Mountain climbing can be interesting for the climber for the experience itself, whether that's the feeling of the muscles or the wind blowing off the nearby ocean or a sudden surprising rain. And you can get some good views up there.

But when I do it (rarely), it only makes a story when something goes wrong and I spend a Worldcon explaining that the reason I'm limping is that I put my leg down in a hole and wrenched my knee. And I could have done the exact same thing at sea level.