Are you scared of heights?

[Chris-Ottawa 0]

Hey Everyone,

Ok, this is probably going to sound weird but I'm curious if anyone else has this problem, or at least thinks like I do.

I am scared of heights. Now this isn't cut and dry. I live on the 9th floor of an apt building, I can look over my balcony, climb over and hang off of it, anything goes. I can get out of an airplane from 15k feet down to 2500 or less if I had to. This is where it gets odd. I have a friend who lives in the same apt building as me, but 6 floors above me on the 16th floor. (My math is correct, theres no 13th floor). I can stand on the balcony, I can look straight out, but I cannot look down, or lean over the balcony. I literally start shaking and freaking out. I am not to the point where I won't go beyond a certain floor or anything, but you won't see me on the balcony. I was on a 300 foot cliff helping some friends accomplish a BASE jump and had no problem looking over, it was weird. I think that I am afraid of a "range" of height, such as 150 ft to 250ft.

I am totally fine under canopy for 99.347% of the ride. I get a weird feeling in my stomach when I turn base leg. I noticed this alot when I did my tandem. I was freaking out from 1000 feet to landing. Now I've gotten over that, but I still get the feeling on base leg, then my mind switches to landing mode and forgets "where" I am.

Please tell me someone else has this issue? My friends laugh at me because I'm a chicken on the 16th floor, but I'll gladly leave an airplane... I don't care, but I also think it's kind of odd. I don't think it's a fear of the height, but more a fear of feeling unsafe.

Thanks

Chris

EDIT: The mention of the % of the canopy ride I am afraid of was based on an ancient mathematical equation that uses the rotation of ...bah, nevermind. PM me for the details...haha

"When once you have tasted flight..."

[Andy9o8 2]

I am very agoraphobic when I'm on a building or anything attached to the ground. I feel it physically, right in the center of my chest. BASE would definitely be out of the question for me.

Aircraft and skydiving - no problem; no fear of heights at all.

[Lastchance 0]

Idid a 200 ft free swing rapel off of a bridge and when I looked over the edge I got dizzy and also a strange feeling in my gut. I am a rock climber also and sometimes yes, it seems that I have a fear of heights. It was never there when I was younger tho. I do get over it as soon as I'm over the edge on a rope. It only seems to heppen when I'm standing on the edge looking over. However I have never gotten the feeling when I jump or when I'm flying. Pretty strange.

I may be getting old but I got to see all the cool bands.

[DougH 270]

Not really.I am more scared of myself then I am heights.

My aunt and uncle own an apartment high up in NYC. As a kid I would often hang over the balcony and contemplate jumping off to see how it would feel.

I get the same way around cliffs, the thought pops up, and I give myself the willies.

"The restraining order says you're only allowed to touch me in freefall"
=P

[CanuckInUSA 0]

My rock climbing and mountaineering experiences curred me of any fear of heights. I respect them, but no way do I fear them.

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

[fonz 0]

Some loose thoughts:

First, I don't think you can actually be scared of heights. Being scared of depths is another matter...

Second, I think the idea of being in control (or not) is important. Personally, I can get quite jittery when I'm on a ladder. Not because of the height or depth, but because I somehow just don't trust ladders and expect them to topple down, taking me with them. I don't feel like I'm in control so I'm (somewhat) scared. Cranes, scaffolds and cradle elevators, on the other hand, I usually trust. When I'm on one of those, I don't give a rat's ass whether I'm 2 floors up or 22. I feel in control so I'm not the least bit scared. I also think that's the main reason why most people are not afraid to look out the window of an airplane. They feel secure in the knowledge that they can't just fall out of the plane. They feel in control, hence they're not scared. Note that I said most people! I also know people who don't want to sit at the window or don't even want to fly in the first place. So I'm aware that there are exceptions.

Third: with height, our depth perception changes. As we get further AGL, we percieve increased height/depth, but at some point we get so high - and the world below us appears so small - that we lose sense of how high we really are, which decreases the fear factor.

Fourth: there are additional factors that can increase our fear of heights/depths, such as noise, wind or the swinging/swaying of a structure. For example, being in the door of a jump plane takes some getting used to. The wind blast increases the fear factor if you're not accustomed to it.

All in all, I'm inclined to say that fear of heights/depths is a complex matter and it's perfectly normal to be scared in one situation and not at all scared in another situation. Our minds can play funny tricks with us sometimes.

I'd like to conclude with another illustrating example: a former colleague of mine is kind of a tree-surgeon. He can fire away with a chainsaw 100 feet up a tree when secured by ropes, but he breaks out in sweat when he's 10 feet up the same tree standing on a ladder. He trusts his climbing equipment (harness, ropes, etc.) but doesn't trust the ladder.

Alphons

And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes.
-- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

[kirkverner 0]

You are born with two inherent fears. One is the fear of loud noises and the other is the fear of falling. Nearly every animal has these, even reptiles have a fear of falling.

