Mountaineers are driven people 

 The mountains, inaccessible to most mortals, appear to them to exist for the sole purpose of enticing them to ascend and in so doing experience an affirmation of their quest to surmount seemingly impossible geological challenges, climatic excesses, all that Nature conspires to challenge humankind's endurance and dedication with, in a seemingly mischievous or perhaps even malevolent inspiration to demonstrate her dominion over all.

Modern summiteers like Joe Simpson who miraculously survived a climb in the Peruvian Andes despite breaking one of his legs in an unfortunate descent of horrendous danger and monstrously inclement weather conditions, amply demonstrate, despite their respect for the mountains and the unease and fear some may suffer of the dangers they will encounter, how some manage to survive.

Anatoli Boukreev, a climber of immense capability and experience, wrote movingly of his personal view of an ascent of Mount Everest that took too many lives when the mountain was crowded beyond the capacity to ensure a timely final ascent and early enough descent to avoid catastrophe.  Jon Krakauer wrote of his own version of those very same events, but both captured the essence of the allure of the climb and the ascent.

And David Brashears, who ascended Mount Everest repeatedly, representing the most successful of the many challengers that the Himalaya has seen, further made his place in history by producing a finely detailed, interactive view of the mountain that has fixated so many aspiring climbers.

Mingmar, one of the team who captured the 477 images that make up the panorama - and they say they have thousands more ready for a larger version

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2250676/Mount-Everest-The-incredible-interactive-BILLION-pixel-image-created-David-Breashears.html#ixzz2H46EwDlZ

Many make the attempt, and in the endeavour many experience the most harrowing adventure of their lives.  Now comes word that Ireland's most accomplished mountaineer has been killed on Mount Kilimanjaro during a massive lightning storm.  "Torrential rain all day.  "Spirits remain good even if drying clothes is proving impossible! We pray for drier weather tomorrow - the big day", wrote Ian McKeever.

Three days of serious weather conditions culminated in a lightning strike that killed Mr. McKeever outright and injured six other members of the 20-person climbing crew he was leading to the summit of the mountain.  The team of climbers was intent on reaching the summit of 5,895-metre Kilimanjaro, and raising funds for charity.

The climbers had ascended to the 4,000-metre level despite the weather, heading to the Lava Tower for an acclimatization exercise, after which they would plan to descend to a lower level, make camp and begin the final ascent toward the summit on the following morning.  As they climbed the storm became more dangerously threatening.

Mr. McKeever's career in mountaineering gained him a formidable reputation, setting a world record for scaling the highest peaks on all seven continents - an ambitious goal shared by many seasoned mountaineers to cap off their mountain climbing career with the glory of achievement - in 156 days.