Afraid of heights??

[Pammi 0]

I know this has been talked about a little in the past, how many skydivers are actually afraid of heights, but in frustration, I'd love to hear some ideas.

The comment I get from whuffos the most is about being afraid of heights (or like my boss this morning..about how it amused him he had a girl in my office who's VERY afraid of heights - I don't know how the subject came up with them - then there's me who jumps out of airplanes). I STILL haven't been able to explain to anyone adequately how it's not the same. I try to explain a little about depth perception and so forth, but I don't completely understand it myself so it's hard to explain it to someone else.

I, myself, tried climbing on the roof to put up Christmas lights last year and nearly hyperventilated because I hate heights that much. Thinking, "If I can push myself to jump out of a plane, I can make myself overcome this," but I couldn't! It still befuddles me, even. I just couldn't physically make my legs move up further then I'd gone on the ladder (almost to the top) or make myself actually climb on the roof.

It's such an odd thing to me..so maybe someone else can explain it more then I will have something better to say when I hear such comments!

Pam

[AggieDave 6]

Heights really mess with me, but they vary, sort of depends on what is going on, where I am, etc. Over all, though, heights really bother me.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[kingbunky 3]

i've had people bring up the height issue when i tell them about jumping... i try to explain that height is no longer an issue at 3000'+, maybe there's so much else going on in your head the fear gets pushed out? maybe it's just too high to get your head around? i'm not afraid of heights, but i do respect them when it comes to things like playing on my roof with christmas lights and stuff, but i don't even think about it when i jump.

"Hang on a sec, the young'uns are throwin' beer cans at a golf cart."
MB4252 TDS699
killing threads since 2001

[Brisco 0]

I too HATE getting up on a ladder, roof, cliff, or any other high place, but will happily jump out of an airplane. Perhaps if someone could come up with a parachute with an AAD that could detect a 1 foot fall, deploy and land me safely from a 12 foot altitude, I might overcome my fear!!

Brisco

Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want.

[ChileRelleno 0]

Heights give me the heebiejeebies when I'm without some sort of fall prevention gear. However I've basically no fear when using appropriate safety gear.

ChileRelleno-Rodriguez Bro#414
Hellfish#511,MuffBro#3532,AnvilBro#9, D24868

[Spy38W 0]

I don't think it's so much a fear of heights as much as it is a fear of "lows"

--
Hook high, flare on time

[skyboyblue 0]

I used to be a little scared of heights too. skydiving has obviously changed that but when I started even looking over a stairwell 4 stories up made me a little weak. I think it was because I had no control on how to save my ass if something went wrong. That feeling of having some kind of a backup being that high off the ground is a little bit of piece of mind.

sbb

[weegegirl 2]

The hardest thing for me about learning to skydive, was overcoming my fear of heights - and learning to SPOT. Damn, the first time I had to really look down before getting out of the plane, I nearly fainted. But I hung in there - and I pushed myself - until finally, one day, I looked down and felt fine. Now I love to be the spotter, and I don't mind heights at all.

[TheBile 0]

Although I don't have a real fear of heights, I do feel more uneasy on the roof of my house than I do in a plane at 12k. I'll try and take a stab at why and see if you can relate it to your situation.

When I'm on the top of a tall building I don't really have anything to stop my fall. If I slip off the roof I know I'll injure myself (or worse). In the plane I have a parachute rig on my back designed to make me land safely so that puts me at ease.

Additionally, when I'm on the roof it is my intention NOT to fall. When I'm in the plane it is my intention TO fall. This subtle difference in mind set makes you look upon the two experiences from a different perspective and the concern of height perception doesn't play a part.

My primary explanation though is that I had never been exposed to that altitude before (ie outside of a commercial airliner), so I found it difficult to comprehend how high I actually was. When I looked down at the ground below all I could relate it to was the aerial landscape photographs I use at work. I believe I didn't get a sense of height because of this, and so any height related phobias or concerns didn't surface.

What do you think ? Any help there ?

Gerb

I stir feelings in others they themselves don't understand. KA'CHOW !

[CanuckInUSA 0]

Ever since I started skydiving this summer, my rock climbing and mountaineering trips have been severly restricted. I guess I'm just having too much fun jumping, but you guys wouldn't know anything about that now would you?

