Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Jim Ebert

When my son and I were coming down the mountain, we came across a site too sad for anyone. A hiker was down, with someone performing chest compressions, while the man's son stood by in shock. The SAR helicopter landed just above Lone Pine Lake, with two folks running towards the hiker. They checked his vitals and packed him up and flew him to medical assistance. It was quite disturbing as I was hiking with my son, and it could have been me or any one of us on the trail. At that time, we didn't know who he was or whether or not he pulled through. I just read an article in rockandice.com, where a tribute was written. The climber was "Jim Ebert, Climber, Mountaineer, Dies at 64". Just to quote the article, "Jim...died unexpectedly while hiking Mt. Whitney with his son on Tuesday, July 26, 2011. One of the world's most experienced outdoor guides, Jim was 64 years old and died from complicatons due to an enlarged heart..." You need to read the rest of the article to realize the accomplishments of this gentleman. He was truly a great mountain man. Website is: http://rockandice.com/news/1539-jim-ebert-climber-mountainer-dies-at64 My and my son's condolances to the Ebert family.

Bobd

It is sad to hear of someone going before his time, particularly in front of his son. The only saving graces of this are that it happened while he was doing what he loved, with his son, and that he died virtually instantaneously and without pain or realizing what happened.

Respects to the family.

Very nice article. What a testament to a life well lived.