A quality climber was killed not that long ago when a fairly large boulder fell, and hit and severed his rope. Basically a freak accident if you will. I think mountaineering can be worse. Some routes are just gambles period; people just think it won't be them. Good habits will always minimize the risk...and that is probably the best you can hope for.

The best of the best...I always have problems with this. Especially in sports like surfing and climbing. The equipment on both has helped propel people forward; shoes in particular for climbing. But you are always standing on the shoulders of the people who came before you. Those are the people who set the standards of what is and is not possible, and these standards become the training tools for the youth.