Posted by Excited Delirium Russia... has to be russia.

The guy dangling is from Ukraine, and the guy holding him is from England!

Of course I'm scared of heights, however the results are breathtaking. Wish I had the guts to do it some day.

Love heights!

I wish my city had more to climb

What is heights?

“To say that Richard Mayhew was not very good at heights would be perfectly accurate, but would fail to give the full picture; it would be like describing the planet Jupiter as bigger than a duck. Richard hated clifftops, and high buildings; somewhere not far inside of him was the fear – the start, utter, silently screaming terror – that if he got too close to the edge, then something would take over, and he would find himself walking to the edge of a clifftop and then he would just step off into space. It was as if he could not entirely trust himself, and that scared Richard more than the simple fear of falling ever could. So he called it vertigo, and hated it and himself, and kept away from high places.”

― Neil Gaiman, Neverwhere

Pretty much sums up the fear for me.

I was before getting serious about this hobby. Then after free climbing like 40 stories of a fire escape, and a few ratty old towers kinda broke that.

I am not scared of heights as much as I am thrilled by them! There is something about being high above everything else that makes me feel undeniably alive. In a few months, I will be traveling to Bangkok and will hopefully climb a 50-story abandoned tower to get a great view of the city!

I'm usually fine with heights until things start creaking. I do not like the creaking

Yes, and no.

The heights themselves don't really bother me all THAT much. I've been up high plenty of times. It's more of a trust issue...

I don't trust my strength climbing things. I'm afraid my arms will give out. Or I'll misplace my hands. Or my feet will hit a slick spot. Or I'll make it up ok, but be unable to make it back down safely. Basically I don't trust myself to NOT fuck up.

I don't trust others around me while climbing things. This probably stems from being a kid at the pool, and my friends telling me, "I won't push you in! Trust me!" ...Then they push me in.

I don't trust whatever rickety structure I'm on to not collapse under my weight. Especially if it's rusty, cracked, and/or creaking.

Gravity is a bitch, and I'd rather not find out what terminal velocity feels like.

Posted by WarBird69 I don't trust my strength climbing things. I'm afraid my arms will give out. Or I'll misplace my hands. Or my feet will hit a slick spot. Or I'll make it up ok, but be unable to make it back down safely. Basically I don't trust myself to NOT fuck up.

You and me both.

I only climb things if I really have to, and I have done a few fairly dodgy 'free climb' type accesses over the years but I try and avoid it wherever possible.

I'm the opposite. The sketchier and more exposed something is, the more I want to climb it. Obviously within reason. Like a lot of us, I'm conceited and self-centered, so I love myself too much to let myself die. But boy do I like to have fun at heights when I am in control.

That being said, I will never bungee jump or skydive. I hate rollercoasters. I hate take off. Something about being at heights at speed terrifies me. Also I do not have total control.

Zig-Zag Ladder of Death...




An interesting climb since it doesn't touch the ground, hangs free, and is a bit of a lay back at the bottom. Apart from that, no issues.

Abby

How is that ladder supported near the ground? I know it doesn't touch the ground, but are there no cables holding it? Is it's only attached when it gets closer to the wall?

Used to be. More of the fact, you just have to get over it. Climbed a 180ish foot ladder with no cage. Shook at first while up there, but after a solid 5 minutes or so, you just start to relax and take the view in.

Abby...that ladder is CRAZY!! wow!!

Is it in a mine? or a cave?

The only times i am afraid of heights is if there isn't a railing or you could easily fall off of the ledge. It also depends on how high up it is.

I've found that heights only bother me when I'm in a sketchy situation such as standing on a sheet of plywood above a death drop or shimmying along edges. Generally speaking, if I subconsciously feel that I can do something, then the thought of heights never crosses my mind.

Posted by That_Dude I've found that heights only bother me when I'm in a sketchy situation such as standing on a sheet of plywood above a death drop or shimmying along edges. Generally speaking, if I subconsciously feel that I can do something, then the thought of heights never crosses my mind.

Where you can fall it should always be on your mind... you get one shot.
Once in a free fall your options and control become very limited.
It's happened to more than one member here

Posted by Lola AB Abby...that ladder is CRAZY!! wow!! Is it in a mine? or a cave?

It's in a mine that dates back from the late 1800s to early 1900s. The ladder descends into a HUGE stope and comes right out of the ceiling so it feels super exposed as you climb down. It's a bit scary although I have climbed it without ropes when we were in a hurry to get down into some deeper workings.

Abby