Why is Nereidum Montes on Mars considered both intriguing and challenging for future exploration?

Nereidum Montes is an intriguing potential landing site on Mars due to its abundant ice deposits, which could serve as a crucial water source for future explorers. As Planetary Science Institute researcher Daniel Berman notes, this area could be utilized as a 'hotspot for water' - a vital resource for sustaining human presence on the Red Planet. Despite this compelling advantage, the region presents significant challenges for landing operations. Berman describes it as 'bumpy territory' that would 'almost certainly be extremely hard to land there.' This difficult terrain creates a paradox where one of Mars' most valuable water ice reservoirs remains tantalizingly out of reach for conventional landing technology.