The sport in Wales is rugby. At 17 years old Tom was good enough to try out for a position in the youth division of the Welsh National Team. At 25 he was introduced to rock climbing. It stunned Whittaker to discover that he had no aptitude: In fact it terrified him.

Twenty five years later, Whittaker made history.

On May 27, 1998, as the leader of his own expedition he climbed to the roof of the world by summiting Mt. Everest. He had not only overcome his innate fears and personal catastrophe, but had persisted against a tide of scepticism.

This was Whittaker’s third attempt. On his first expedition in 1989, he survived a storm in which five mountaineers perished. At 21,000 feet he abandoned all gear and supplies to get off the storm bound mountain. Though barely escaping with his life, Whittaker’s belief that he could climb the mountain was strengthened.

In 1995 he came within 1,500 feet of the summit before being beaten back. On returning to base camp, teammate Greg Child gave Tom a stone saying “I picked this up on the summit and I want you to put it back where I got it from”.

The gauntlet was cast.

There on the Rhumbok Glacier at 17,000 ft. in Tibet, Whittaker began to plan his final expedition. This time he handpicked and led the team, was instrumental in making a documentary film and included his family and the HOGs, the handicapped group he founded in 1981.

This became one of the most ambitious and arguably successful mountaineering expeditions of all times. It created three world firsts and a prime time CBS documentary film, which won the 1998 Telly award for best adventure documentary. “A Footprint on Everest” was re-tooled for “48 Hours" with Dan Rather, under the title "Against All Odds" and aired on July 13, 1999.

After overcoming a lung infection, and medical opposition, Tom’s perseverance and determination paid off. On May 27th, 1998, Whittaker made a footprint on Everest and climbing history by stepping onto the 'Roof of the World'. He returned the stone, he redefined the possible, but more than anything his achievement stands as a beacon to all of us that aspire to take a dream and turn it into something great.