Pakistan, Aug. 28 -- There are also free-solo rock climbers who climb without ropes; big-wave surfers who deliberately enter enormous and potentially lethal waves; cave divers who enter underwater cave systems where a navigational error can be fatal; high-altitude skiers who descend steep mountain faces; ice climbers who depend on fragile surfaces; and various forms of speed flying, cliff diving, and other activities where a single mistake can result in catastrophic injury.

I do not believe that all such sports should simply be condemned.

Human beings have always explored boundaries. Exploration, adventure, curiosity, and the desire to accomplish difficult things have contributed enormously to human progress. Mountaineers have explored ...