“Colin Haley, one of America’s leading alpinists and a partner of Alex’s, once told me that he climbs because it satisfies a primal desire to have intensity in his life. He said he doesn’t overthink the risks he takes as a climber because the experiences he finds in the mountains are “worth everything.” Warren Harding, when asked by a reporter why he climbed, famously quipped, “We’re insane. Can’t be any other reason.” After Alex’s first attempt on Freerider, Peter Croft put it like this: “The great thing about a climbing hero is that they’re doing something for no good reason at all. To put that much on the line, to work so hard for something that doesn’t have any quantifiable value, it’s just this wonderful, crazy, uniquely human thing.” Synnott, Mark. The Impossible Climb (p. 352). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. Synnott, Mark. The Impossible Climb (pp. 351-352). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. ”