I think what your trying to get at is that if an adventurer finds a pass through the mountains, then others will learn of the pass you found, then they can fast travel through that pass.

As someone who rarely Fast Travels anyway, I'd just appreciate the ability to enter a (T)ravel-like screen with the same interesting map information even if I'm not in a position to travel in that location (am close to a river, on mountains, within the bounds of a site), because all I was going to do was to have a look at the major surrounds[1] and then ">" straight back to my current locale...

However, I think that (with a few technically limited Travel-restrictions aside) there should maybe be a skill/attribute-based allowance for Travel where no Travel has previously gone before...  (Swimming for rivers and open water; who-knows-what for mountains, although previously walking a route might indeed be a good qualification for that...)


[1] In better map-type detail than the always-available (Q)uest map.

What if we have some sort of "road" (mountain path?) on which you can fast travel, that is made whenever someone scouts them?
At least in world gen, but eventually in normal gameplay as well

I like this idea. Mountain passes, dwarven roads (unless they're underground), stuff like that.

First; the point is climbing mountains isn't a particularly fun or easy thing to do. They are mountains. Large and obstructive. It's what they do. Even the bogeymen don't like them.

Actually, they aren't, and that's kind of the whole problem.

There is basically no difference between a mountain peak and plains when you travel it in local resolution.  Actually, no, traveling a mountain is faster because I don't keep bumping into trees.  There's nothing on a mountain, nothing slows you down, and there's no challenge to it at all except possibly managing to die of thirst because you aren't exploiting puddles properly.  There aren't even dangerous animals or monsters or anything if it isn't an evil mountain. 

In fact, while we're on the topic of interrupting fast travel, what I'd honestly like to see is being able to fast travel across rivers once I'm a legendary swimmer and all my followers are trained in swimming.  There's no point in pretending it's actually an obstacle anymore.

Until and unless there are real, serious obstacles on those mountain passes that make traversing it an actual challenge, there's no point in pretending this is something that is an actual impediment to travel. (Which would basically have to start with making mountains full of cliffs that require climbing instead of slopes where dwarves/adventurers can have a leisurely stroll up  a fifty-some-odd degree rain-slick bare stone slope with absolutely no danger of losing traction... especially when they have wagons.)  You can mow over a mountain from any angle like it's a gently sloping hill - before this impassible barrier stuff makes sense, you need to make the terrain actually feel like you're crossing the Alps, and need to pick a route carefully even if you're a legendary climber/jumper.

I think the reason you can't fast-travel over mountains is that they're supposed to be barriers to all but the foolhardy and brave. Obviously, this isn't implemented ATM; I eagerly await improved mountains.

... So why does one have their penalties to overland travel not in play until after their local travel penalties that justify them are implemented, while the other one does?

My guess is that it's just how it is without any reasonable explanation. The game has kind of grown organically and is fairly haphazard in places. Then again I remember reading that Toady had to remove cliffs a fair few versions ago because of wagon problems so maybe mountains were more difficult on foot once?