Attempting to understand the motivation to travel thousands of miles, pay thousands of dollars, and risk one’s life to climb a mountain is a sticky issue. Making their ambitions fit into "real" life is as great a challenge as climbing itself.

"They’re talking about a guy who’s made it his goal in life to eat at every McDonald’s in the country... it makes me wonder what the world has become to? But then again, what’s the difference between such a goal and the goal to climb a mountain? Both serve no purpose, except filling someone’s very personal and selfish dreams with reality."
-Carina Ostberg
August, 2002

"These people walking by outside... most of them must have more money than me; most of them must have things like paid vacation, 401ks, health benefits and other accoutrements of the modern work place. All of these things, I think, are a reflection of the fact that society values who they are and what they do more than society values me and what I do.

No. No one pays you to climb mountains and ski back down."
-Mark Newcomb
July, 2002