Anyway, a couple of months ago I ran into one of the guys I've climbed mountains with and I told him that I had taken up skydiving. Well the dude just couldn't believe it thinking that I had a death wish. But I had to remind him that some of the exposed Class IV and low Class V we've climbed without ropes was just as if not more dangerous than skydiving.

I guess my point in all of this is that we get a different perspective of heights while we skydive and it's only when you get near the ground that your traditional fears of heights may kick in.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[Galen 0]

I wouldn't say that I'm afraid of heights but I do have an aversion to them. I don't feel comfortable on ladders (over 5 feet) or roofs.

I was helping a friend re-side his chimney. We rented 10 feet of scaffolding and it comes with this 18" wide plank on which to stand and work. Imagine trying to stand up on it and yank nails out of the wood. When we worked as high as we could reach his kind wife came out and offered me a footstool to stand on on top of the scaffolding. I laughed. The whole time they teased me about skydiving and not liking scaffolding.

[wmw999 2,587]

The way I used to explain it to people was that on a building (stairwell, whatever) you have a point of reference all the way down -- that building getting smaller, the stairs farther and farther away, etc.
With skydiving, you're standing on the step over a map. If making a first jump out of a Cessna, just concentrate on the strut and your jumpmaster; out of anything, it really doesn't matter
All that said, I love heights unless they're seen from the top of a wobbly extension ladder. Just the way I'm built.
Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[mnischalke 0]

I think you are totally right. 10,000+ ft. is surreal to the mind and actually removes the height element. It's like looking down on a map or a photo.

At 800' with a base rig on my back, I still get the weak knees and terrible tumblys in the belly. I think it's because you can relate to your toes hanging off the object. You can see the object, whereas, under canopy at 800', there's nothing to fall off of. Your toes are dangling.

If you want to get that fear of heights back, put your hands on your handles at 800' and start to pulllllllllll...

mike

Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills--You know, like nunchuk skills, bow-hunting skills, computer-hacking skills.

[happythoughts 0]

The fear comes from a feeling of impending injury.

When I was younger, I was a rodbuster on a bridge.
70 feet off the water. We walked around on 12-inch beams and worked near the edge all the time.
I talked to an experienced guy about it. I was having a problem with working on the edge. We were tieing rods to the side walls, 4 inches from the edge. We held the rod by leaning on it with our chest to keep our hands free. Our shoulders/head were out over the edge. We spent all day looking down 70 feet below.

I felt the edge "draw" me towards it. The experienced guy said that this is because of how you get balance. Your eyes look at the ground at your feet and the ground farther away and can't estimate the distance. If you keep your eyes mainly focused on your feet, you don't feel drawn. When walking beams, look at where you are walking until more comfortable.

I said I was still afraid. He said that we think of the consequences. Think of how you would react to save yourself if you did slip, then proceed. I don't have a problem with it anymore, now that I understand it.

[Slappie 9]

I've never been afraid of heights. I used to work for a billboard company. I'd spend almost all day hanging off the side of a 80' sign with nothing below me except for concrete an cars. I've even been zapped up that high with 440v of electricity. The "mule" on the ground didn't like it when I recovered an was able to get to the ground an slam a pipe wrench upside his head for turning the power on while I was connecting the lights.

I've tried to explain to whuffos that once you get past a certain height your mind doesn't think about the height anymore. I have to concur with you Pammi on this one, it's pretty hard to explain to rooted individuals. Pretty much I think the "Afraid of heights" excuse is a cop-out. IMHO only!

"Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them."

[airann 1]

I didnt have much problems with skydiving and heights as my instructor pointed out are you afriad of heights while in an airliner? Things just look small right? Well that is how skydiving is.

But looking off a tall building straight down gives me a small amount of vertigo or just the creeps. If I combine the addition of the view straight down with the horizon its not so bad.

It was quite worse before I got the entire picture of it all in perspective by skydiving.

I started skydiving becase I was testing myself maybe on that issue as well as many others. I believed I could not do it. Changed my life.

