😀

I hope I’m that fit when I’m 35 🙂

I’m sure that you’re right about the hubris. It’s likely a big part of the reason that many climbers climb Everest (though I have a hard time imagining Watanabe to be one of them). Pride is only part of the equation though. Like in any endeavour in life, athletes are constantly trying to get to the next level. For long distance swimmers, it’s longer swims. For weightlifters its heavier weights. For climbers it’s taller mountains.

I don’t think there’s a lot of difference between that frame of mind and us as bloggers trying to constantly improve and expand our blogs.

It’s a lifetime pursuit. You could argue that some bloggers try to grow their blogs to inflate their big egos (this is definitely true of some), and you’d be right to say that a lot of climbers climb Everest for the same reason.

However, most bloggers try to improve their blogs because it’s a challenge and a passion. I’ve never been on Everest, but I’d expect that’s the same reason that most climbers are up there.

For most people, I think that it’s probably not as much about conquering a mountain, and more about conquering themselves.

I also think that most deaths on Everest are preventable and caused by people allowing their pride to push them into bad decisions (not turning back when they should). I like how this post mentions the good decisions made by the climbers who turned back this year: http://su.pr/2w83zu