I'm not a climber and I can't imagine wanting to be one. I don't like heights and avoid walking near the edge of steep drops. I felt uneasy just reading about Alex's exploits in the prologue and looking at the illustration of the vertiginous route he was attempting to climb. However, I also found myself intrigued to understand the mindset of someone prepared to undertake - enjoy even - such a high risk activity. The author approaches the task via his own personal experiences of teenage risky ventures and interest in mountain climbing. It might be a tough ask to make me understand why someone would want to do something so risky.