ParacleteXP

[KNewman 0]

Hey Chris

I can jump out of planes and have no issues at all, but, I have a hard time getting on extension ladders, scaffolding and such. They are way to creepy!

Blue Skies and Stand-up Landings!!!!!!

[skybytch 273]

You won't catch me at the top of a 6 foot ladder. I get really scared on the roof of a single story building. I'm not all that excited about climbing trees either.

But once I'm above 1000 feet in a plane with a parachute on my back I'm fine. Under 1000 feet in the airplane and I'm scared because a) I'm not in control and b) below 1000 feet is when we're most likely to crash and I'm least likely to be able to get out and use my parachute. It's wierd though; being at or below 1000 feet under canopy isn't nearly as bad as being in the plane.

[shropshire 0]

Not really, but I respect heights. I understand that if I fall and can not control the energy, I can get hurt... Simple (in theory).

It's not the height or the fall that hurts you.... it's the energy transfer.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[chrismgtis 0]

I used to be somewhat. For example I was in Ohio last June standing on the balcony about two or three floors up and leaning over the edge made me feel a bit uneasy. A few months later I'm jumping out of airplanes every weekend. It never bothered me to a point that it freaked me out, but I've been on towers 400ft in the air made for tourists and felt like I needed to grab ahold of something to feel safe.

On the ride up or standing at the door at 14,500 feet it doesn't bother me. It doesn't bother me looking down in freefall or under canopy at any height one bit.

I haven't been on a tower or balcony since I started skydiving so I don't know if I got over that "uneasy" feeling or not at low altitudes where I'm not there for the purpose of jumping out.

Having a rig strapped to my back makes me feel safe I guess.

Rodriguez Brother #1614, Muff Brother #4033
Jumped: Twin Otter, Cessna 182, CASA, Helicopter, Caravan

[Johnsisland 0]

Glad to see I am not the only one who doesn't always appreciate heights.

My fear is a little different...it's whether I think/feel I am safe. For instance, having a main and reserve on my back and being above a 1000 feet is fine (I agree with Lisa completly on this one.) Being on a second story roof, without any fall protection is not my favorite situation. Second story with fall protection on, no problem.

On my first jump, the JM was wondering when I would become nervous, but he never saw it happen. I will never tell him, but when I let go of the strut, I thought "Oh SHIT, I am falling." For all of a second or two until the static line opened my canopy, hahahaha! I had thought through all that I would see, standing out on the step, looking down...but I didn't think about looking at the ground after I had let go.

J

Arch? I can arch just fine with my back to the ground.

[Chris-Ottawa 0]

RIGHT ON!

I'm glad I'm not the only one!

Alot of people mentioned ladders and feeling unsafe. I have those same fears. If I'm on a 3rd floor balcony, which I would normally feel fine on, but the railing was jiggling and I "felt" unsafe, I freak out.

I knew about skydiving an how things get smaller so our frame of reference is blurred.

I just found it odd that I'm fine on one structure at ~90 feet but not at ~150.

Thanks everyone!

Chris


EDIT:Based on the current voting results, looks like everyone has alot of gear faith. That's also good to know. We trust our gear, which we should, but I wonder if it is a false sense of security. I mean, I wonder if everyone really trusts their gear, or if they are "expected" to trust it if they're jumping it. I fully trust my gear...until it fails the first time.

"When once you have tasted flight..."

[brettski74 0]

Quote

I don't think it's a fear of the height, but more a fear of feeling unsafe.

I think you on the right track there. Someone else suggested a fear of falling, which might be partly true, too. I'd actually explain it as a fear of injury.

I am now able to trust my skills and my gear to deal with at leat 99% of situations that may arise when I exit the aircraft without serious injury. So I don't really worry about that on exits.

On the other hand, I don't trust a step ladder to the same degree, nor do I trust a ricketty bridge, but I haven't used them as much or as often as I've skydived in the last 18 months. However, I do know that if I fall, it'll probably hurt.

Try looking over that 300 foot cliff when the winds are gusting up to 40mph. You'll probably be a little more apprehensive. A 300 foot cliff I'm fine with. A windy 300 foot cliff scared the shit out of me!

[L.O. 0]

Heights don't scare me at all but widths, Make me sick to my stomach.

HPDBs, I hate those guys.
AFB, charter member.

[fonz 0]

Quote

looks like everyone has alot of gear faith. That's also good to know. We trust our gear, which we should, but I wonder if it is a false sense of security.
[snip]
I fully trust my gear...until it fails the first time.

A succesful chop might help here (been there, done that).

As for me, I found the first couple of jumps to be quite scary BEFORE leaving the plane (I believe that's called door anxiety). On AFF level 6, the JM pushed me out in unstable position (it was planned that way!). Enjoying the tumble for a while, then arching and finding out that it actually works significantly reduced my fears and cured the door anxiety.

