Why mountains?

Why mountains? Why to go there? Why to be a mountaineer and what does it actually mean? I don't have any good answer. Just feeling. Somebody could desperately searching for the answers for whole life. I prefer rather just to go to the mountains and think about more simple things like where to go. But anyway we can learn more from experienced mountaineers. I have chosen some statements of quite well known people in this field. Some of them are quite close to my opinion. 

Ueli Steck

"My live is all about climbing. You know, I am a climber in my heart."

"You should never loose respect of Eiger because it is still the same

mountain as in 1938."

Reinhold Messner

"When I fail I know exactly where I did a mistake and I can learn form that."

"If somebody is going to the mountains where is not danger, 

he is not real mountaineer."

Note that in same interview which is linked bellow Messner mentioned that one has to learn to avoid this danger. 

Adam Ondra

"You are not going somewhere just to climb some route,

but to enjoy the whole trip as well."

Radek Jaros

"Have you ever been to military service? No?

You have this in place of that!" 

Jerzy Kukuczka

"Just to exist is not enough!"

Libor Uher

"Kde je vůle, tam je i cesta."

 

 I would add one from myself. As I am physicist, I think this is something I can talk about:

"Human mankind made a big technical progress in past years.

Now is the right time for improving human soul and education."

And many more, I will add links asap.