~AirAnn~

[prepheckt 0]

I hear ya Pammi. All cadets have to jump off the 10m tower for Water Survival training. I just about freaked looking down. I couldn't understand why, until I recall hearing that the scariest height for most people is about 33 feet. Which is about 10m...weird huh? Anyone back up this rumor/fact?

"Dancing Argentine Tango is like doing calculus with your feet."
-9 toes

[freeflir29 0]

I can't really say I'm scared of heights. I do tend to hold onto stuff pretty tight if I'm NOT hooked in to anything. I was never a big fan of rappelling because it's kinda easy to screw up. IE "West Point Hook Up" and it's all over but the impact. However.....I didn't even blink when swinging out onto a fast rope 90Ft in the air. Just make sure you have a good grip on the rope before you swing out. Watched a friend miss the rope and fall about 40Ft once. Somehow....he got up and walked away. *shrug* Not much to go wrong with a fast rope so it didn't scare me. Sitting on the outside of an MD-500 was way cool. For most of the ride you had a safety line hooking you to the aircraft. Only at the one minute call were you supposed to remove it. Even then you have a nice fabric handle to hold onto. So....I guess I can say that I don't have an IRRATIONAL fear of heights.

[mnischalke 0]

Ahhhhhh, the memories...

Fast roping and SPIE rigging. I wonder why heights never factored in there either...

Thanks Clay! My day somehow seems less meaningless.

mike

Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills--You know, like nunchuk skills, bow-hunting skills, computer-hacking skills.

[Hallur 0]

I agree with Happythoughts and theBile, I think they did a nice job putting the finger on it. I was always climbing anything that was high and intimedating when I was growing up in Denmark and Iceland and ended up with frequent broken bones(both legs at the same time once) I some times felt the fear of heights but always when I imagined what I would do if something went wrong and concerntradet on what I was doing the fear went a way I feel its something to do with beliving you can do it and dont exeed your capabilities. if you know them..
safe swoops.....Hallur

When I stop skydiving is the day that I die!!! Hallur

[freeflir29 0]

Oh I almost forgot.....I was abolutely TERRIFIED in glass elevators as a kid. I would't stand anywhere near the glass side. Used to make my heart rate double!!!

[MyUserID 0]

It's all about binocular depth cues. Up kinda close, yer eyes rely on accomodation (lens stretch) and convergence (the amount of angles that yer eyes are pointed towards each other to look at a spot on the horizon. After a certain distance, these cues are ineffective. After this we rely on monocular cues such as texture gradients, atmosphere (haze), interpositioning, and relative size, etc. When we use these cues, we might as well be looking at a picture. Your mind kind of perceives it as such.

Wow, I actually learned something in Sensation and Perception

------------------------------------------------------

Remember kids, eagles may soar, but at least weasels dont get sucked into jet engines.

[freeflir29 0]

Quote

Wow, I actually learned something in Sensation and Perception

Don't forget "Empty Field Miopia" when looking at something like a clear blue sky.

[mnischalke 0]

I am totally cool in glass elevators except when they get to the top floor and there is something above my head. I can't explain it, but vertigo kicks in when I am up high and there is something stretching out over my head.

I think it's that focus thing.

mike

Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills--You know, like nunchuk skills, bow-hunting skills, computer-hacking skills.

[christoofar 0]

I have an intensense fear AND fascination with heights... it's kind of hard to explain. When I was a little kid, I used to have nightmares of falling off a cliff or the ledge of a tall building, stuff like that.

Despite that, I like really tall buildings architectually, like the freestanding CN tower in Toronto, the Tower of the Americas in San Antonio, or the Space Needle. I've visited almost every tall building in the U.S. throughout my travels.

When I was tempted into skydiving by my ex-gf, I was a big time scaredy-cat! However, that instantly dissapated as soon as I was out the door and I got "the bug" since then.

Since I've been jumping, I've felt less fear on hop and pops and more at higher altitudes (I know, doesn't that sound crazy?). Sometimes though I pull high on occasion and I float to 2,000 I sometimes am taken aback by how convienent I feel when I pull that low!

I guess now my fear of heights has changed to: "I am deathly afriad of 10,000+ but not so much 3,000"

____________________________________________________________
I'm RICK JAMES! Fo shizzle.