The Lure & Privilege of Extreme Sports

On a recent flight, I watched the documentary Free Solo, a film about Alex Honnold’s solo climb up El Capitan, a 3,000 foot wall in Yosemite National Park. Honnold climbed the wall without any equipment, broaching the very valid question: why? What entices people to throw caution to the wind and engage in life threatening extreme sports? Like many people, I’ve long assumed that extreme athletes continuously seek thrills…