Let me do an analogy. Another passion of mine besides mogul skiing was rock climbing. There are some similarities with falling. I haven't climbed for a while, but I was a sport climber not a trad climber. One reason was that I didn't feel entirely comfortable with trad protection, and I felt falling was the way to get better. If you check out "Free Solo", he climbs El Capitan without a rope. If he falls, he dies. So, not falling is pretty important, and he lives. Unfortunately, he's a dumbass, and all free climbers are dumbasses, because they are ignorant to the facts of life and the corresponding effect on probabilities of death. If it's worth it to them to free climb even though they will very likely die doing it, then that's their choice, but if they think that they can avoid death through some sort of careful approach, then they are idiots. What time will eventually tell them as they get older is that they could have a dizzy spell, they could have a muscle cramp, or even a chip can break off from the rock, and they will learn this lesson as they fall to their death. I had a big chunk of rock break off and nearly castrate me while bouldering. I was 1 foot off the ground, but if I was any higher, I'd be dead.
In Free Solo, first he climbs it with a rope, and he falls a bunch. You can only improve marginally at rock climbing without taking falls. Even lead climbing, people will take falls on purpose to fall long distances just to get their head right so that they are comfortable falling. If you're afraid of falling, it's nearly impossible to push yourself through a precarious crux. There are so many different types of rock climbing moves. There's no way you can prepare yourself for every possible experience until you're up there giving it a shot, and the chances of getting it right the first time are pretty low, which is why Free Solo is first done with a rope. Sending a climb for the first time is completely different than sending it after projecting. You will not get substantially better without projecting, and that means falling. Once you've done lots of projects, then a new climb can be a series of similar moves, and you can flash (first try) increasingly more difficult climbs.
A veteran that has developed the conditioning and experience can go around free climbing new routes, but rest assured, they are not climbing close to their abilities. That means, 1. They are never trying new things. 2. They aren't pushing their conditioning. They are stuck in the status quo. There is still improvement, but it's marginal compared to attempting entirely new stuff. Their status quo may be amazing, and maybe they feel there's no reason to improve substantially, but rest assured if they do try to keep up with the best, they will put on that harness at times.