When I had about 50-odd jumps I had my first mal (no, I didn't pack it myself). Succesfully cutaway and deployed the reserve. Knowing how and when to pull the handles is one thing but actually finding out that it really works might add to your peace of mind and your gear faith.

Alphons

And five hundred entirely naked women dropped out of the sky on parachutes.
-- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

[Chris-Ottawa 0]

Haha, funny you say that and I was going to mention this, but to say the least...they did not end up jumping the cliff. The wind was crazy up top, but pretty low at the bottom. After being up there for a while, they called it.

I was really surprised, normally I would freak out when I'm that high up in winds like that. I had my legs dangling over the edge trying to find a nice vantage point to film, if they had jumped. I was apprehensive, but not scared.

Chris

"When once you have tasted flight..."

[MagicGuy 0]

I agree with the poster who mentioned having the fall protection. Being on roofs and such isn't cool for me, but never during a skydive do I get a fear of being up high. Before I ever jumped I thought being under canopy would freak me out because it is SO high up. But it's almost the opposite.. being up that high, you don't realize it much. Mostly because there is a canopy above my head.

Same would go with a cliff or something. If I had a rig on my back (BASE, preferable ) I think I'd be fine. No rig, that's a different story.

[brettski74 0]

Quote

The wind was crazy up top, but pretty low at the bottom. After being up there for a while, they called it.

How did you get to the edge? Did you just walk up and sit down like a park bench or something, or did you climb up from the bottom, so you never really had to stand on top, or did you crawl out there?

I was at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland a couple of years ago where the winds rip in straight off the North Atlantic. It wasn't so much a problem that the winds were strong, but that they were strong and very gusty. One moment you'd be pushing against the wind pretty hard, and then they'd drop off, and it takes you an extra step or two forward to restabilise with that resistance gone, then it picks up again and pushes you back a step. It was winds like that that scared the shit out of me on that cliff. I crawled up to the edge.

[winsor 236]

Your poll overlooks the distinction between "height" and "altitude."

Skydiving is about altitude.

BASE is about height.

Stepping out the door of an aircraft at 800 feet is nothing like stepping off an object at 800 feet.


Blue skies,

Winsor

[moto89 0]

I have a bit of a fear of hieghts, but I have yet to really feel it jumping. After a certain altitude, the ground is so far away that it just isn't threatening anymore.

Less talking, more flying.

[Taikoen 0]

I don't feel comfortable looking over the edge of a building that's high enough where I know I'll injure myself, which is just a few stories. If there's glass or a rail, I'll stand next to the edge but not lean into the only thing preventing me falling out/off the side of the building. I do absolutely fine with skydiving, once I got past the initial door anxiety. I think the anxiety at the door was more of not realizing that I know how to use the parachute (well, as well as someone with my skill experience could). Once I started tumbling and doing acrobatics, getting stable, and pulling to land safely I was fine.

I was in the desert a few years ago, and I think the biggest factor for me is being able to hold into something solid when I can see ground that isn't nearby. I was standing on top of some rocky terrain that involved a little climbing. For a picture, my friend suggested I put my hands on my hips and look up and away. As soon as I did that, I lost my perspective of balance. I couldn't see where I was standing in relation to the rest of the world and got very anxious. So, yes, as someone said, I think it's a very complex thing that depends on a lot of different factors.

[AdamGardner 0]

I don't like heights unless I can clear and pull with a base rig. Then eh. Its not so bad.

[OSOK 0]

Suggestion: if you want any kind of actually definitive results, just have a YES/NO as options, thats it.

[Eule 0]

Quote

Second, I think the idea of being in control (or not) is important.

I agree with this. I worked for a while on the 36th floor of a 50-story building... no problem. I've gone up in the Space Needle in Seattle (including on the outdoor observation deck) and in the Gateway Arch in St. Louis... no problem. At work, there's a self-supporting tower that's about six feet (2m) square and maybe 3 stories tall, with a ladder running up inside the tower - I've climbed the ladder and stood on the top of the tower (with guard rail)... no problem.

In the autumn, I have to climb a 6-foot (2m) stepladder to get on the roof of my one-story house to clean leaves out of the rain gutters and off of the roof. I hate the transition from the ladder to the roof, even though I'm only about eight feet (2.5m) off the ground at that point. I can crouch down and walk along the edge of the roof, pulling junk out of the gutters... OK. When I stand up straight and use a broom to get leaves off of the roof - OK as long as I'm not too close to the edge of the roof. Closer to the edge I get nervous.

When I was younger, my dad hated going up on the extension ladder to paint the trim on the second story of the house, and sometimes I would do that part of the house for him. With the ladder on the concrete driveway, no problem. With it on the lawn, even properly supported and braced, I was nervous.

Eule

PLF does not stand for Please Land on Face.