Who's scared of heights?

[mechsympathy]

Plenty of people on this thread are. Some don't even like looking at pictures.

[ewenm]

"It's the grounds that hurt" - Pratchett.

[mechsympathy]

ewenm said:

"It's the grounds that hurt" - Pratchett.

IME it's missing the crash mat that does the damage.

[ASBO]

I used to be petrifed but now I can cope with most things.

You wouldn't find me on a bungie jump though. That's taking things too far.

[Big Rod]

I don't know if I'm actually scared of heights.

I'm not really scared of anything else, (insects, snakes, the dark etc,) that springs to mind, (AFAIK!), so I have no frame of reference so to speak.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't take notice of long drops, compose myself in a much more conservative manner, I do tense up a bit and do get shivers but I don't know if that constitutes as 'scared'. I always considered that to be 'the rush' like what you get from rollercoasters and the like.

What say you?

Edited by Big Rod on Friday 15th August 16:22

[AngryS3Owner]

I think the only issues I have is when there is a serious fear of falling, like on a mountain skiing and realising there were no barriers a serious drop only marked by poles and there was a total white out so you couldn't even see one pole from the next.

Or earlier this year, doing the Watkin path on Snowdon near the top where you're actually scrabbling up between the rocks with a very serious drop that caused a bit of sphincter tightening when looking back down.

Anything normal I generally cope with and wouldn't stop me doing anything I want to but can't pretend it doesn't bother me.

[Shar2]

AngryS3Owner said:

I think the only issues I have is when there is a serious fear of falling, like on a mountain skiing and realising there were no barriers a serious drop only marked by poles and there was a total white out so you couldn't even see one pole from the next.

Or earlier this year, doing the Watkin path on Snowdon near the top where you're actually scrabbling up between the rocks with a very serious drop that caused a bit of sphincter tightening when looking back down.

Anything normal I generally cope with and wouldn't stop me doing anything I want to but can't pretend it doesn't bother me.

See, I was fine whenever I climbed up the crib goch (sp?) on Snowdon. Although I did stick ridgedly to the three points of contact rule.

[dan1981]

You see i don't know......

I've done a skydive, climbing Wina Pichu (big bloody hill at the site of Machu Pichu with scary bits) plus the whole of the Inca Trail.

Been pu the empire states and the sears tower.

Done the rollercoasters with big drops etc, been up blackpool tower etc.

All fine.

Last weekend I tried to prop a ladder up over our stairs to do some decorating and I was stting myself.

Wouldn't fancy a bungy jump either.

So i have no idea if i'm scared of heights.

[Jasandjules]

I don't like ladders or escalators, but I will happily parachute.

I'm afraid of low heights, I think...

[mechsympathy]

Big Rod said:

I'd be lying if I said I didn't take notice of long drops, compose myself in a much more conservative manner, I do tense up a bit and do get shivers but I don't know if that constitutes as 'scared'. I always considered that to be 'the rush' like what you get from rollercoasters and the like.

I'd say that's a bit scared.

I climbed regularly for more than ten years so I'm unfazed unless I'm likely to fall and even then if I know the gear is good it's more of a shrug my shoulders, looks like I'm falling, hey ho feeling. I find rollercoasters pretty pointless too.

[ewenm]

mechsympathy said:

Big Rod said:

I'd be lying if I said I didn't take notice of long drops, compose myself in a much more conservative manner, I do tense up a bit and do get shivers but I don't know if that constitutes as 'scared'. I always considered that to be 'the rush' like what you get from rollercoasters and the like.

I'd say that's a bit scared.

I climbed regularly for more than ten years so I'm unfazed unless I'm likely to fall and even then if I know the gear is good it's more of a shrug my shoulders, looks like I'm falling, hey ho feeling. I find rollercoasters pretty pointless too.

I wonder if finding rollercoasters pointless is a climber thing? I'm the same, they do nothing for me and I (used to) climb.

[mechsympathy]

Shar2 said:

See, I was fine whenever I climbed up the crib goch (sp?) on Snowdon. Although I did stick ridgedly to the three points of contact rule.

I tend to walk along it with my hands in my pockets The looks you get are ace

[Neil_H]

I get it a bit. I get serious fear when there's no barrier to the drop, even if I'm watching it on video or looking at a photo, the effect is the same - I get butterflies which go right through me down to my toes, which can cause mild pain. Also get it just from watching someone else, watching a free climber video would do it for example. I sometimes get a weird dizzy feeling when using Google Earth as well....

When I'm behind a barrier of some sort I don't really get it, I'm fine on an aeroplane or in a tall building (my old building had an open 16 storey lobby with glass barriers, which never used to bother me).

[Big Rod]

mechsympathy said:

I'd say that's a bit scared.

I climbed regularly for more than ten years so I'm unfazed unless I'm likely to fall and even then if I know the gear is good it's more of a shrug my shoulders, looks like I'm falling, hey ho feeling. I find rollercoasters pretty pointless too.

Okay. I'll accept that. Maybe what makes sense is the 'a bit scared' part. I guess I generally expect people who are scared of something to be frozen stiff with fear and run away rather than being able to grit their teeth and get on with something. I find although I do notice a change in myself when confronted with a long drop, I can still get on with it. I'm not an adrenaline junkie but I do like the buzz of accomplishing what I set out to do in the face of what could be considered a fear.

Thanks, I guess I'm just a big girls blouse after all!!

[mechsympathy]

ewenm said:

I wonder if finding rollercoasters pointless is a climber thing? I'm the same, they do nothing for me and I (used to) climb.

I think it's a control thing, you're used to keeping a lid on panic so something as safe as a rollercoaster really doesn't do it. Having said that I did crap myself on a big wheel once as a) it went a hell of a lot quicker than I expected and b) it was in India and I wasn't convinced anyone had maintained it recently

[tali1]

A few height mysteries ahem....What if you're an architect - surely that requires climbing heights?- but what if you have a fear of them- no job?
Do construction workers get paid a higher rate the higher up they work?
How do construction workers on USA skyscrapers working at the top deal with a call of nature? - do they have to have pre-planned meals to avoid such a situation?

[Vagabond]

I did a thread a short while ago about my fear of heights, and there were lots of other poor souls who suffer with the same.

And you need more catagories, I dont poop myself when I see a ladder, but cant go up proper high (over 3/4 floors) even if indoors.

Edited by Vagabond on Friday 15th August 16:43

[Don]

I'm scared stless. Indoors fine - unless it's next to a floor to ceiling window nice and high up or a glass sodding floor. With a barrier pretty OK. No barrier? Whimpering wreck.

Which is precisely why I drove over the Applecross pass three times in quick succession last week. Fight the weakness. But there's some things I simply wouldn't attempt. Light rock climbing.

[Mikeyboy]

Yeah and it gets worse as I get older. Freaks me out just to be in a tal building with big windows these days which is just plain wrong

[Davi]

I managed to make myself queasy the other day looking over the balcony in west key - that's only 3 floors (ok, so quite high floors I suppose).

I've got gradually worse - I have a photo of me as a 10 year old swinging between the top branches of a 100ft tree, but since then each year my tolerance appears to have come down. Last time I went on a plane the steward tried to convince my wife to let him take her seat as the rate I was trying to claw through the window I was likely to succeed before the end of the journey.