you know, i appreciate what these guys do, but there's got to be nothing more dangerous than mountain climbing. I'm sure more people die in cars every day than in any given century on a mountain, but it seems to me like you're just asking for it by hoping those picks you drive into rock hold steady and don't send you hurtling down to your death. I've got a bit of a daredevil streak, but mountain climbing always looked crazy to me.
I know I don't fully "get" the extreme daredevil deal. I have seen some studies on Discover Science channel, that suggest we all have some genetic componet for risk. Some , like me tend to be risk averse and feel quite anxious and almost ill if in cliff hanging situations. Others, like the guy that on the side of a cliff or base jumpers may have a risk-positive thing where they don't feel bad, they get an actual rush and love it.
To each his own I say. BUT, as you pointed out, don't show some major risk taker falling off a cliff and say it is some horrible tragedy. Some guy leaps 18 buses thru a hoop of flame and crashes and sometimes the media makes it out to be some tragedy...wrong, he was asking it for it in my opinion.
My motto is this: " When you try jumping the shark and fail. Don't expect me to cry when the sharks eat ya"
