There are also free-solo rock climbers who climb without ropes; big-wave surfers who deliberately enter enormous and potentially lethal waves; cave divers who enter underwater cave systems where a navigational error can be fatal; high-altitude skiers who descend steep mountain faces; ice climbers who depend on fragile surfaces; and various forms of speed flying, cliff diving, and other activities where a single mistake can result in catastrophic injury.

I do not believe that all such sports should simply be condemned.

Human beings have always explored boundaries. Exploration, adventure, curiosity, and the desire to accomplish difficult things have contributed enormously to human progress. Mountaineers have explored places where few humans had previously ventured. Extreme athletes have demonstrated extraordinary capabilities of the human body and mind.

The question is not whether we should eliminate adventure. The question is how much unnecessary risk we should accept in the pursuit of adventure. This distinction is particularly important because the consequences of an extreme-sport injury do not always end with the injured athlete.

There is a famous mountaineering saying: “Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory.”

There is a famous mountaineering saying: “Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory.”

A climber who dies leaves behind parents, a spouse, children, siblings, and friends. A person who survives with a........

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