[sc_rufctr]

A lot of these "feats" draw a lot of attention and admiration from friends, relatives and strangers.
So part of the motivation is getting that attention. That's also why a lot of musicians, actors and so on perform on stage. I'm not saying it's the only reason but it's a big part of it.

If you ask a climber why? Often the answer is.. Because it's there!

I can partly understand that thinking but that doesn't tell the whole story.
Part of the drive is the addiction to that thrill... That feeling they when their life is in danger or threatened.

We're talking about a small minority. Most people aren't like this.