountain climber, photographer and writer whose work has appeared in various media worldwide, including “Powder,” “Backcountry” and “The Ski Journal.” His first book, “My Old Man and the Mountain” was published by Mountaineers Books in October 2016.

Whittaker has climbed many of the world’s highest peaks, from Aconcagua in the Andes to Antarctica’s Mount Vison. He has also summited Everest twice.     

After the event, Whittaker will sign books in the Performing Arts Center Lobby. Coffee and cookies will be provided.

Tickets are $5 per person and are available at http://alumni.wwu.edu/whittaker or at the PAC Box Office on campus. Registration for this event closes on March 27, 2017. Ticket revenue will benefit Western’s Outdoor Center and the University’s new Mountain Environments Research Institute (MERI) which is part of the Huxley College of the Environment.

For more information about this presentation, contact Fran Maas at (360) 650-7545 or fran.maas@wwu.edu.