I'm curious about ButterflyEffect's opinion, too. I hadn't thought about it quite like you did. I don't want them all to freeze to death, but I guess I don't feel bad when they do. Anyone getting to that position in life has to know the risks. I think accepting risk while trying to prove one can work past it is a natural side of humanity. A high altitude climber freezing to death is no more tragic than a motorcyclist not wearing a helmet and crashing while avoiding an animal in the road or a long time smoker dying of lung cancer. Each leaves behind loved ones. Each accepted risks. But I think the climber is more heroic; I think they better reflect the human spirit. But it isn't tragic because it was an ultimately pointless endeavor they did simply because they wanted to. Maybe the thing I most took away from Krakauer is that amateur climbing is a personal thing, even Everest. Even if they reflect the human spirit, it's still just them doing it for their reasons.