A beauty of the outdoors is that the outdoors can be whatever you need them to be. Alpinism can be risky, but it needn&#x27;t be risky nor scary. For many, the right friends, the right view, the right goal, or the right sunrise might define success.<p>The one thing that does differentiate the mountains from organized sport is that there are situations, both obvious and subtle, that will harm or kill the uninformed without warning or recourse.<p>Steck and Honnold are absolutely getting paid; they&#x27;re under intense social and fiscal pressure to perform. I hope they&#x27;re both still climbing thirty years from now.<p>Alex Lowe&#x27;s, &#x27;The best mountaineer in the world is the one having the most fun,&#x27; is still true today. At some point, perhaps after an injury or losing a friend, risk for risk&#x27;s sake loses its appeal, and the search for sustainable joy begins.<p>But, to reach my real point, if you stroll past a church-league softball game, you&#x27;ll discover the soul of American sport. It&#x27;s fun.