“Why do you want to climb Mount Everest?” George Mallory – “Because it’s there.”
Alex Honnold is the predominant “free solo” climber around (climbing without a rope) and while he certainly isn’t conquering Mount Everest, the only realistic explanation for why he does what he does is the above quote.
Icebreaker:
Ascending El Sendero Luminoso in El Potrero Chico, Mexico:
2011 Feature on 60 Minutes:
Alone on the Wall (by National Geographic Adventure TV series First Ascent and Sender Films):