The satisfaction of exploring new ground ... and perhaps even more important, of exploring one's own reactions to new, at times exacting, experience. There are the sheer beauty and grandeur of the mountains, the soothing balm of solitude. And through it all , is the undercurrent of danger: for this is what climbing is all about; staking one's life on one's judgement, playing the calculated risk. This doesn't mean going blindly into danger, or seeking hazard for its own sake. The climber gains his satisfaction from going into a potentially dangerous situation but then, through his own skill and experience, rendering it safe.
-- Chris Bonington's reasons for his attempt on Annapurna
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