Are you scared of heights?

[pinkfairy 0]

Used to really freak out when looking down a stairwell, now I just look down and and think "well, altitude, but I'm not falling down, there's a fence, my feet are securely planted on the floor, nothing to be afraid of".

I feel I can control my fear better after I started skydiving.

I used to be afraid of having my head under water too and getting water in my nose, but now I'm just calm and collected when that happens, and just find the surface to breathe.

I have been a little afraid under canopy at times, at one point I pulled (planned) at 8k, and was for a moment a little freaked out I would fall out of the harness and die, but calmed myself down with the thought that i'd be just as dead if I fell out at 1k.. And I wasn't in any danger of falling out of harness anyway.

I have never felt any fear of heights when I'm in my landing pattern. Only first time it was like "I'm really low, I know that I'm higher than a 10 floor building, but I'm not scared of the height, this is not normal". That was on my tandem, so I had time to think those thoughts.

I thought fear of heights would be enough to stop me BASE jumping, but that clearly isn't the case. Fortunately I have other reasons not to.

Other than that, it's great to be rid of stupid old acrophobia. Who needs it?

But I can understand those who still has it, I mean, we're all different.

I'm not tough, I'm just not afraid of heights anymore.

Relax, you can die if you mess up, but it will probably not be by bullet.

I'm a BIG, TOUGH BIGWAY FORMATION SKYDIVER! What are you?

[timbarrett 0]

i think the lizard reference is apposite...when your primitive "lizard" brain can recognize height it triggers the fear response..but the primitive response was only designed for environments that primitive man might experience, eg up a tree, the edge of a cliff. The primitive brain cannot recognize the height from 13,000 feet - no-one looks out of a airplane window and thinks "i am on the edge". Understandably your more sophisticated rational brain recognizes that jumping out of an airplane door is probabaly not very wise but that isn't the same as the visceral fear you get on the edge of a cliff.
It is entirely reasonable and to be expected that anyone gets scared 200ft up but not necessarily 13,000 feet up...

"Work hard, play hard and don't whinge"

[sagan 0]

I'm not sure if it is the height or the fear of harming myself falling off that height but I too have a certain fear of intermediate heights especially.

That said if I'm under canopy (one that's good :) ) I don't have an issue.

On ski lifts I'll feel uncomfortable without the bar down so i think it's all a "feeling safe" vs scared of heights in some cases.

Same thing in planes -- commercial flights that are bouncy can freak me out a bit... put a rig on my back and the bouncier the better (as long as we're at 5K+ and the reason it's bouncy isn't b/c we can't jump) -- again safety fear.

-Patrick

[nigel99 150]

It was explained to me when I first started jumping:

1) Most skydivers get a rush/fear otherwise it would not be worth the money.

2) Our fear of heights is because we want to "jump" from the height.

I have always been scared of heights above 10 foot, and what I was told makes sense. I often find that if I look down a stairwell, building related height I find myself wondering how long it would take to fall.

Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

[HillerMyLife 0]

Definately...I hate being on small objects above 15 feet or so. Why skydiving?? Well...altitude is insurance I guess!!

Someday Never Comes

[TAXIWAY 0]

I have this same problem. I get uneasy when on a tall building close to the edge of a roof or balcony. I have no issue at all with hights while skydiving. 3000 plus jumps and no fear of heights with the rig on my back.

Its kind of wierd when you tell people your scared of heights. The first thing they say is but you skydive.